Your Guide to Buying a Home in Fremont, CA

Families in Fremont will find the best of suburban living--abundant social, cultural and recreational activities and facilities, and excellent public and private schools, with colleges and universities in close proximity.

A bit of history

Fremont’s history and culture can be traced back to the establishment of Mission San Jose, built in 1797 and located strategically on the routes that connected Los Angeles with the Bay Area, San Francisco and the Mission Pass to the gold fields. The mission thrived because of this location, fertile land and abundant water. In 1996 the Bicentennial of the establishment of Mission San Jose was celebrated.

Eight towns sprang up around the mission just prior to California’s admission to statehood in 1850, and in 1853 the eight communities created Washington Township. Five of the original eight Washington Township communities eventually became present-day Fremont: Centerville, Irvington, Niles, Mission San Jose and Warm Springs.

Niles made history in 1869 when the last of the tracks connecting the transcontinental railroad from the Atlantic to the Pacific were laid. Present-day history buffs can relive this momentous occasion by visiting the railroad museum located in Niles. Niles again achieved brief fame during World War I when Essanay Studios selected it as the location to film their motion pictures. Bronco Billy Anderson, Wallace Beery and Ben Turpin were famous visitors, but none compared in popularity to Charlie Chaplin, who filmed his renowned "The Tramp" at Essanay Studios. Chaplin is memorialized each June in Niles during "Charlie Chaplin Days."

Award-winning city

A city only 44 years old, Fremont continually wins statewide awards and accolades for the many qualities and features that make life in Fremont so attractive. Known as "The Most Kid-Friendly City in the Bay Area," Fremont—the 98th largest city in the U.S.--was recently named the best city in America to raise children after a two-year research project ranked the 100 largest cities nationwide on several key factors that create a healthy environment for children. Fremont had the fewest occurrences of child poverty levels, fatherless households, teenage birth rate, incidences of low birth weight and infant mortality. In another portion of the same study, Fremont was also rated the second-best city in the U.S. in overall health. Fremont’s high educational attainment and per capita income, plus low unemployment and crime levels resulted in this ranking. Is it any wonder that in 1997, the National Civic League named the City of Fremont as one of the year’s top ten "All America Cities"? This award recognizes civic achievement and grassroots, community problem solving, which Fremont has demonstrated over and over again in its young life.

Fremont’s average age of 33.7 years is young compared to surrounding areas, and the population is well-educated: 64% of Fremont’s adults attended college and 39.4% graduated, exceeding the percentage of college graduates of both Alameda County and the State of California. The public school district students consistently rank above state and national averages. Sixty-eight percent of the employed population are in management, professional specialties, technical, sales or administrative support positions, even though the largest number of jobs in the city are provided by manufacturing.

Fremont has an ethnically diverse population, thereby providing excellent opportunities to utilize cultural differences as learning experiences within the school curriculum. Fremont Unified School Sistrict has received national recognition for its English as a second language program, which includes programs in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Fremont is also home to the California School for the Blind and the California School for the Deaf. Local businesses provide the worksites for internships of these students, creating a heightened sensitivity to and understanding of the special challenges and capabilities of those having sight or hearing disabilities.