Are you planning to move to Fremont? Then you should know whether the city is good for you before moving. So, what’re the pros and cons of living in Fremont?
Fremont is one of the closest cities to San Francisco. Apart from its proximity, it has other benefits, including the great climate, location, outdoor activities, diverse culture, and family friendliness. However, Fremont has cons such as long commutes, cost of living, and high population density.
Even with the disadvantages, the beautiful city of Fremont could still be the right place for you. This article comprehensively discusses the positive side of living in Fremont and the drawbacks. Read on to learn more.
Quick navigation
Pros of Living in Fremont
As a Fremont resident, you’ll get to enjoy some of the qualities that make this city amazing. They include:
Great Climate and Weather
No matter how cliche it becomes, California weather will always be one of the things people love most about the state. However, the weather isn’t the same throughout the state. But in Fremont, the ideal sunny and warm weather makes several people move down here. Fremont weather has an 8.8 rating which shows how comfortable it is. The weather is excellent all year. Unlike places with four seasons, it’s either a dry summer or cooler and rainy winter in Fremont.
If you’re looking for a place where you get to enjoy sunshine almost every day of the year, you should consider Fremont.
Ideal Location
Fremont has the perfect location that makes it close to other major cities. This means residents of Fremont can enjoy the job opportunities, amenities, and entertainment options in other cities. For example, Silicon Valley is 21 minutes away, San Jose is only 22 minutes away, and San Francisco is 38 minutes away. All these major places close to Fremont make the city an extension of the Bay Area. Therefore, it benefits economically from the region.
Diverse Culture
Fremont is a home group of culturally and ethnically diverse people. All major ethnic groups and minorities are present here. This makes the city more welcoming for newcomers as it’s easy to find your community here. Beyond that, you have access to all kinds of foods. The cultural diversity of the city reflects in its foods.
Outdoor Activities
It’s easy to spend more time outside if you live in a place with weather as good as Fremont. What makes the city amazing is that when you’re outside, there are several things to do. You can explore the diverse culinary delights of the city or check out the art culture scene. There are different museums in the city.
You can also go hiking, biking, having a picnic, etc. If you’re a sports fan, you only need to drink down to the Bay Area, which is minutes away, to find several professional sports teams.
Family Friendly
Fremont is the kind of city where you can easily raise a family. Apart from its excellent amenities, it offers two essential qualities to raising kids – safety and quality education. The city’s crime rate is 18% below the national average, and property crime is 11% lower. Violent crimes are also 56% below the national average. As a result, Fremont is safer than 51% of US cities.
The quality of education is excellent too. With just 43 public schools and 22 private schools, the average test score is 36% above the national average. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1, and the percentage of its Bachelor degree holders is 78% higher than the national average.
Cons of Living in Fremont
Life isn’t a bed of roses, and neither is Fremont. The city has issues that every resident will have to deal with or manage. They include
High Cost of Living
The primary issue with living anywhere near the Bay Area is the living cost. These places have some of the highest costs of living in the country. For example, Fremont’s cost of living is 127.3% above the national average and far above the California average. Everything here costs more except utilities. So if you’re living in Fremont, you have to be earning well above the national average to have a good standard of living.
What further worsens the cost of living index is housing. Houses here are far from affordable. Even though homes in California are generally expensive, costing on average more than twice the national average, here, it’s a different ball game. For example, the average price of a home in Fremont is $1,387,180. That is almost double the California average. Rents here are also expensive, but the city still has 39.3% renters.
Long Commutes
Another problem with this city is the commute as the city is car-dependent. Contrary to the 26.4 minutes national average one-way commute time, commute time in Fremont takes 33.6 minutes. So if you’re living here, you should be ready to spend a lot of time on the road.
WalkScore gives the city a public transit score of 36. While this is poor, there are few public transport options in the city. You can find all the options on the city’s website. They mostly include subway and train systems through Bay Area Rapid Transit. The Altamont Commuter Express also operates trains, and the Alameda-Contra Costa Transportation District provides bus services.
The city has a bike score of 49 and a walk score of 44. This suggests that there are still neighborhoods where you can walk and bike paths and trails all over the city.
High Population Density
The city also has a lot of people occupying a little space. The city’s population has been growing for a while now and doesn’t look like it’ll stop soon. Unfortunately, population growth also means the population density is increasing. The population density is currently 3,198 people per square mile. If it continues at this rate, it’s only a matter of time before the city is overpopulated.
In Conclusion
Freemont has a livability rating of 78%, which is exceptional. It’s an amazing place to live and raise a family. But it has its issues, especially with the cost of living and other problems of urban centers. It’s up to decide if you can look beyond its faults or not.
