Fremont

Flanked by mountains to the east and the San Francisco Bay to the west is the quiet residential neighborhood of Ardenwood. It is located in Fremont, one of the Bay Area's largest cities, and is known as an emerging biotech industry hot spot. Ardenwood's Technology Park houses major corporations like Facebook and Logitech, making it popular among young professionals. The neighborhood is also known for having some of the best weather in the Bay Area. "Fremont weather, particularly in Ardenwood, is some of the best because of the bay breeze. You can leave your windows open all year long," says Anthony Marinelli, an associate broker at Compass Fremont. Marinelli has lived in and sold real estate in Fremont since 1988. A 250-acre historic park also sits on the southern end of town. It plays an essential role in the neighborhood's tourism economy. While homes here can exceed $3 million, some more affordable options are also available. "Ardenwood is still a good central place for affordability," Marinelli says. He noted that pricing in the Bay Area tends to ease as you move east. Detached single-family homes start around $1 million and can eclipse $3 million. Popular architectural styles include contemporary ranch-style, Spanish Revival, custom contemporary, and Tudor Revival. Condos and townhouses offer a slightly more affordable option. One- to four-bedroom condo units start around $486,000 and go up to $1.4 million, while two- to four-bedroom townhouses sell for between $800,000 and $1.5 million. A handful of small, contemporary mobile homes also dot the area. They range from $170,000 to $300,000. Kids may attend schools in the Fremont Unified School District, including Ardenwood Elementary School, Thornton Middle School and American High School, all graded an A on Niche. American High was ranked the No. 4 best magnet school in the San Francisco Bay Area by Niche. It offers specialized programming in engineering and computer science. The school is also known for its award-winning visual and performing arts programs. For parents seeking a private school option, Challenger School's Ardenwood campus sits less than a mile outside the neighborhood. It serves kindergarten through eighth-grade students. DeVry University is also nearby, about 3 miles south. The largest outdoor space here is Ardenwood Historic Farm. Visitors can help the staff harvest crops on this working farm, founded in the 1850s. They can also explore the outdoor kitchen, blacksmith shop, and the Patterson House – a 19th-century Victorian farmhouse in the middle of the grounds. For more traditional recreation, residents can visit one of three parks. Karl Nordvik Community Park offers a newly resurfaced playground, a half basketball court, ball fields, and barbeque areas. Frank Fisher Park and Deep Creek Neighborhood Park both offer ball fields, playgrounds, and open lawn spaces. Hikers and bikers can also access Alameda Creek Regional Trails, a 12-mile pathway that leads to San Francisco Bay. Ardenwood Historic Farm hosts the neighborhood's annual 3-day Rail Fair, which celebrates the historic steam trains that once ran through the area. Attendees can enjoy steam train rides, model railroads, games and refreshments. The city of Fremont also puts on several events throughout the year, including the Fremont Festival of Arts. There’s a small shopping center in the neighborhood that houses a grocery store and a few restaurants, but for most daily needs, residents will need to visit nearby communities. A Lucky Grocery Store sits just east of town, and a cluster of shopping centers can be found about 2 miles south. Residents can find stores and eateries like Sprouts Farmers Market, Dollar Tree, and Feng Cha Teahouse there. U.S. Interstate Highway 880 borders the east side of the neighborhood. It runs north to south, connecting Ardenwood to Oakland and San Jose, both about 21 away. California State Route 84 sits along the southern border of town. It crosses over San Francisco Bay via the Dumbarton Bridge. Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District serves Ardenwood. Public bus stops are along Paseo Padre Parkway and Ardenwood Boulevard. Residents are close to several international airports. San Jose Mineta International Airport sits 21 miles south of Ardenwood, while Oakland International Airport is just over 16 miles to the north. San Francisco International Airport is a little further out, nearly 28 miles away.

With highly rated schools, a diverse cultural scene and proximity to Silicon Valley, the Fremont neighborhood of Blacow has all the suburban charm of the East Bay while remaining popular with commuters. “When we moved here in 1975, my parents chose this area because it was very geocentric to all possible jobs, the airports and the BART line,” says Sunil Sethi, broker and owner of Sunil Sethi Real Estate and longtime resident of Fremont. Sitting just north of Interstate 880, Blacow’s strong sense of community is highlighted by its distinct cultural offerings: Kids can attend fine arts classes at private schools such as Shivalaya Arts or practice traditional Indian performances at the Anuradha Academy of Dance. The neighborhood is also home to the newer Sri Siddhi Vinayaka Cultural Center, an active temple with a large local following. And with massive green spaces just a few miles away, residents have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the California sunshine. From Indian street food to Korean bistro fusion, dining options near Blacow illustrate the diversity of the community, giving many residents a taste of home or a chance to try something new. "Fremont is known all around the Bay for having great Indian food," says East Bay editor Andy Murdock, Communications Director for the Innovative Genomics Institute in nearby Berkeley. “Two of my favorite places are right near Blacow. I’m getting hungry right now just thinking about them,” he says. Shopping centers like The Globe Mall offer international cuisine and goods, which can be a big draw for buyers. “If you’re Asian, South Asian or Indian, you have all of the amenities to cater to that, all of the restaurants, grocery stores, cinema halls that cater to those ethnicities,” Sethi says. For additional shopping, residents will find a handful of big box stores just down the road at Pacific Commons Shopping Center, while NewPark Mall is popular with weekend shoppers for its Sunday farmers market. With downtown Fremont just 3 miles away, Blacow residents can easily attend events such as the Festival of the Arts in spring. The community also gathers for an annual Holi Festival at Washington High to celebrate the Hindu festival of colors. Blacow is stacked with midcentury modern ranch-style homes, offering spacious layouts of around 1,500 square feet and yards big enough for private pools. “It’s like a transition neighborhood, where the older people are moving to retirement communities, and everyone who’s buying in is a young family,” Sethi says, adding that many of those new buyers work in high-tech industries. Although the $900,000 to $1.5 million price range isn’t exactly a bargain, it’s nearly a million dollars cheaper than homes of the same size in Silicon Valley, making Blacow an attractive option for growing families looking for proximity to both employment and education options. Fremont is well-known for its exceptional schools, several of which are within walking distance of Blacow. “The biggest attraction to that community is Millard Elementary,” Sethi says, noting that Steven Millard Elementary, which scores an A on Niche, is the centerpiece of the neighborhood. Students can move on to attend Walters Middle and Kennedy High, which both score grades of A-minus on Niche. At Kennedy, students can gain early college credit and learn about sustainable biotechnology in the Green Tech Academy Program, made possible by a California Partnership Academy Grant. Residents take advantage of the balmy weather with frequent trips to Mission Peak Regional Preserve, which sits just 5 miles away and covers more than 3,000 acres. Nearby Central Park offers a flatter, 2-mile loop around man-made Lake Elizabeth, as well as multiple playgrounds, a spacious dog park and a sports complex. In summer, the Aqua Adventure Water Park draws a crowd on sunny days, while local stops like Marshall Park provide space for weekend Little League games. And during the week, kids of all ages meet for playdates at the Rix Park Playground. With direct access to I-880, drivers have an easy route to Silicon Valley, although they may encounter some notorious Bay Area traffic jams on the way. Commuters can also hop on the Amtrak Capital Corridor train to reach most of the South Bay, while nearby BART lines offer local routes.

A home in Brookvale means the chance to live close to work, without sacrificing a wealth of outdoor recreation opportunities and top-notch public schools. This Fremont neighborhood is home to many who work in the tech industry thanks to its proximity to Facebook and several other major high-tech companies, says local Realtor Joe Schembri of The Joe Schembri Real Estate Team with Coldwell Banker. Brookvale’s wide, sidewalk-lined residential streets have proved a welcome setting for anyone interested in what this Bay Area community has to offer. Schembri, who is ranked the top realtor in Fremont and Alameda County with the highest sales volume in terms of homes sold, says that most of the houses in Brookvale are ranchers. He adds that there are some modern contemporary-style houses sprinkled in as well. Homes here have floor plans ranging from about 1,300 square feet for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom rancher to nearly 3,000 square feet for a five-bedroom, three-bathroom contemporary option. Houses around Brookvale are organized neatly on well-manicured lots that can span from about 4,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet, with a median size of just over 6,000. Schembri says that Brookvale homes tend to sell for prices from $1.7 million to $2 million. Besides Facebook, Oracle, Robinhood and Quicken are among the other tech companies in the area, all less than 20 miles outside Brookvale, across the Dumbarton Bridge. Brookvale is also just about 36 miles south of San Francisco via nearby Interstate 880. Schembri notes that there’s also a Bay Area Rapid Transit train station in the area, which can get passengers to San Francisco in less than an hour. Frequent travelers will appreciate that Brookvale is just under 20 miles from the Oakland International Airport. The Fremont Unified School District services kids in Brookvale, a system that boasts an A overall rating on Niche. “Some home buyers are focused on that,” Schembri says. Students can begin their academic careers at Brookvale Elementary, which is within walking distance for many in the neighborhood and offers on-campus before- and afterschool care through the Bay Area-wide Adventure Time program. Thornton Middle is next, where students can take part in extracurriculars that include an aviation club and an energy and sustainability club. Students then advance to American High, which is also within walking distance. American High has an engineering and computer science pathway with classes on topics like digital media arts and civil engineering and architecture. All of the Fremont Unified schools Brookvale students can go to carry A grades on Niche. Brookvale residents have an outdoor recreation gem right in their backyard in the form of the 462-acre Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area. This spot features several miles of trails, traversing around former quarry pits that are now filled with water. Fishing is permitted in the area’s Horseshoe and Rainbow lakes, with bass, catfish and trout up for grabs. Horseshoe Lake and Rainbow Lake are also open to swimming and boating with the exception of watercraft with gas motors. Residents can even reserve a picnic area in the park. The neighborhood also includes the 12-acre Los Cerritos Park with a playground, athletic fields and basketball court, around the 6,000-square-foot Los Cerritos Community Center that contains a multipurpose room available for reservation. Brookvale residents can head to Fremont Boulevard to find dining options. Dino’s Family Restaurant is one of the renowned spots along Fremont Boulevard, known in part for its breakfast — particularly its pancakes. There’s a Lucky supermarket just down the road, too, convenient for groceries. Brookvale is a spot where quiet suburban living blends almost seamlessly with access to an abundance of amenities both in the neighborhood and in the wider region. It’s why so many continue to find this an apt landing spot.

Located in the heart of the California Bay area, downtown Fremont is a city center district on the rise. Bordered by thriving street hubs like Mowry Avenue and Paseo Padre Parkway, this central area is hoping to become Fremont’s go-to destination for residents seeking a vibrant place to work, live and play outside of the city’s more sprawling suburbia. “The downtown is very new right now, but once it takes off, Freemont will have more of a proper area you’d expect from a typical downtown,” says Nicole Causey, a Fremont native and local realtor/co-owner of Everhome Real Estate. “It’s getting there.” With an expansive development plan newly completed, which includes a massive new Convention Center, the hope is to continue bringing in newer residents looking for an urban, centralized Bay Area destination. “People who live here are a lot of couples and singles that are attracted to the Bay area and work in some type of tech sector,” Causey says. “I’ll have client couples, where one is working in San Francisco and the other is working in San Jose, so they’ll decide to live in this Freemont area because it’s perfectly in the middle for their commutes.” With numerous new condos and townhouses popping up, trendy businesses and the city’s liveliest public park, Downtown Freemont is a desirable district within the vast Bay Area metroplex. Residents can experience all types of cuisines and shopping varieties throughout downtown. “One block over from the downtown center, where the Raley’s Supermarket is, there’s the Gateway Plaza shopping center. So, you have a lot of shops and nice local restaurants there like La Piñata Fremont, which is a really popular spot for Mexican food,” Causey shares. “There’s also Philz coffee right next to it, which is based out of San Franciso. They only have two locations, one of them being in Freemont, so it’s pretty popular here too.” Other local dining favorites include Smoking Pig BBQ on Mowry Avenue, where residents can try out classic BBQ items such as brisket and pulled pork with a side of live music on the weekends and weeknights. Downtown also has multiple other shopping areas, including Fremont Hub, an open-air mall with big box chains like Target, Marshalls and Trader Joe’s for more grocery essentials. “There are a lot of new construction condos, townhomes and apartments in the area,” says Causey. “There’s a big condo community right across from City Hall, and if you go a quarter mile out of this downtown center, you’ll find more single-family homes.” While single-family homes are limited, the ones available are often California bungalow-style or mid-century ranches built in the 1950s or 1960s. These homes are priced from $1,000,000 up to $2,000,000. Many two-story townhomes are clustered around Eggers Drive and can start in the $800,000s and go for over $1,000,000 for newer builds. Condos in downtown Fremont are aplenty, commonly located within contemporary-styled condominium buildings and starting at $400,000 for a smaller one-bedroom condo. Smaller two-bedroom condos can start in the $500,000s, while other two-bedroom condos in gated communities with luxury amenities can go for over $1,000,000. Downtown Fremont has a few outdoor green spaces scattered throughout, but one main public park brings all the locals together. “Central Park, or the Elizabeth is what we call it, is a significant highlight for Freemont,” Causey says. “It has playgrounds, a dog park, a skatepark and a pavilion area.” Spanning 450+ acres, this expansive park has numerous additional features, including the 80-acre Elizabeth Lake that’s surrounded by a two-mile walkway for walkers and hikers. “Adjacent to it is also the Aqua Adventure Water Park that they opened about 8 or 9 years ago,” Causey adds. “It’s really popular and has a lot of water slides and a big splash pad.” Sports enthusiasts can get active at the site’s expansive cricket/soccer field and golf course, while children can run around the revered nature-inspired playscapes at the park’s Sabercat Play Area. As Downtown Fremont sits at the heart of the city, there are numerous events that residents can enjoy throughout the year. “Everything takes place at Central Park,” says Causey. “There’s an outdoor bandstand here where they will have concerts in the park.” This summer concert series at the park’s outdoor venue brings locals together for a variety of musical performers. One of the biggest events of the year is the Freemont Festival of the Arts, attracting over 150,000 patrons with two stages of live music, a “Kid City” section with rides and games and hundreds of Art and Craft booths for locals to explore. The Festival of India Mela and Parade is another big hit for Downtown Fremont and is considered the premier South Asian Festival in the Bay area. On a more frequent basis, residents also enjoy the Fremont Street Eats weekly food truck event that takes place from May through October. Locals get to try out some of the area’s best food trucks while listening to live music. Along with being a highly walkable neighborhood, Downtown Fremont residents have convenient options for public transportation, including the Bay Area Rapid Transit. “There’s a downtown BART Station, so for commuting, people have easy access to this, and the area is next to main highways, so you have that type of accessibility when living here,” Causey says. The BART Fremont Station provides stops on the orange and green lines to other Bay Area locations, including the Oakland International Airport, 21 miles away. Downtown Fremont is located between Interstate 680 and Interstate 880, allowing residents a direct line into other hotspots like San Jose to the south and San Franciso to the west. The area also has multiple medical centers where locals can utilize the walking and bike paths to get to work. Downtown Fremont students are zoned for highly rated public schools. Younger students can attend J. Haley Durham Elementary School, which gets an A score from Niche, while middle schoolers can head to G.M. Walters Junior High, which receives an A-minus ranking. John F Kennedy High School gets an A-minus rating and offers dual enrollment classes along with special Regional Occupational Programs. The area is also home to the California School for the Deaf and California School for the Blind.