Soil series profile
Fairview soil series
Fairview is a well drained soil with a sandy clay loam surface, mapped on 1,077,531 acres in 25 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 56% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.7 moderately acidic · range 5.5–6.2
- Mapped area
- 1.1M acres in 25 counties, 2 states
Typical Fairview profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 in (Ap1) | Sandy clay loam | 5.7 | 26% | 58% | 1% |
| 4–9 in (Ap2) | Sandy clay loam | 5.7 | 26% | 58% | 0.75% |
| 9–24 in (Bt) | Clay | 5.3 | 53% | 25% | 0.25% |
| 24–29 in (BC) | Clay loam | 5.3 | 31% | 36% | 0.25% |
| 29–79 in (C) | Loam | 5.3 | 20% | 41% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Fairview soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Fairview soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.7 (most land between 5.5 and 6.2). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Fairview acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy clay loam (62% of mapped Fairview acres).
100% of mapped Fairview acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 79% of the acres in mapped Fairview soils very limited, 21% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Where the soil is very limited (slow permeability, a high water table, flooding, shallow bedrock or steep slopes), alternative systems such as mound or sand-filter designs are common and cost more.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Fairview soil is found
Mapped acres
Fairview is mapped in North Carolina and Virginia.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Surry County, NC | 147,255 | 44.9% |
| Wilkes County, NC | 134,656 | 29.4% |
| Burke County, NC | 105,464 | 33.5% |
| Stokes County, NC | 82,397 | 30.7% |
| Patrick County, VA | 81,030 | 29.8% |
| Forsyth County, NC | 66,038 | 28.1% |
| Alexander County, NC | 64,625 | 39.6% |
| Pittsylvania County, VA | 61,712 | 11.1% |
| Caldwell County, NC | 55,808 | 18.5% |
| Caswell County, NC | 47,967 | 17.7% |
| Iredell County, NC | 47,882 | 13.6% |
| Yadkin County, NC | 41,640 | 20.8% |
| Rockingham County, NC | 36,606 | 10.8% |
| Halifax County, VA | 33,870 | 7.3% |
| Catawba County, NC | 23,283 | 9.8% |
| Buckingham County, VA | 17,932 | 6.0% |
| Davie County, NC | 10,805 | 6.9% |
| Franklin County, VA | 5,545 | 1.4% |
| Davidson County, NC | 3,259 | 1.0% |
| Person County, NC | 2,402 | 1.0% |
| Danville city, VA | 2,304 | 23.4% |
| Cumberland County, VA | 1,691 | 1.1% |
| Albemarle County, VA | 1,638 | 0.4% |
| Bedford City County, VA | 1,562 | 42.3% |
| South Boston City County, VA | 159 | 5.1% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Fairview acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 20.7% |
| Very limited | 79.3% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Fairview acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 5–20% (median 12%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 100.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 55.5% |
| C: slow infiltration | 44.5% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.0% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.0% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
- Data date
- SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
- Scope
- All map unit components named Fairview (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,077,531 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Fairview components. The profile comes from the single largest Fairview component. Full methodology.