Fremont CA needs to urbanize (San Jose, Berkeley: buy, living, restaurants)

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by sav858

That's what I thought. I know Niles has a little main st type commercial strip but didn't think that it was that other poster was referring to.

Oh, Niles is pretty cool - it has an old town feel with lots of independent shops and antique stores, and was a center for making silent films. Maybe its relative isolation has helped keep its character.

[mstnghu2]

Fremont actually does have some sort of concept for a "downtown" area but who knows if it will ever actually materialize. The general location is is east of The Hub shopping center and west of Paseo Padre Pkwy. Some development is slowly happening but realistically it will probably be many years before it ever has a chance of becoming some sort of destination spot. Even Hayward has more of a downtown than Fremont.

As mentioned, the Niles district is actually a really cool little area. It's probably my favorite part in all of Fremont.

[MrHoover]

Originally Posted by mstnghu2

Fremont actually does have some sort of concept for a "downtown" area but who knows if it will ever actually materialize. The general location is is east of The Hub shopping center and west of Paseo Padre Pkwy. Some development is slowly happening but realistically it will probably be many years before it ever has a chance of becoming some sort of destination spot. Even Hayward has more of a downtown than Fremont.

As mentioned, the Niles district is actually a really cool little area. It's probably my favorite part in all of Fremont.

That’s the best hope for Fremont frankly

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by silverkris

It never did, because it was incorporated from several small towns in the 1950s. The various "districts" of Fremont (Warm Springs, Mission San Jose, Centerville, Irvington, Decoto, Niles) were once independent villages. This accounts for Fremont's sprawling nature.

If there is a center of town, it's probably around the city offices and Washington Hospital area - and this is a more recent development, to take advantage of the proximity of the main BART station. Of course, it doesn't have the look and feel of a traditional downtown in the sense of one such as San Mateo, Mountain View or Palo Alto.

Thanks for this history, kris.

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Thanks for this history, kris.

...Some more useless info:



Newark was actually incorporated as a city before Fremont was. When Fremont incorporated, its 5 "towns" became one entity and they completely surround the city of Newark. Newark is one of two cities in Alameda county (the other is Piedmont) that are completely surrounded by another city.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by mstnghu2

...Some more useless info:



Newark was actually incorporated as a city before Fremont was. When Fremont incorporated, its 5 "towns" became one entity and they completely surround the city of Newark. Newark is one of two cities in Alameda county (the other is Piedmont) that are completely surrounded by another city.

More Phun Phacts about Phremont! Thanks! Except, Newark is actually only surrounded on 3 sides by another town; its west side opens onto the Bay, which is a nice amenity. Do they have a decent beach? A small marina or anything, for boating? Just wondering.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by mstnghu2

...Some more useless info:



Newark was actually incorporated as a city before Fremont was. When Fremont incorporated, its 5 "towns" became one entity and they completely surround the city of Newark. Newark is one of two cities in Alameda county (the other is Piedmont) that are completely surrounded by another city.

Makes sense, otherwise Newark would have been annexed or absorbed by Fremont.

[SFBayBoomer]

Originally Posted by sav858

Where was "downtown" Fremont"? I never knew Fremont ever had an actual downtown at any point.

Capwell's opened a 183,000 sq. ft. store at the Fremont Fashion Center in 1968 at 2500 Mowry Avenue, between Fremont Boulevard and what is now Paseo Padre Parkway, "just a few blocks down Mowry Avenue from the Fremont Hub." *



According to what I read, the Fremont City Hall was a 5-story building, but was demolished when it was discovered it sat directly on the Hayward Fault. So, apparently, Fremont did have a taller building downtown.

* https://bigmallrat.blogspot.com/2011...s-fremont.html

So, from what I recall, the area that included both the Fremont Hub and the Fremont
Fashion Center, along with the City Hall, was "downtown Fremont." That's how my Mom would have referred to it when she lived in Fremont.

Anyone living in or familiar with Fremont now will recognize the Capwell building, above, as one of the current buildings of Washington Hospital.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by SFBayBoomer

Capwell's opened a 183,000 sq. ft. store at the Fremont Fashion Center in 1968 at 2500 Mowry Avenue, between Fremont Boulevard and what is now Paseo Padre Parkway, "just a few blocks down Mowry Avenue from the Fremont Hub." *



According to what I read, the Fremont City Hall was a 5-story building, but was demolished when it was discovered it sat directly on the Hayward Fault. So, apparently, Fremont did have a taller building downtown.

* https://bigmallrat.blogspot.com/2011...s-fremont.html

So, from what I recall, the area that included both the Fremont Hub and the Fremont
Fashion Center, along with the City Hall, was "downtown Fremont." That's how my Mom would have referred to it when she lived in Fremont.

Anyone living in or familiar with Fremont now will recognize the Capwell building, above, as one of the current buildings of Washington Hospital.

Thanks for posting this. That's the area I and my Fremont-resident relatives, consider to be "downtown Fremont", such as it is. But if part of it is right on the Hayward Fault, that may well be the reason why "downtown Fremont" hasn't been developed further, or "urbanized", as the OP calls it. If City Hall was actually torn down for this reason, maybe some building codes were enacted, to prevent buildings over a certain height from being built on or close to the fault...?

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

More Phun Phacts about Phremont! Thanks! Except, Newark is actually only surrounded on 3 sides by another town; its west side opens onto the Bay, which is a nice amenity. Do they have a decent beach? A small marina or anything, for boating? Just wondering.

Actually, Fremont is on the west side of Newark too. Newark doesn't completely extend into to the bay. The bay (apart from areas that fall under federal/regional park property) is under Fremont jurisdiction. For example, if you're heading east on the Dumbarton bridge, you'll pass a "Fremont City Limit" sign before you get into Newark. Also, if you enter into Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge off Thornton Ave. you'll pass another "Fremont City Limit" sign as you're leaving Newark into the park. To the west of Newark is Don Edwards and also Coyote Hills Regional Park with hiking trails that lead up hills and also out to the bay- both parks are outside of Newark though.

Another useless fact : Fremont and San Jose also border each other at the west end of Dixon Landing Rd.