Fremont, California

Fremont, California from NASA's Landsat

File:Fremont in Alameda County.png

The city of Fremont highlighted within Alameda County

Fremont is a city in California which was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Irvington, Mission San Jose, Niles, and Warm Springs. The area now comprising Fremont and the adjoining cities of Newark and Union City was formerly known as Washington Township. Fremont is located in the southeast area of the San Francisco Bay Area in Alameda County.

Home to 203,414 people as of 2000 census, Fremont is the fourth most populous city in the Bay Area. Fremont has the largest Afghan population in the United States and hence became a center of media attention when the US attacked Afghanistan in 2001. Fremont is also known for its considerable Indian and Pakistani population. It now has a huge Asian population in the Mission San Jose District.

Fremont education is given by Fremont Unified School District, which includes many elementary, junior high, and high schools. Fremont is the headquarters of ComicsOne, a manga, manhwa, and manhua publisher. NUMMI, a joint automobile manufacturing plant for General Motors and Toyota is located in the Warm Springs district of Fremont.

Actress Julie Pinson and Olympic skater Kristi Yamaguchi were born in Fremont. Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley grew up in Fremont and was a 1972 graduate of Washington High School. Rap star and Christian minister M.C. Hammer, lived in Fremont during his prime as a music legend, during which such hits as "Can't Touch This" and "2 Legit to Quit" were well known.

Geography

Location of Fremont, California

Fremont is located at 37°32'35" North, 121°58'58" West (37.542943, -121.982786)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 225.6 km² (87.1 mi²). 198.6 km² (76.7 mi²) of it is land and 27.0 km² (10.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 11.97% water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 203,413 people, 68,237 households, and 52,201 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,024.1/km² (2,652.3/mi²). There are 69,452 housing units at an average density of 349.7/km² (905.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 47.67% White, 3.10% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 36.95% Asian, 0.40% Pacific Islander, 5.52% from other races, and 5.84% from two or more races. 13.47% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Fremont is the home to the largest concentration of Afghans outside of Afghanistan.

There are 68,237 households out of which 40.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% are married couples living together, 9.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% are non-families. 16.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.96 and the average family size is 3.34.

In the city the population is spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 36.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 99.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $76,579, and the median income for a family is $82,199. Males have a median income of $59,274 versus $40,625 for females. The per capita income for the city is $31,411. 5.4% of the population and 3.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 5.9% of those under the age of 18 and 6.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Education

Fremont has a community college, Ohlone College, and five public high schools: Mission San Jose, Irvington, Washington, American and Kennedy. These five high schools, along with James Logan High School in Union City and Newark Memorial High School in Newark, make up the Mission Valley Athletic League (M.V.A.L.) The University of California, Berkeley also had an extension campus located in Fremont. Another private university offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs in technology and management areas is the Northwestern Polytechnic University.

History

The recorded history of the Fremont area begins on June 9, 1797 when Mission San José was founded by the Spaniard Father Fermin de Lasuen. The Mission was established at the site of the Ohlone native village of Oroysom. On their second day in the area, the Mission party killed a grizzly bear in Niles Canyon. The Mission prospered, eventually reaching a population of 1,886 inhabitants in 1831. The influence of the missionaries declined after changes in the administration of California by the Spanish colonial authorities. The first European visitor to Fremont was the reknowned trapper and explorer Jedediah Smith in 1827.

The family of Don José de Jesus Vallejo, brother of Mariano Vallejo, was the most influential in Fremont in the late colonial era. His family owned a large rancho and built a mill at the mouth of Niles Canyon. In 1846 they were visited and robbed by the town's namesake John C. Frémont. Fremont grew rapidly at the time of the Gold Rush. Agriculture dominated the economy with grapes, nursery plants and olives as leading crops. In 1868 a magnitude 6.8 earthquake on the Hayward Fault collapsed buildings throughout Fremont, ruining Mission San José and its outbuildings. Until the 1906 San Francisco earthquake caused its destruction, Fremont's Palmdale Winery was the largest in California. The ruins of the Palmdale Winery are still visible near the Five Corners in Irvington.

From 1912-1916 the Niles section of Fremont was the earliest home of California's motion picture industry. Charlie Chaplin filmed several movies in Fremont, most notably "The Tramp." Fremont was incorporated in 1956, when 5 towns in the area came together to form a city. Fremont became more industrialized in the 1950's and 1960's when a large General Motors assembly plant (later NUMMI) was constructed. A boom in high-tech employment in the 1980's and 1990's, especially in the Warm Springs District, caused rapid development in the city. In recent years Lam Research Corporation has been the city's second largest employer.

Constituent towns

Centerville, Irvington, Mission San Jose, Niles, and Warm Springs make up the five former independent towns which once formed Washington Township. Today, these places are no longer separate communities and are usually considered neighborhoods of the city of Fremont. The town of Newark declined to join Fremont, and is now an enclave.

Centerville

Centerville was perhaps the main town in Washington Township. The area is served by two high schools, Washington and American.

Centerville is the focal point of a sizeable Afghan community, and the area is informally known in some circles as "Little Kabul". The best-selling novel The Kiterunner was based partly in Fremont's Afghan community. A 99 Ranch Market is one of many East Asian businesses in the area.

Irvington

Irvington is centered around the intersection of Fremont Blvd. and Washington Blvd. Irvington has many antique shops and restaurants, many of which are established in the late 1800s. The neighborhood was named after Washington Irving, an American author and journalist. The neighborhood is ethnically mixed and is primarily middle-class. The local high school is Irvington High School.

Mission San Jose

The California Mission known as Mission San José gave its name to this nearby town. The Mission San Jose neighborhood has the highest concentration of Asian Americans of any neighborhood in Fremont. Most of the residents are upper-class. The local high school is Mission San Jose High School. Mission San Jose's ZIP code is 94539.

Niles

Niles was the home of one of the first West Coast motion picture companies, Essanay Studios. Charlie Chaplin and Bronco Billy Anderson filmed some of their most famous silent movies in Niles. Scenic Niles Canyon stretches between Niles and Sunol. The Niles Canyon Railroad runs along Alameda Creek.

Unlike most cities in the Bay Area, Niles is unusual in that it has a small town feel with a relatively tight knit community. Old Town Niles features its own library, post office, and silent movie theater as well as a large number of antique and craft stores. Of special note is the annual antique fair and flea market which takes place on the last Sunday in August. The entire town turns out with things to sell as early as Saturday morning, with bargain hunters from the Bay Area and beyond visiting in search of bargains.

Warm Springs

Warm Springs is centered around the intersection of Warm Springs Blvd. and Mission Blvd. Little Taipei, an Asian-themed shopping center, is located at the intersection, with Lion Supermarket as the main anchor.

External links

• City of Fremont official web page
• FremontOnline - Community web site
• FremontOnline map of Fremont neighborhoods
• The Museum of Local History
• Wikitravel guide to Fremont
• "Little Kabul" in USA Today, September 19, 2001
• Centerville Business District Webpage on the City of Fremont's Website
• Niles Main Street Association
• Mission San Jose Chamber of Commerce
• Fremont's 50th Anniversary Celebration (2006)
• History of Fremont by Philip Holmes