Julia N. Fairmont came to Austin in 2013 chasing a lead on hydraulic fracturing disputes in the Eagle Ford Shale, and she never quite managed to leave. What started as a three-month freelance assignment for the San Antonio Express-News turned into a decade-long attachment to Central Texas and the stories that define it.
Now as Senior Correspondent for newsofaustin.com, she covers urban development, housing policy, and the growing tension between Austin’s rapid expansion and its longtime residents. Her 2021 investigation into short-term rental displacement in East Austin—tracking how hundreds of families were priced out of the Holly neighborhood over five years—earned recognition from the Texas Press Association.
Career Background
Before joining newsofaustin.com, Julia spent six years at KVUE-TV covering the City Hall and Travis County beats. She also reported for the Austin American-Statesman’s metro desk, where she developed her focus on land use and zoning politics. Her coverage of the 2019 CodeNEXT debates and the contentious Project Connect transit vote helped establish her as a go-to source on Austin’s growth challenges.
Julia holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri and completed the Investigative Reporters and Editors data bootcamp in 2017. She grew up in Corpus Christi, so Texas heat never fazed her—though she admits Austin traffic still does.
Coverage Philosophy
She’s drawn to stories that explain how policy decisions shape daily life: who gets to stay in a changing neighborhood, where the next bus line will run, which communities finally gain a seat at the planning commission. When she’s not reviewing zoning documents or sitting through four-hour City Council sessions, she’s walking her rescue mutt through Zilker or hunting for breakfast tacos east of I-35.
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