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City of Fremont
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- Good for Kids:
- Yes
15 reviews for City of Fremont
Fremont is a safe, diverse suburb with great weather and (contrary to what some may say) lots to do. I have lived in Fremont for most of my life (~18 years); though I love traveling, I enjoy my time at home in Fremont.
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Fremont is located in the southeast Bay Area; it takes ~one hour to drive to San Francisco, ~40 minutes for Berkeley, and ~half an hour for San Jose (these are approximations for people who follow the speed limit). The first two locations are accessible through BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit); the city is the last station for the Daly City-Fremont and Richmond-Fremont lines.
Fremont has a reputation for being safe. There are: rarely homicides, not many homeless people, occasional (but not often) burglaries, and few deadly automotive accidents. I-680 and I-880 are the bigger highways that run through the city, and driving in Fremont can get a little busy during peak hours. There are a lot of Asian female [drivers], but I do not think we are any worse than other drivers- I blame the stereotype on the availability bias... The overwhelming majority of law enforcement action is police handing out speeding tickets, which I have (thankfully) never been involved in.
The quality of life in Fremont is high, but the cost of buying a home is somewhat high, too. Homes in the Mission San Jose District (list prices ~$1.1 million dollars) are especially expensive, which is due to the public Mission San Jose High School.
There are not many high-end restaurants, but there is a good amount of delicious, small, and ethnic restaurants; there are also many fast-food chains. A few of the more popular shopping areas are Fremont Hub and Pacific Commons, and the city of Fremont also surrounds Newpark Mall in Newark, CA. People who are not satisfied with these options drive to Stoneridge Shopping Center (Pleasanton), Great Mall of the Bay Area (Milpitas), Westfield Valley Fair (San Jose/Santa Clara), or Santana Row (San Jose).
Fremont has unique offerings! You can hike Mission Peak; visit the historic Niles and Mission San Jose districts; attend the annual Fremont Art and Wine Festival; host picnics and jog around Lake Elizabeth and Coyote Hills (or a number of smaller parks); fish and swim at Quarry Lakes; experience Afghan culture on Fremont Boulevard; shop at the weekly Farmer's Market on Sundays; or attend Ohlone College. There are places to go bowl, ice-skate, golf, eat frozen yogurt, and/or play at the newly opened Water Park.
CULTURE
Fremont residents hailing from all types of backgrounds basically live side-by-side in harmony. Many other cities have clear-cut ghettos where people of only one ethnic group live, but ethnic groups in Fremont retain their culture while mingling with other groups. There is a lack of competitiveness between the diverse peoples, and it is one of the things I love the most about Fremont. The majority of voters in the Alameda County (encompasses Fremont) voted no on Proposition 8 (the same-sex marriage ban), which is evidence of the culture of nurturing diversity. Queer representation, however, is hardly visible.
Fremont might not be for everyone, but I think it is one of the best places to live- especially for raising children. My time spent living in the San Joaquin Valley of central California made me realize how perfectly this city fits me.
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I found it hilarious that Fremont had its own Yelp page. And then I found it shocking that it has like what, four stars? Seriously people, have you never been outside of Fremont?
Sure it's safe, good place to raise a kid, yadda yadda, but don't you want your kids to have a little bit of culture? I know a lot of people who weren't raised in little bubble towns and they are safe and sound and have turned out just fine.
The only thing redeeming about Fremont is a few of the surrounding parks, and its relative proximity to both San Jose and San Francisco. Not to mention Berkeley, too. Walking around the old Niles area can be interesting, sometimes. And the afghan food is quite delicious here, as well as some of the Mexican. Other than that, you're looking at the widest array of chain restaurants you will ever find in one city. How exciting.
Fremont, I will always have warm and fuzzy memories of you--eating at Kasper's in the Hub as a kid, playing at the local playground in my little suburban cookie-cutter house neighborhood, and learning how to drive on your extremely safe roads--but other than those, it's safe to say that I do not think about you very much. Except for those times where I go back to visit my parents and think god, what am I going to do for an entire week in the city of Fremont.
Oh that's right, drive up to Berkeley or down to San Jose instead. Thank you, 880.
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I've lived in the City of Fremont for a good 19 years of my life.
That's a long long time.
I didn't really appreciate this city until I moved out for a few years and got to live all over the place.
Fremont is kind of boring sometimes because there aren't a lot of people who live here and also there aren't a lot of people who want to come here, but that keeps the city safe in it's own way.
That will probably change once the stadium is up, but that's not for a while. There are decent restaurants, lots of shopping centers, and it's central to San Francisco and San Jose.
It's safe here and I don't have to worry too much about walking around at night, or leaving my ipod in plain sight when I'm going for a walk around Lake Elizabeth. It's also very diverse here, so I feel right at home no matter where I wander.
It's the kind of place you want to settle down in and lead a somewhat quiet life because you can isolate yourself here if you wish, or you can go out and be crazy too. It's a pretty big suburb. I enjoy it here for the most part.
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Let's see:
- The police are a bunch of lazy bums who never come out because they're too busy shooting radar and writing traffic tickets on the busiest streets in town.
- You can't get anybody at City Hall to do anything to slow traffic down -- so people have no problem driving 60 mph down a residential street with a posted limit of 25. Why? "There's no money." Well, then why haven't any city employees been laid off yet?
- The streets are completely falling apart.
- The city can't attract good shopping or restaurants to save itself. I know people who own restaurants who have tried to locate here. Other cities throw in tax incentives among other things to entice a business to locate within them? Fremont? Look around and see for yourself because there's nothing here.
- The mayor, city manager and all the city council members are morons. The idiot mayor referred to "The Globe," some stupid strip mall, as "just like Epcot Center." Ha ha ha ha ha -- and that dope just got re-elected!
Overall, it's just an overgrown farm town. Sort of a California version of Green Acres.
I've lived in Fremont for almost 10 years now since moving to the Bay area. When I was single and married before Children, I thought the town was pretty safe but pretty boring. They have a lot of good festivals in the city, and a lot of diverse areas, but there is hardly any nightlife and not much of a good list of places to dine in. I and my wife had thought many times of moving out of Fremont, but we decided to stay since it's right next to BART and is in a good central location where you can get to the South Bay, Peninsula, SF, pretty much anywhere in the bay area.
Then we had kids and staying in Fremont was the best decision we ever made. The schools for the most part are pretty good, I would say 97 percent of the neighborhoods are safe (only incidents around the BART station), and it has the best Park (Central Park/Lake Elizabeth) for a city this size. The population is very diverse, having many ethnicity's, backgrounds, but also has that old Suburban Americana feeling to it. And LOTS AND LOTS of things to do activity wise for kids and families. Another big plus : Hospital and Medical services. Washington Hospital is centrally located and so are all the other doctor's offices around Mowry and Central. Easy to get too especially when you have young kids who will get sick all the time or need their vaccinations.
The only thing that is missing is a big mega mall on the outskirts of town. Fremont really deserves something like a Valley Fair Mall equivalent here. Not sure if the A's are going to come here and don't know what kind of positives and negatives that will bring. But it's nice to know the new Water Park at Lake Elizabeth is ready to open in 2009 plus some other improvements the city is making infrastructure wise in the city.
If you are in the stage of your life where you're raising a family, then Fremont is a great place to do that.
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I have lived in Fremont since I was in the 8th grade. Went to Ohlone College and live right in the heart of Fremont, Stevenson Blvd. Fremont is not the most interesting of places to live and when I tell people who live in different parts in California or even people from Daly City, they say what the heck is Fremont? It is one of the biggest most forgotten cities in the Bay Area. Then I would say its next to Milpitas and Hayward. At Berkeley all I have to say is Mission San Jose High School and everyone knows. I went to Irvington High School. Yeah I know "what the heck is Irvington?"
I used to dislike it here when I moved to Fremont from Milpitas but after traveling to different cities and states I realized what a great place Fremont is to live. I like that it is a big suburb city but can still have a small town feel b/c we have farmer's market on the weekends, and whenever I meet someone from Fremont we have an automatic bond.
This was voted one of the safest cities in the Bay Area and the schools here are some of the best. Fremont also has a population that has one of the largest median income per family. Fremont is also diverse.It is heavly populated with Taiwanese, Indian, Middle Eastern and Caucasian people. I love how I can have Indian, Chinese, and Afghan food as well as Sweet Tomatoes all in one place! Only 5 mins from my house.
Where else can I see MC Hammer's old house (you know the one with the gate that says "Hammer Time" ) that probably has Indian owners now. And you know this is the last BART stop.
The only thing I don't like about this town is that the cops here are the kind with the mustache with stunna shades on motorcycles. Got pulled over between Washington Blvd and Paseo Padre. Why the freak is that road 35? Should be 45! Better than Milpitas cops at least. A$$holes!
I think that if I can afford to I would raise my future children here or in Saratoga. After my recent quest through parts of L.A. the more I realize that I am truly a Fremont girl! I love KOHL radio, I walk my dogs at Lake Elizabeth, I shop at the Hub, my parents still can't pronounce Paseo Padre correctly, I take the backroads to Milpitas by way of Warm Springs Blvd, and I also eat a free lunch at the sample stations in Costco. HOORAY FREMONT!
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The longer I stay, the more I like it. With every passing day, it becomes more of a melting pot of cultures, beliefs and people. I love that I can't tell anything about anyone just by looking at them here. Fremont is beginning to remind me of my hometown, Honolulu.
When I first moved to the Bay Area, I noticed that certain groups didn't mingle or shop together. Being naive, I just played dumb and ignored the strange looks. Well, I grew used to it. And then, just when I got used to it, Fremont started to become more integrated.
I love Fremont. It may not be as happening as San Francisco, but for family life, it can't be beat.
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I give Fremont 3 stars. As a resident here for the past 3 years, I have found that it serves our basic needs of food, shelter and clothing. Right now I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. It is what works for us as first time homebuyers in the bay area where we were able to buy a decent sized condo for a reasonable price (and that was during the end of the highs). If that is a reason to love someplace, then I guess that would work.
The pluses here: great ethnic restaurants of all kinds, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Indian/Afghanistan as well. Like much of suburbia, there are strip malls everywhere which makes things convenient. Good hospitals, Kaiser and Washington. Good transit system including buses and BART. Close to San Jose/Peninsula and not far from Pleasanton/Livermore wine country either. Interesting communities of the 5 former cities. Conveniently located for easy commutes for both of us, him to Hayward, me to S.F.
The minuses: Lack of good fine dining establishments or steakhouses; lots of fast food; very spread out city; lots of strip malls, which loses the flavor of a city quickly when everything looks the same; no real "downtown", but potential with Niles or Irvington or Centerville...you get the picture.
We don't have kids yet, so education is not a priority reason to live here. Fremont does have a number of good parks and recreation areas that offer a good safe place to walk, jog, or play with your dog. I do like that there are lots of trees here. It is a safe city, I don't think I've ever felt uneasy walking at night by myself, although I do usually have my dog with me.
For now, it will do. If we have to stay in the burbs, I would prefer some other places that have more community to it, like Pleasanton. But, I also think that I could live here a long time if we find a neighborhood that fits us.
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What's not to love about Fremont?
Its close to every point in the Bay Area - you can get almost anywhere in less than an hour if you're in the know
There's plenty of Afghan restaurants and stores
Central Park, also full of Afghans but again that just makes it better. Not to mention it really is a very pretty park and there's nothing better than walking or running around the lake in the spring time
Aside from maybe Little Kabul there really is no reason to VISIT Fremont, but if you don't want to live in SF, Berkeley or even San Jose Fremont is the best place to be. If you have to live in the burbs live in Fremont.
Also, I checked good for kids because I think your kids will be better for having grown up around such diversity. It truly is a place full of man y different cultures and classes with very little exclusivity. Growing up here you will be very likely to have a pan-Asian (central, south, east, and middle east) group of friends as well as people from Central and South America. Unlike LA. where most every ethnic group has their very specific part of the city, the Bay Area and especially Fremont have people from all over the world living amongst one another
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As far as suburbs go I think it's the best one around. The pennisula is nice but it is too cold and too expensive.
Fremont has the quant town of Niles as part of it, as well as some amazing parks for me to take my dog to.
Also in less than a hour via BART you can be in the city for anything else that you can't get in a suburban environment.
The streets are not dirty like parts of Berkeley or San Jose, yet you can get almost any ethnic eat you can think of especially the asian ones.
Also the schooling district is rated pretty high versus others west of the rockies let alone those in California (which are notoriously bad).
I wish our theatre was better than it is but the only real downside I can think of. Being that Walnut Creek, San Jose, and SF are all easy enough to get to if you really want to see a good play it works out fine.
Fremont is central to everything and that's what makes it a good place to live.
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No fine dining?! I protest! We've got Taco Bell and Papa Johns. What else do you really need?
I have lived in Fremont for about 6 months now and I really like it. It's a little less overpriced than the rest of the Bay Area and it doesn't get quite as cold. It has nice access to recreational areas, BART, and ethnic groceries. I also find that I can get around pretty well by walking, unlike the previous poster (although...see next paragraph...). I suppose it depends where you live.
So...why four stars and not five? Well...there are dumb, poorly marked crosswalks without traffic signals, on busy, fast moving streets...all over town! So, be careful to notice these. I'm not used to so many crosswalks without traffic lights or stop signs and I almost ran over somebody. This is seriously dangerous! I try my best to avoid using crosswalks that are not accompanied by traffic signals.
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My friend who lives in Fremont (let's call her Gertrude Stein) said the one problem with Fremont is "there's no there there."
It takes so frickin' long to get through Fremont. I wonder if any other Bay Area city has more freeway exits. They have so many that two are called Fremont Blvd.
Highlights:
Afghan restaurants
Indian restaurants
Niles neighborhood
Hometown of Kristi Yamaguchi
Lowlights:
Chain Restaurants a-plenty
Occasional Afghan gang shootings in the middle of the day (OK, only one... but still)
No Whole Foods (nearest are Oakland and Campbell)
Hometown of MC Hammer
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Minus 1 star for being so expensive, like everywhere else in the Bay Area. Otherwise I love everything about Fremont. It is multicultural, safe, has good schools and nice weather. It has a huge park. ( Is the whole park called Lake Elizabeth, or just the swimming area?)Someone told me it is the second biggest park in CA, second only to Golden Gate Park. Fremont has such a nice suburban feel to it. It seems like a great place to raise kids. I left the Bay Area to buy a bigger house and get away from traffic, but when I visit my friend who lives in Fremont, I feel a little pang of envy.
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We lived in Fremont first from 1995 thru 1998 (?), and when it was time to buy a home we decided to give Fremont our special attention. Out of all the places we considered in the Bay Area, Fremont was the most affordable...at that time (circa 1999). Now, I'm not too sure it's all that affordable. But given the housing market in the Bay Area, it still is reasonable.
I have to confess that I wasn't thrilled when we finally settled here, but now I'm not sure I can live anywhere else. Totally agree with Charlye W. "the longer I stay, the more I like it". I love that it is so diverse! It's our mini United Nations city of the Bay Area. In our community there is a good mix of Chinese, Thai, Filipino, Indian, Afgani, Eastern European, African, European, etc. How cool is that ?!?
We love the wide streets, and the overall lay out of the city. The schools (both public and private) are better than most cities in the SF bay area.
As far as retail goes, it meets our basic needs and just that. Hence, 4 stars. There is a big WANT for higher end retail and specialty establishments, as younger Fremont families now are ready to go beyond discount and warehouse stores. Come on, Target and Costco can take you only so far before you start wanting more...driving over the Sunol grade to Pleasanton, cross the bridge to Palo Alto,or drive down 880 to Santa Clara for that extra umph! ARE YOU LISTENING CHAMBER OF COMMERCE?! If you bring them to Fremont, they (we) will spend. But until then .... EXACTLY!
Still decided though whether the move of the Oakland A's to Fremont will hurt or help...till the next yelp...
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OMG, what a trip ... you have to realize I was born here so it biases me to some extent. My parents still live here too. It's not horrible. I mean, you live here you're still relatively close to the City and other places that you actually want to go but otherwise, it's just, as my wife would say, a non-descript suburb. And that's all you can say. Well not really. Fremont used to be 5 towns that became one about 50 years ago. They did it so they weren't annexed by other cities, not 'cause they wanted to be together. You can still find 4 of the town centers, Niles and Mission San Jose are the most distinct and they're kind of interesting. Also, Fremont is very diverse, with lots of people from India, Taiwan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan adding their cultural identity to a community that was until the mid 80s very white. Aside from that though, the city developed like any other suburb, and many of the housing built in the '60s look like they're ready to be redeveloped. And given that it was 5 towns merging into one, there is no single downtown bringing the city together. Transit is a waste of time, you'll be driving everywhere. Walking will not be that useful. The city seems purposely designed to defeat pedestrians (notice the pedestrian trails that dead end at streets without crosswalks), this is an auto suburb, nothing more, nothing less. I was born here and interia kept me here for a long time but I'm leaving now. I've outgrown this place. It's not a bad existence but it's not a stimulating one either. It provides neither highs nor lows. After awhile, needing to drive everywhere starts to wear on you; at least me. Maybe I'm gettin' old but I like the idea of having everything at my doorstep and you just can't do that here. It's been good to me in many ways, hence two stars, but like an old flame you had in high school, we've grown apart and there's nothing to be done about that.
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