The best things in life are free, but in Fremont’s case these days frequently comes with a million-dollar mortgage
By Panashe Matemba-Mutasa
Muggy weather on a weekday afternoon in Fremont can’t keep residents from enjoying their city. Under an oppressive sun, Umesh Velayudhan strolls slowly down a path at the popular Centerville Community Park. For him, it’s no surprise that Fremont has topped the list of “America’s Happiest Cities” for the fifth consecutive year.
“It’s very nice,” Velayudhan says. “I love the community here.”
Each year, personal finance company Wallethub conducts a study comparing quality of life in cities across America. According to company analyst Cassandra Happe, the rankings published in February were determined by evaluating 182 of the country’s largest cities based on “indicators of happiness” spanning three categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment.
Pooling from sources like the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wallethub weighs metrics like depression rates, income growth, adequate sleep rates, sports participation and community engagement to form a comprehensive report. With the most recent report, Fremont’s five-year winning streak has the Bay Area buzzing.
“With our vibrant community, exceptional quality of life and abundant opportunities, Fremont has earned its reputation as a beacon of happiness and wellbeing,” Fremont Mayor Lily Mei says.
But Fremont is a happy city in a country with declining happiness. The UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network ranked America 23rd on a list of the world’s 25 happiest countries, citing loneliness and concerns about political leadership as contributors to people’s dissatisfaction.
“The city actively promotes health and wellness by providing access to top-notch healthcare facilities, promoting healthy lifestyles and investing in recreational spaces,” Mei says.
Golden State Rules
Seemingly, there’s something about living in the Golden State that makes people happier than most. Fremont shares the spotlight with three other California cities in the top 10 (San Jose, 3rd place, Irvine, 5th place, and San Francisco, 7th place). The other two Bay Area cities on the list made the top 30 (Oakland, 26th, and Santa Rosa, 29th). A total of 29 out of 182 cities on the list are in California, making it the state with the most cities to be ranked. The unhappiest city is Detroit, Michigan.
A statistical snapshot provides insight into Fremont’s appeal. The South Bay suburb (average July 1, 2024 home price, according to Zillow: $1.6 million) soars in multiple categories, ranking first in lowest divorce rates and third in lowest depression rates among the cities studied. Additionally, Wallethub reports that Fremont boasts the highest share of households with an income that exceeds $75,000, one of the main data points that pushed the city over its runner-up contender, Overland Park, Kansas. But Happe emphasizes that money isn’t the main factor that contributes to satisfaction, citing the United States’ place at 15th in the World Happiness Report despite being amongst the richest countries. Rather, Happe pointed to the city’s mental health data and ample parkland per capita.
“These elements create a positive environment that fosters well-being beyond financial stability.”
The new rankings come as Fremont recently also topped the list on Wallethub’s “25 Best Places to Raise a Family” list. Happe explains those rankings were particularly difficult to determine, as affordable cost of living must be balanced with factors like educational opportunities and safety.
Origin Story
Fremont sits on Ohlone land, one of the Bay Area’s main Indigenous tribes. According to the municipal website, Spanish settlers first arrived in 1797, establishing Mission San Jose. In 1846, American explorer John Charles Fremont, the city’s namesake, mapped out a trail through Mission Pass, providing American settlers access to the South Eastern Bay Area.
Fremont was a brilliant and daring explorer whose missions charted America’s expansion into the western states. He opposed slavery; during a short stint as a U.S. cabinet secretary, he issued a short-lived emancipation order which some historians believe inspired President Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation. Those historic acts would not assure Fremont naming rights by contemporary standards, however, as he was also ruthless in battles against Native Americans, leading heavily armed battalions to slaughter Indigenous resisters to America’s westward expansion.
Settlers continued to establish townships in the early 17th and 18th centuries, and by 1956, under the supervision of councilmember Wally Pond, five townships—Centerville, Mission San Jose, Niles, Irvington and Warm Springs—together joined to form the official city of Fremont.
Today, Fremont is known as one of the Bay Area’s tech hubs. From 1984 to 1992, it was the site of a plant established by Steve Jobs to manufacture early Macintosh computers. By 1999, more than 700 high-tech companies had opened headquarters and production facilities in the city.
In 2010, Tesla established a Fremont manufacturing plant at a former General Motors plant, built in 1962, which later became home to the Toyota-GM co-venture NUMMI. Tesla is now the city’s largest manufacturer and employer.
In line with their hosting of the eco-friendly automobile brand, Fremont has been a star on the environmental stage in other ways. The city came in 4th on Wallethub’s 2022 “Greenest Cities in America” list, and in 2017 had hit a milestone of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. Some other honorable Wallethub rankings Fremont has earned are #4 in Best Cities for Women in 2023 and #14 in Healthiest Cities in 2021.
Next week, read about Fremont today, its school district and diverse community.
