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Fremont, California
United States of America's Alameda County contains the city of Fremont. As of 2020, Fremont, a city in the East Bay area of the Bay Area, had 230,504 residents, making it the fourth-most populous city in the region behind San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland. It has a significant presence in the tech sector and is the East Bay city with the closest access to the high-tech Silicon Valley corporate network.
The settlement that sprang up around Mission San José, established in 1797 by the Spanish under Padre Fermin Lasuén, is where the city had its start. When the old municipalities of Mission San José, Centerville, Niles, Irvington, and Warm Springs amalgamated into one city, Fremont was formed on January 23, 1956. John C. Frémont, a general who assisted in the American Conquest of California from Mexico and later served as the Military Governor of California and a U.S. Senator, is the inspiration behind the name Fremont.
Geography
Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San José, and Warm Springs were annexated into a single new, incorporated city called Fremont in 1956. These five small, autonomous communities were situated between the East Bay undulating hills and the San Francisco Bay. After 60 years, these neighborhoods have significantly grown, ceased to be distinct communities, and are now regarded as districts or community plan areas of the City of Fremont. Originally intended to become part of the annex, the town of Newark was ultimately rejected by voters who feared it would turn into an industrial area. As a result, Newark became its own incorporated city in 1955. Later, a section of unorganized land between Mowry Avenue and Stevenson Boulevard was annexed by Newark; this site is currently occupied by the Newpark Mall and the nearby plazas. Since its inception, Fremont has added six more districts, which it refers to for planning reasons as "community plan areas." These include Bayside, Central, North Fremont, and South Fremont. The Baylands and the Hill Areas, the other two districts, are mainly made up of open area.
The Tri-City Area refers to the region that includes Fremont as well as the cities of Newark and Union City (different from the adjacent Tri-Valley area encompassing Pleasanton, Dublin, and Livermore).
Climate
Fremont has a San Francisco Bay Area-typical Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb). The city experiences pleasant, wet winters and warm, dry summers. Due to the city's location in the rain shadow of the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west, precipitation is relatively low (about 17 inches per year), similar to that of neighboring San Jose. On December 23, 1990, the lowest temperature ever registered was 21 °F (6 °C).
Recreation and Culture
Since 1996, Fremont has been recognized as a Tree City USA. City parks, roadways, and manicured boulevard areas have about 55,000 trees. Near Mission San Jose, the city runs the Olive Hyde Art Gallery, which has hosted Bay Area artists like Wendy Yoshimura, the California Society of Printmakers, and the Etsy collective. A previous residence of Olive Hyde, a relative of former San Francisco mayor George Hyde, now serves as the public gallery.
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 are just a few of the other cultural, historical, or scientific landmarks in the area.
City Administration
For a period of four years, an elected mayor governs Fremont. The mayor serves as the head of the municipal council, which also consists of four other elected officials. When district-based elections are implemented gradually, there will be seven seats on the council after the addition of two additional seats in 2018. The council approves the city's budget and makes significant policy decisions. A city manager and city attorney are chosen by the municipal council. The city manager employs city employees and oversees daily operations. On some matters, advisory bodies consult with the city council to help the council make final decisions. Members of advisory bodies are appointed by the mayor with the support of the majority of the council. All members, with the exception of planning commissioners, serve unpaid four-year terms.
Public safety, zoning control, infrastructure upkeep, parks and recreation, and regional social services are all directly provided by the City of Fremont. The city administration is divided into 22 departments, ranging from Transportation Engineering to Animal Services, to deliver these services.
In 2009, the city reported $280 million in income, $200 million in expenses, $1,200 million in assets, $340 million in cash and investments, and $260 million in liabilities. The city had 800 employees and a $160 million yearly budget as of 2015.
By July 1 of every year, the municipal council has approved a balanced budget. Service cuts, workforce reductions, and wage concessions by unions have all been part of earlier budget crises.
Alameda County Water District and Union Sanitary District are two special districts that offer water and sewage services to the city. The city receives waste collection and recycling services from a private company called Allied Waste.
Schools, Both Primary and Secondary
For students in grades 9 through 12, the Fremont Unified School District offers five high schools: American, Irvington, Kennedy, Mission San Jose, and Washington. All five high schools use Tak Fudenna Stadium, which has 5,000 seats, for football, track, soccer, and high school commencement exercises. The Mission Valley Athletic League is comprised of these five high schools as well as James Logan High School in Union City and Newark Memorial High School in Newark (M.V.A.L.).
The district comprises 29 primary schools, including Glenmoor Elementary, a continuation high school (Robertson), two independent study programs (Vista and COIL), an adult school, five junior high schools (Centerville, Hopkins, Horner, Thornton, and Walters) for grades 7-8, and an adult school.
(K-6). The district collaborates with the Newark and New Haven Unified School Districts to run the Mission Valley Regional Occupational Program.
According to the California Department of Education, William Hopkins Junior High, Mission San Jose High, John F. Kennedy High, and American High all received the California Distinguished Schools Award for 2019.
FUSD does not include Fremont Christian School or Averroes High School in Fremont. The state-wide California School for the Blind and the Northern California School for the Deaf coexist on the same campus.
Universities and Colleges
Both Ohlone College in Fremont and a smaller campus in Newark are run by the Ohlone Community College District. Undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology and management are offered at Northwestern Polytechnic University and the University of Phoenix Bay Area Campus. As a sister institution to the 42 campuses in Paris, France, the private university 42 launched in Fremont. Fremont is home to the campus of Gateway Seminary.
Community Libraries
Fremont is home to the Alameda County Library's administration. The Fremont Main Library, which shares a facility with the Alameda County Library Administration, is the Alameda County Library's largest branch and has the branch with the most circulation. It features the Fukaya public meeting space and the Maurice Marks Center for Local and California History. Centerville, Irvington, and Niles are home to additional branch libraries of the Alameda County Library.
Transportation
Interstates 880 (Nimitz Freeway) and 680 provide access to Fremont (Sinclair Freeway). SR 262, an extremely congested one-mile section of Mission Boulevard, connects them in the Warm Springs district even though they do not intersect. Additionally, it is served by SR 84 and the SR 238 portion of Mission Boulevard. The Dumbarton Bridge's eastern terminus is located in the city.
Along Interstate 880, there are elevated sound levels; Caltrans and the city have worked to reduce such levels by building noise barriers.
The Altamont Corridor Express and BART provide regional train service (ACE). The Warm Springs / South Fremont station received a 5.4-mile (8.7-kilometer) BART expansion on March 25, 2017, replacing Fremont's BART station as the system's southernmost terminus. On June 13, 2020, the Milpitas and Berryessa/North San José stations as well as the southerly BART expansion into Santa Clara County opened. A further BART extension to downtown San Jose is in the works. Both the ACE service, which runs from Stockton to San Jose, and Amtrak's Capitol Corridor service stop at the Fremont-Centerville station. Local bus service is offered by AC Transit.
Population
California's Alameda County is home to the city of Fremont. It is the 100th largest city in the United States and the 17th largest city in California with a projected population of 235,430 in 2023. Fremont's population has grown by 2.14% from the most recent census, which showed a population of 230,504 in 2020, and is now rising at a pace of 0.7% yearly. Fremont has a population density of 3,039 persons per square mile and a total length of about 88 miles.
Fremont has a 5.64% poverty rate and a $160,528 average household income. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. In Fremont, the median age is 38.2 years, 38 years for men and 38.3 years for women.
In the San Francisco Bay Area's southeast, Fremont may be found in Alameda County. The Tri-City region includes Fremont, Newark, and Union City.
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