Northumberland role in the Industrial Revolution from the 18th century on. Many coal mines operated in Northumberland until the widespread closures in the 1970s and 1980s. Collieries operated at Ashington, Bedlington, Blyth, Choppington, Netherton, Ellington and Pegswood. The region's coalfields fuelled industrial expansion in other areas of Britain, and the need to transport the coal from the collieries to the Tyne led to the development of the first railways. Shipbuilding and armaments manufacture were other important industries before the deindustrialisation of the 1980s. Northumberland remains largely rural, and is the least-densely populated county in England. In recent years the county has
Fairfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey routes. Essex County Airport, managed by the Essex County Improvement Authority, is located in Fairfield. People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Fairfield include: Fairfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey Fairfield is a township in far northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 7,466, reflecting an increase of 403 (+5.7%) from the 7,063 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 552 (-7.2%) from the 7,615 counted in the 1990 Census. Fairfield is the least densely populated town in Essex County.