Fremont’s History and Why We’re Proud to Serve the Fremont Community
The city of Fremont traces its origins to Mission San José, founded June 6 1797 by Father Fermín de Lasuén at the Ohlone village of Oroysom. The mission’s Ohlone residents were hunter‑gatherers who used tule and animal hides for shelter; Spanish missionaries introduced agriculture and adobe building.
A town called Mission San José grew around the mission, with grapes, nursery plants and olives dominating the economy. The 1868 Hayward earthquake collapsed buildings throughout the area, ruining the mission and damaging the Palmdale Winery, once the largest in California. In the early 1900s, the Niles district hosted California’s first motion picture studios, where Charlie Chaplin filmed several movies.
On January 23 1956, the towns of Mission San José, Centerville, Niles, Irvington and Warm Springs incorporated together as the City of Fremont. The city later became part of Silicon Valley; in the 1980s Apple manufactured the first Macintosh computers here and other semiconductor and telecom firms opened plants.
Modern Fremont is a diverse 21st‑century city with distinct districts and a strong tech industry. Its neighborhoods mix historic buildings with new development, and the city aims to be sustainable and transit‑friendly. We’re proud to serve Fremont’s families, from Mission Peak to the Baylands.