Fremont is located in the southeast section of the San Francisco Bay Area. Home to an estimated 211,662 people as of 2007, Fremont is now the fourth most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area as the largest suburb in the metropolis.
The area consisting of Fremont, Newark (an enclave of Fremont), and Union City was formerly known as Washington Township and is now known as the Tri-City Area.
Fremont is the sister city to Elizabeth, South Australia (now part of the City of Playford); Puerto Peñasco, Mexico; Fukaya, Japan; Horta, Azores, Portugal; Lipa City, Philippines; and Jaipur, India.
According to the census of 2008, there were approximately 201,334 people, 68,237 households, and 52,201 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,024.1/km² (2,652.3/sq mi) However, this number is deceptively low because the city limits include large areas of undevelopable marshland on the edge of the city. There were 69,452 housing units at an average density of 905.6/sq mi (349.7/km²).
2006 estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau report that the racial makeup of the city is 45.9% Asian, 38.3% White, 13.5% Latino, 3.1% African American, 13% from other races or multiracial, 0.52% Native American, and 0.40% Pacific Islander. Fremont's total household population was estimated then to be 210,387. The foreign-born population was 95,894, 51% of whom were naturalized US citizens.
Fremont is the home to the largest concentration of Afghans in the United States. This is noted in the prominent place Fremont has in Khaled Hosseini's 2003 novel Kite Runner. In addition, Fremont has a notable concentration of Indians.
Fremont also has a large Deaf community, in large part due to the fact that it is home to the Northern California campus of the California School for the Deaf.
There were 68,237 households out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.34.
In the city the population was 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 were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.2 males.
According to the 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city is $93,342, and the median income for a family was $103,846.[1] Males have a median household income of $59,274 versus $40,625 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,411. About 3.6% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Politically, Fremont leans strongly to the Democratic Party. It voted for John Kerry, a Democrat, in the 2004 United States Presidential Election with 66% of the vote.
Fremont is served by Interstate 880 (Nimitz Freeway) and Interstate 680 (Sinclair Freeway). Though they do not intersect, they are connected in the Warm Springs district via a very busy one-mile segment of Mission Boulevard which is SR 262. In addition, it is served by SR 84 and the segment of Mission Boulevard which is SR 238. The city is the eastern terminus of the Dumbarton Bridge.
Regional rail transportation is provided by BART and the Altamont Commuter Express (ACE). Fremont's BART station serves as the southernmost terminus for the BART system (BART extensions to the Warm Springs district and southward into San Jose have been in the planning stages for several years). Centerville station provides a stopping point for ACE service which travels from Stockton to San Jose. Bus service is provided by AC Transit locally. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority provides express bus service to various points in Silicon Valley, including downtown San Jose and California's Great America (seasonally) in Santa Clara, thus providing an alternative to the already heavy traffic on I-880 and I-680.
Elevated sound levels exist in some areas of Fremont, especially along Interstate 880. Since the 1980s efforts have been made by Caltrans and the city to mitigate sound levels by construction of noise barriers. The Federal design level for freeway noise is 67 Leq, which standard has been used in analysis of the proper sound wall height.