On the southeast side of the San Francisco Bay, Fremont was originally home to wandering Ohlone people – hunters and gatherers who lived in harmony with the land. In 1797, Spanish missionaries arrived and dubbed the site Mission San Jose. More than 100 years later, the town’s namesake, explorer and military officer John C. Fremont, put the area on the map by blazing a trail through Mission Pass. Pioneers who flowed in to settle down, or to pass through to the gold fields beyond, left behind a vibrant cluster of communities that eventually incorporated.
Fremont remains a collection of distinct neighborhoods, melding the old with the new. Centrally located Centerville/Downtown is turning its Capitol Avenue into a pedestrian-scale, mixed-use Main Street. The area is also home to a bustling business district along Fremont Boulevard. The central area retains Fremont’s crossroads history with access to Amtrak Capital Corridor and Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) trains, as well as the BART light rail system’s southernmost station in the East Bay.
To the south, the Irvington District is another redevelopment area. It hosts a popular farmers market, Broadway West Theatre Company, plus upscale cafes and apparel boutiques. Still further south, Warm Springs is a major employment community with hundreds of high-tech firms.
The community of Niles exudes historic charm along Niles Boulevard, a strip of antique stores, specialty shops and quaint eateries. Its northeast foothills location includes transcontinental railway history and the former site of film studios producing Charlie Chaplin movies and Bronco Billy westerns.
Toward the southeast foothills, Mission San Jose offers an authentic reconstruction of the mission’s adobe church and quadrangle. Nearby are the Olive Hyde Art Gallery, Ohlone Community College and hillsides dotted with custom homes.
Population: 240,000
Average household size: 3
Median age: 34.5
Median household income: $81,582
College graduates: 43.2 percent
Parks: 9
