Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the Bay Area. As of 2020, Fremont had a population of 230,504, making it the fourth most populous city in the Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland. Fremont is the closest East Bay city to the Silicon Valley area, which is known for many high-tech businesses. The city has many technology companies, and its largest employer is a Tesla manufacturing plant, which employed 25,000 people as of 2024.

Fremont was first established around Mission San José, which was built in 1797 by the Spanish with help from Padre Fermín Lasuén. The city was officially formed on January 23, 1956, when the towns of Mission San José, Centerville, Niles, Irvington, and Warm Springs joined together to create one city. Fremont is named after John C. Frémont, a general who helped the United States take control of California from Mexico. Later, he became the military leader of California and then a U.S. Senator.

History

The recorded history of the Fremont area began on June 6, 1797, when Mission San José was founded by Father Fermín de Lasuén, a Spanish priest. The mission was built on the land where the Ohlone tribe lived, in a village called Oroysom. The Ohlone people lived between present-day San Francisco and Monterey, and in areas to the east. They lived in dome-shaped shelters made of redwood bark or woven tule. They were hunter-gatherers; men hunted animals like waterfowl, rabbits, deer, elk, and bears, while women gathered nuts, berries, and root vegetables. The Ohlone lived near rivers and estuaries because these places had fish and shellfish. In warm weather, men wore little clothing, but in winter, they wore capes made of animal hides or feathers. Ceremonies also influenced what men wore. Women wore deerskin aprons over skirts made of tule or shredded bark.

Before 1769, the Ohlone lived peacefully. However, Spanish soldiers and missionaries arrived in California to expand Spanish control and teach Native Americans about Catholicism. The Ohlone were not afraid of the missionaries, who invited them to live and work in the missions. Before missions, the Ohlone used tools made of stone, bones, and wood. Missionaries taught them to make metal tools and weapons and showed them how to build adobe bricks. These bricks were used to build missions, not for the Ohlone to use. The Spanish brought cattle, pigs, and sheep and encouraged the Ohlone to stop hunting and gathering and instead try farming and ranching. Living in missions forced the Ohlone to convert to Christianity and forget their beliefs about nature. Overpopulation caused food shortages, and diseases brought by the Spanish led to many deaths.

On the second day of their visit, the mission group killed a grizzly bear in Niles Canyon. The first English-speaking visitor to Fremont was Jedediah Smith, a trapper and explorer, in 1827. The mission grew, reaching 1,887 people in 1831. The influence of missionaries declined after 1834 when the Mexican government passed laws to separate church and state.

José de Jesus Vallejo, brother of Mariano Vallejo, received the Rancho Arroyo de la Alameda land grant. His family was important in Fremont during the late colonial period and built a flour mill at the mouth of Niles Canyon. In 1846, John C. Frémont led a military expedition to map a route through Mission Pass to the Pacific coast and to claim California for the United States.

Fremont grew quickly during the California Gold Rush. A town called Mission San José developed around the old mission and had its own post office by 1850. Farming was the main industry, with grapes, nursery plants, and olives as major crops. In 1868, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake on the Hayward Fault damaged buildings in Fremont, including Mission San José. Until the 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed it, the Palmdale Winery in Fremont was the largest in California. The ruins of the winery are still visible near the Five Corners in Irvington. From 1912 to 1915, the Niles area was the birthplace of California’s motion picture industry. Charlie Chaplin filmed movies like The Tramp in Fremont.

Fremont became a city in 1956 when five towns—Irvington, Centerville, Mission San José, Niles, and Warm Springs—joined to form a city. Glenmoor Gardens, the largest neighborhood in Fremont, was being built by developers and engineers. When the Glenmoor Gardens Homeowners Association was formed in 1953, there were fewer than 75 homes in the area. It was likely the first such group in Fremont and had a board of directors to manage services like police, fire, and street maintenance, which later became the city’s responsibility.

Fremont became more industrial between 1953 and 1962. The first Fremont post office opened in 1956. A boom in high-tech jobs in the 1980s and 1990s, especially in the Warm Springs District, led to rapid growth. Fremont became connected to Silicon Valley. The Apple factory, where the first Mac computer was made, was in Fremont, but production stopped in 1993. Other companies, like Cirrus Logic and Lam Research, later opened in the city. By 1999, about 750 high-tech companies had offices or factories in Fremont, including 15 of the fastest-growing public companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. High-tech industries remain a major part of Fremont’s economy today.

The General Motors car factory in South Fremont was the city’s largest employer, and Fremont was known for its drag strip. In the 1980s, the factory became a joint project between Toyota and General Motors and was renamed NUMMI. Toyota and NUMMI closed in 2010, and part of the factory was bought by Tesla Motors in 2010 to build electric cars.

Solyndra, a solar panel company, was promoted by President Barack Obama in 2010 as a model for green technology. The government loaned the company $535 million, and Solyndra built a $733 million factory. However, the company went bankrupt in 2011 and laid off 1,000 workers. Seagate Technology, a data storage company, later bought the Solyndra building and uses it as its headquarters.

In May 2024, Fremont’s city council began planning a "Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness" over five years to reduce the number of homeless people. Many homeless individuals live in cars, and the city’s Safe Parking program, which provided designated parking for them, was seen as a temporary solution. In September 2024, the council considered new rules that would ban camping on public property and using large vehicles like RVs in residential areas. These rules required all parked vehicles to be moved after 72 hours. A report by the San Francisco Chronicle noted that efforts to expand housing had reduced homelessness by 21% the previous year.

The new rules were passed in February 2025, with added changes. The updated plan included fines of $1,000 and possible jail time for anyone who helped or hid homeless individuals.

Geography

In 1956, five small, independent towns—Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San José, and Warm Springs—located between the East Bay hills and the San Francisco Bay were added to a single new, officially formed city called Fremont. After 60 years, these areas have grown a lot, are no longer separate communities, and are now considered districts or community plan areas of the City of Fremont. The town of Newark was originally planned to join Fremont, but its voters decided against it because they feared becoming an industrial area. Newark became its own officially formed city in 1955. Later, Newark added a piece of unincorporated land between Mowry Avenue and Stevenson Boulevard, now home to Newpark Mall and surrounding plazas. Since becoming a city, Fremont has created six more districts, called "community plan areas," for planning. These include Central, North Fremont, South Fremont, and Bayside. The other two districts, Baylands and the Hill Areas, are mainly open space.

The area including Fremont, Newark, and Union City is known as the Tri-City Area. This is different from the nearby Tri-Valley area, which includes Pleasanton, Dublin, and Livermore.

Centerville was once the main town in Washington Township. It is located at 37°33′15″N 121°59′57″W (37.55417°N 121.99917°W) and sits at an elevation of 52 feet (16 meters). Centerville began in 1850 when George Lloyd sold cold beer to stagecoach passengers from a tent. Capt. George Bond later opened a general store, and the town was named Centerville. The post office, originally called Centreville, changed its name to Centerville in 1893. The Centerville Pioneer Cemetery holds the remains of many of the town’s early settlers.

Centerville’s history includes Native American roots and early settlers from Spanish, Mexican, Italian, Portuguese, and Swiss (Swiss Park) backgrounds. Early Centerville was a quiet farming community with large Spanish land grants divided into smaller farms. The Freitas Ranch on Thornton Ave was likely the largest working farm, growing apricots, fruit, nuts, and fresh produce.

After President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 in 1942, which allowed military commanders to move Japanese Americans from the West Coast, many Centerville farming families were affected.

Centerville was a key stop for early railways, helping farmers transport produce to market. A large cannery once stood on Baine Ave (now Peralta) near the tracks. In 1959, a fire destroyed the cannery, which was Fremont’s largest employer at the time. The fire lasted two days, and the cannery was never rebuilt.

After World War II, housing developments appeared in Centerville, mainly along Fremont Blvd, Thornton Ave, and Peralta Blvd. For planning purposes, Centerville was expanded to include parts of Fremont’s north central residential area, including subdivisions like Glenmoor Gardens, Cabrillo Park, Brookvale, Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area, and part of Parkmont. The area includes two high schools—Washington High School (established in 1892) and American High School (established in 1972)—and two middle schools: Centerville Middle School and Thornton Middle School, which now stands on the site of the Freitas Ranch.

The former town of Niles is separated from other parts of Fremont and Union City by Mission Boulevard (State Route 238) to the east and north, Alameda Creek to the south, the Union Pacific Railroad to the west and southeast, and Quarry Lakes to the southwest. Niles’ hills are lower than those in Mission San Jose. Old Town Niles has its own library, post office, silent movie theater, and many antique and craft stores. Niles is located at 37°34′44″N 121°58′40″W (37.57889°N 121.97778°W) and sits at an elevation of 112 feet (34 meters).

The area, once called Vallejo Mills, was named after Addison Niles, a railroad attorney and stockholder who helped build the First Transcontinental Railroad. A post office opened in Niles in 1873.

Niles was the West Coast home of Essanay Studios from 1912 to 1916, where Charlie Chaplin and Broncho Billy Anderson filmed silent movies in Niles and Niles Canyon. The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum displays artifacts and screens early silent films.

The Niles Canyon Railway runs along Alameda Creek, offering weekend train rides, including a popular "train of lights" during holidays. The railway also has historic trains.

Part of Niles includes Mayhew Spring, a sulfur spring owned by H.A. Meyhew, located near the Niles railroad station. In 1870, the Central Pacific Railroad completed the transcontinental rail link between Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay, with trains switching at the San Jose junction in the canyon.

Niles also includes the 1909 Niles Junction built by the Western Pacific Railroad, located at 37°34′35″N 121°58′17″W (37.57639°N 121.97139°W) and sitting at an elevation of 79 feet (24 meters).

The Irvington District, once called Irving, has had many name changes. In the 1850s, two freed Black men noticed busy traffic at the "Five Corners" intersection, now the intersection of Fremont and Washington Boulevards, Union and Bay Streets. They built a tavern, later known as Dave’s Saloon, at this location.

Demographics

According to census data, the median income for a household in the city from 2020 to 2024 (in 2024 dollars) was $181,506. About 4.5% of the population had incomes below the poverty line, including 5.9% of people under age 18 and 6.2% of people aged 65 or older. The most common ancestries reported were Indian (29.3%), Chinese (19.1%), Mexican (9.1%), Filipino (6.9%), English (4.9%), and German (4.8%).

The 2010 United States census reported that Fremont had a population of 214,089. The population density was 2,443.7 people per square mile (943.5 per square kilometer).

The census reported that 212,438 people (99.2% of the population) lived in households, 969 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 682 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 71,004 households. Of these, 31,070 (43.8%) had children under age 18 living in them, 45,121 (63.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 7,070 (10.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 3,382 (4.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,779 (3.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships and 444 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 11,576 households (16.3%) were made up of individuals, and 3,697 (5.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99. There were 55,573 families (78.3% of all households); the average family size was 3.36.

The population was divided into age groups: 53,216 people (24.9%) were under age 18, 15,610 people (7.3%) were aged 18 to 24, 66,944 people (31.3%) were aged 25 to 44, 56,510 people (26.4%) were aged 45 to 64, and 21,809 people (10.2%) were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.

There were 73,989 housing units at an average density of 844.5 units per square mile (326.1 units per square kilometer). Of these, 71,004 were occupied, with 44,463 (62.6%) owner-occupied and 26,541 (37.4%) occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%, and the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%. 136,606 people (63.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units, and 75,832 people (35.4%) lived in rental housing units.

Fremont has a large Deaf community, in part because it is home to the Northern California campus of the California School for the Deaf. The school district is called the Fremont Unified School District, which also serves parts of Union City and Hayward.

Economy

Companies located in Fremont include Antec Inc, Electronics for Imaging, Ikanos Communications, Lam Research, Seagate Technology, Fremont Bank, Nielsen Norman Group, Oplink Communications, SYNNEX, S3 Graphics, Tailored Brands, and DCKAP.

According to the city's June 2024 financial report, the top employers in the city are:

Culture and recreation

The City of Fremont has been recognized as a Tree City USA since 1996. There are about 55,000 trees located in city parks, along streets, and in landscaped areas near roads. The city runs the Olive Hyde Art Gallery, which is next to Mission San Jose. This gallery has shown works from Bay Area artists like Wendy Yoshimura, the California Society of Printmakers, and the Etsy collective. The public gallery is in a former home owned by Olive Hyde, who is a relative of early San Francisco Mayor George Hyde.

Other cultural, historical, or scientific landmarks in Fremont include Fremont Central Park and Lake Elizabeth, Ardenwood Historic Farm, California Nursery Historical Park, Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, Mission Peak Regional Preserve, Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, Washington Township Museum of Local History, Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area, Shinn Park and Arboretum, and Coyote Hills Regional Park.

The Tri-City Voice, a newspaper that began in 2002, serves Fremont and nearby cities of Union City and Newark. The weekly newspaper is based in Fremont and prints the city's legal notices.

Government

A mayor is chosen by voters to lead Fremont's city government for four years. The mayor leads the city council, which includes four elected council members in addition to the mayor. In 2018, two new seats were added to the council, increasing the total number of seats to seven when district-based elections were introduced. The council creates the city's budget and decides major policies. It also appoints a city manager and city attorney. The city manager hires staff and manages daily operations. Advisory groups help the council with certain issues to support the council's final decisions. The mayor selects members of these advisory groups, but the council must approve them. Most advisory group members serve four-year terms without pay, except for planning commissioners.

The city provides services such as public safety, land use rules, infrastructure maintenance, parks and recreation, and local social services. These services are managed by 22 city departments, including Animal Services and Transportation Engineering.

According to a 2009 report, the city collected $280 million in revenue, spent $200 million, had $1.2 billion in assets, $340 million in cash and investments, and $260 million in debts. By 2015, the city's annual budget was $160 million, and it employed 800 people.

The city council creates a balanced budget by July 1 each year. In some years, budget challenges led to reduced services, fewer city workers, and agreements with labor unions to lower wages.

Special districts, including the Alameda County Water District and Union Sanitary District, provide water and sewer services. A private company, now called Republic Services, handles garbage collection and recycling.

In 2015, a grand jury found that the city did not follow state rules about keeping public records. The city deleted most emails after 30 days instead of the required two years. Emails were automatically labeled as "unsaved drafts" unless manually saved. The city did not keep records of council members' emails, which were sent to their private accounts. Officials claimed deleting emails would save storage costs, but the grand jury said following the law would not be expensive.

In 2018, the city changed to district-based elections for all but one council seat, increasing the total number of seats from five to seven. Six seats require candidates to live in specific districts, while the mayor's seat remains open to all voters. The council decided the new district boundaries in 2017, a decision that sparked controversy and claims of unfair district lines drawn to benefit certain candidates.

This change was required after a group argued that Latino residents, who make up 14% of the population, were not fairly represented in city government. Few or no Latino individuals were elected to the council between 1956 and 2017. Some suggested that voting patterns may have been divided along racial lines.

As of February 20, 2024, Fremont had 118,717 registered voters. Of these, 59,594 (about 50%) were registered Democrats, 17,021 (about 14%) were registered Republicans, and 37,095 (about 31%) did not declare a political party.

Education

The Fremont Unified School District has five high schools that serve students in grades 9 through 12: American, Irvington, Kennedy, Mission San Jose, and Washington. The Tak Fudenna Stadium, which has 5,000 seats, is used by all five high schools for events like football, track, soccer, and graduation ceremonies. These five high schools, along with James Logan High School in Union City and Newark Memorial High School in Newark, are part of the Mission Valley Athletic League (M.V.A.L.).

The district includes a continuation high school called Robertson, two independent study programs (Vista and COIL), an adult school, five middle schools for grades 6 through 8 (Centerville, Hopkins, Horner, Thornton, and Walters), and 29 elementary schools. The district also runs the Mission Valley Regional Occupational Program in partnership with the Newark and New Haven Unified School Districts.

In 2019, William Hopkins JHS, Mission San Jose HS, John F. Kennedy HS, and American HS were all awarded the California Distinguished Schools Award by the California Department of Education.

Fremont Christian School and Averroes High School in Fremont are not part of the Fremont Unified School District. The California School for the Deaf, Fremont serves students in Northern California and shares a campus with the California School for the Blind.

The Ohlone Community College District operates Ohlone College in Fremont and a smaller campus in Newark. The University of Phoenix Bay Area Campus and San Francisco Bay University offer undergraduate and graduate programs in technology and management.

The Alameda County Library is based in Fremont. The Fremont Main Library is the largest branch of the Alameda County Library and has the highest number of book checkouts. It also shares its building with the Alameda County Library Administration and includes the Maurice Marks Center for Local and California History and the Fukaya public meeting room. Other Alameda County Library branches are located in Centerville, Irvington, and Niles.

Transportation

Fremont is connected to Interstate 880 (Nimitz Freeway) and Interstate 680 (Sinclair Freeway). These highways do not cross each other but are linked through the Warm Springs district by a busy one-mile stretch of Mission Boulevard, which is also State Route 262. Additionally, Fremont is served by State Route 84 and another part of Mission Boulevard, which is State Route 238. The city is the eastern end point of the Dumbarton Bridge.

High noise levels are present along Interstate 880. To reduce these sounds, Caltrans and the city have built noise barriers.

Public rail transportation in the area includes BART and the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE). Fremont’s BART station was once the southernmost end of the BART system. A 5.4-mile (8.7 km) extension of the BART line to the Warm Springs / South Fremont station opened on March 25, 2017. A further extension to Santa Clara County, including the Milpitas and Berryessa/North San José stations, opened on June 13, 2020. A new BART extension to downtown San Jose is currently being built. The Fremont-Centerville station serves as a stop for ACE trains, which run between Stockton and San Jose, as well as for Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor service. Local bus service is provided by AC Transit.

Caltrain is studying the environment and engineering plans for a proposed Dumbarton Rail Corridor that would connect the Peninsula to Alameda County. This project would add Caltrain stations in Union City, Fremont-Centerville, Newark, and Menlo Park / East Palo Alto.

Sister cities

Fremont was once a sister city to Elizabeth, South Australia, until Elizabeth joined with Munno Para to create the City of Playford in 1997. Today, Fremont is twinned with the following cities: