| FREMONT'S SOCIAL LANDSCAPE | ||||
| Ever since the Great Depression, and before, California has been swept by various waves of immigration. Only the origins of the newcomers has changed. Each time the State has responded in a different manner. In the 1930’s, thousands of migrants escaped the Depression and Dust Bowl drought to seek a new life in the promise of California. Government responded with the fist great water project, the federal Central Valley Project, and a State anti “Okie” law to keep the migrants out. The water project a great success, but the courts threw out the discriminatory law. In the wartime years, job opportunities and the prospect of a better life drew several million more migrants, including thousands of Southern ‘Blacks, to work in the shipyards and airplane factories in of California(i.e. Oakland shipyards). The number of new Californians added in 1943, 771, 000, stood as the single year growth record until1989. The State’s response was to encourage a great industrial infrastructure based on defense spending that even today dries manufacturing here, although it shows some signs now of faltering. From 1945 through 1965, California’s population doubled from 9 to 18 million people. The new arrivals were mostly White and mostly middle class. They were politically active, and by 1958 had transformed State politics to make California the two-party state it is today. The reaction to this round of growth took three forms: a great university system to educate the new Californians; a second water project, the State water Project, to deliverer water to the cities and farms of the south; and highway system that made the car the king as far as Californians were concerned. Less than five million people were added in the next decade and a half, the years of the so-called “baby bust.” But then in the 1980’s, silently and almost unnoticed, growth accelerated again, this time with a “fourth wave” of modern migration that differed from the past ones. Unlike prior waves of newcomers, this most recent growth is not largely the continuation of the westward movement of Americans, nor White and middle class, nor politically active. But this wave, like its predecessors, has begun to substantially change the economics and demographics of California. Except for the 1984, migration has outpaced natural increase every year since 1973. But origin f r the migration shifted dramatically in the 1980’s, with most newcomers migrating to California not from other states, but from abroad. More than that any other factor, immigration is driving the ethnic change apparent in California, as the “fourth wave” is heavily weighted toward Latin American and Asian immigration. Newcomers once originated in Texas, Arkansas, and to other states; many now originate in Latin America, Asia, and other countries. The 1990 census shows California to be two of every five Asians nationwide; one of every three Hispanics; and one of every two Southeast Asian refugees. Statistics on amnesty show that, of 3.04 million legalization applicants to the INS from around the nation, 54 percent were from California. Kinship ties the reinforce and perpetuate these patterns and California’s ongoing attractiveness to people form other places. These ties will continues to channel future growth of the State. Nationally, there are 1.4 Filipinos; over half have found their way to California. Likewise, more than half the 90,000 Hmong nationwide have made California their home. Because to these ties, the growth of California’s population remains firmly anchored in social mechanisms that will perpetrate that growth. The Bay Area is a prime example of the population boom, and Fremont is no exception. The growing economy, and the boom of the high tech industry of Silicon Valley has created a new class of citizens, as well as a demand for the blue collar works in traditional industries. The Bay Area will continue to growth because the prospects are to enticing to ignore. As long was the economy is booming, people will come from far and wide to be a part Bay Area. |
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| Age and Gender In 1980, Freemont’s population was almost evenly divided between men and women. For those 65 years of age or older, the ratio of women to men was higher Fremont is a relatively young community in terms of the average age of its population and the city’s age distribution. In 1980, Fremont residents had an average age of 28.2, slightly under the state average of 9.9 and considerably below the regional average of 31.2. Those over 65 were only 5 percent of Fremont’s population compared to the region where those over 65 constitute 10 percent of the population 
Age Distribution; 1980 Under 10(15%) 10-19(19%) 20-44(43%) 45-64(18%) 65+(5%) |
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| Ethnic Populations(Alameda County) The ethnic make-up of California is rapidly changing, and Alameda county is no exception to that. The changes has been created primarily by immigration, resulting in tremendous ethnic and cultural richness. Workers, students and neighbors have much more opportunity than they did a decade ago to learn first and about the lives of people form other parts of the world The public and private sectors are also affected by the presence of immigrants and refugees. The challenge to serve and work effectively with people who may speak little English, who have different traditions of provider-consumer interaction and whose employment skills may be ill-suited to the labor market. · Alameda County is among the most ethnically diverse in the State, with 53% White, 17% African-American, 14% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 14% Latino, 1% Native American and 1% “Other Ethnicities.” · The White population, predominately native born, have proportionally declined in the past decade, whereas the African-American population has remained steady. The Asian-American and Latino communities in the County, both of which have significant foreign born populations, increased by 120% and 40% respectively. · 18 % of Alameda County are foreign born, and more than half entered the US since 1980. 39% of foreign born are citizens. · One of four Alameda County speaks a language other than English at home. Of these, 42% speak and Asian/Pacific Islander language and 36% speak Spanish. · Over 51,00 legal immigrants and refugees came to Alameda County between 1986-1991. The primary sending countries are: Philippines, China, Mexico, Vietnam, Afghanistan and India |
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According to the 1980 census 84 % of the residents of Fremont classified themselves as White(14 % of whom were of Spanish ancestry); 7 % as Asian-American; 2.5 % as Black Persons; and slightly less than 1 % as Native American. This was a significant increase in proportion of non-white residents from 1970 from 1970 when only 2 percent of the population identified themselves as non-white.
The 2000 census information regarding the ethnic composition is not currently unavailable to the public, but in 1989 a annual ethnic student profiles was taken of the Fremont Unified school District. Although the school age population does not fully represent the community at large the November 1989 study indicates a continuing shift in ethnic makeup of the city.
Schools
Public Schools in Fremont are in the Fremont Unified School District governed by a five member board elected by the residents of the city. In 1990, the District had 29 elementary schools, five junior high schools and six high schools.
The Fremont Unified School District was created form the merger of five elementary districts and the Washington Union High SchoolDistrict in 1964. In the 1980’s the school population reached its lowest point, therefore the declined enrollment led to the closure of 12 schools by 1985.
Today Fremont has a made up of one community college, five high schools and two middle schools and eight elementary and middle schools. Fremont is also the home of the California School for the Deaf and Blind. The five high school are the following American High School, California School for the Deaf and for the Blind, Irvington High School, John F. Kennedy High School, Mission San Jose, and Washington High School.
Ohlone College is a 2 year community college. In 1989 enrollment was almost 10,000 students. About 40 % are day time students, 40% evening students, and remained attend day and evening classes. It serves to provide AA degrees as well as the basic requirement curriculum for students to transfer to four year college and universities. Ohlone College also has an comprehensive Deaf curriculum program for Deaf students.
California School for the Deaf and for the Blind is run by the state. The school has about 475 students form pre-school through high school. The school serves northern California, and about 70 percent of the students live on campus during the week. The School for the Blind has about 100 students, K-12. About 70 percent live on campus. It is the only public school of the blind in the State.
Fremont has 7 private schools, but these schools do not go beyond eight grade. Therefore most children attend public schools.
Public Schools in Fremont are in the Fremont Unified School District governed by a five member board elected by the residents of the city. In 1990, the District had 29 elementary schools, five junior high schools and six high schools.
The Fremont Unified School District was created form the merger of five elementary districts and the Washington Union High SchoolDistrict in 1964. In the 1980’s the school population reached its lowest point, therefore the declined enrollment led to the closure of 12 schools by 1985.
Today Fremont has a made up of one community college, five high schools and two middle schools and eight elementary and middle schools. Fremont is also the home of the California School for the Deaf and Blind. The five high school are the following American High School, California School for the Deaf and for the Blind, Irvington High School, John F. Kennedy High School, Mission San Jose, and Washington High School.
Ohlone College is a 2 year community college. In 1989 enrollment was almost 10,000 students. About 40 % are day time students, 40% evening students, and remained attend day and evening classes. It serves to provide AA degrees as well as the basic requirement curriculum for students to transfer to four year college and universities. Ohlone College also has an comprehensive Deaf curriculum program for Deaf students.
California School for the Deaf and for the Blind is run by the state. The school has about 475 students form pre-school through high school. The school serves northern California, and about 70 percent of the students live on campus during the week. The School for the Blind has about 100 students, K-12. About 70 percent live on campus. It is the only public school of the blind in the State.
Fremont has 7 private schools, but these schools do not go beyond eight grade. Therefore most children attend public schools.
The California School for the Deaf was founded in 1860 and was the first special education program established in California. It all began in San Francisco, and the first class had three students. In 1869, the school moved to Berkeley, at the current site of the Clark Kler dormitory, with approximately fifty students. A vocational component was added tot he curriculum in1871. In 1985 the school’s first newspaper was printed-The Daily News, later became the California News, and is still published weekly.
By 1915 the school’s enrollment grew to 215 students. Besides academics, extra circular activities were also incorporated with the school. Boy Scout Troop # 11 was formed in 1916, and continues today as one of the oldest continuous troops in the United States In1921the California School for the Deaf became one of the first Eagle Scouts in the United States.
In 1934, a teacher training program was established on the Berkeley campus in conjunction with the San Francisco State College, to have teachers certified with proper training and credentials to teach the deaf and hard-of-hearing. The emphasis was on teaching written language beginning in the first year of schooling.
In 1969 the first academic mainstreaming program began with five CSD students taking geometry at Albany High School.
In 1977, the student enrollment was at 481 students, and a bigger campus was need to accommodate the growing student body. The school began to build a larger campus in Fremont, California. The1980-1981 school year was the first year at the new Fremont campus with the enrollment of 527 students. Students come from great distance to enroll their children at the California School for the Deaf, some travelling as far as 6-7 hours form 44 different counties.
Up until the 1980’s children began their education at California School for the Deaf at age five. Realizing that language development skills develop much sooner, a pre-school program was established. Now the California School for the Deaf can serve Deaf students form birth to 21.
California School for the Deaf’s recent history is filled with cultural advances and student opportunities. Speakers and community leader have participated to broaden the student’s perspective on the struggles of minorities in the U.S.
The school is becoming more and more a resource. It offers completely accessible communication and Deaf role models are bountiful, because over 50 percent of the staff is Deaf. All the staff members are required to be fluent in American Sign Language. Signing is required at all times in campus.
For more info., check out the California School for the Deaf site at http://www.csdf.k12.ca.us/
Ohlone College was created in 1967 to serve the Fremont community. In 1972, the Ohlone College Deaf Center was established to serve 30 deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The Deaf student body has grown, and it serves more than 200 deaf and hard-of-hearing students each academic year.
Ohlone College is one of the largest and most extensive programs in the California designed to meet the academic and vocational standards for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students.
Ohlone is unique because they contain self-contained and mainstream classes. Students can work towards a certificate of an AA/AS degree or may fulfill requirements to transfer to a four year college. As well as academics, the large deaf community also provides many extra curricular activities and clubs on campus.
Mission
The Mission of Ohlone College Deaf Center is to provide quality post-secondary education and training opportunities to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. In order to implement the mission of the Ohlone College Deaf Center, the faculty and staff are all fluent in American Sign Language, trained in the areas of Deaf Education and/or Rehabilitation Counseling, and are sensitive to the diverse cultural educational background of the students
For more info., check out the Ohlone College site at http://www.ohlone.cc.ca.us/
Fremont will continue to have predominance of family households. However, the demographic trend indicate the proportion of traditional nuclear families will continue to decline. The will be more single parents, more elderly, and more related individuals and other types of households living in Fremont in the future.
The expected growth in the diversity of household types and sizes implies a continuing need for wide variety of housing. Smaller homes will be needed for individuals, seniors, small families and others. There will also be a continuing demand for larger homes for growing families and other living together. The majority of the new housing is projected to be multi-family housing which tends to have unit sizes smaller than single family homes. The existing housing stock of single family homes, and larger new single family home swill help to meet the needs of larger households who can afford to purchase or rent.
Virtually everyone in the Bay Area has been touched to some degree by the region’s complex housing affordability problems. Even those who have not had a problem, have parents, children, relatives, and friends or co-workers who have had difficulties finding and maintaining safe and comfortable housing which they could afford. Nothing less than the social, cultural and economic character of Fremont is threatened if local and regional housing trends continue unabated.
Fremont’s housing stock reflects the community’s goal to be economically balanced and provide housing choice for people at all economic levels. 69 % of Fremont’s housing stock in 1989 was single family home and there remainder multi-family and mobile homes. In 1980, 66% percent of Fremont’s homes were homeowners, and 34 % were renters.
1970 to the present Fremont has bee on the fasted growing cities around the Bay, adding an average of almost 1800 housing units a year. However, despite the rapid growth, the City had a very low vacancy rate in 1989 of 1.95 percent indication a tight housing market. The Association of Bay Area Governments estimates Fremont’s vacancy rate is half of what is appropriate to reduce inflationary pressures on housing cost and facilitate mobility and choice in the market.
Fremont is a relatively new community with 97% of its housing constructed since 1949. Because Fremont is a young city, the housing stock is in good condition with only a few hundred units identified as needing rehabilitation when serves were conducted in the 1980’s.
For the last decade the San Francisco Bay Area had been among the two or three highest-cost metropolitan areas in the United States. The availability and cost of housing affect virtually all Fremont residents; from long-time residents whose children who cannot afford to live her, to new employee in Fremont seeking to live within an acceptable distance of the place they work.
Fremont was planned to be an economically and socially balanced community. Three quarter’s of Fremont households are "families" in 1980. However less then half of these were traditional nuclear families of married husband-wife couples and children under the age of 18. \almost nine percent of the family households were single parent families. Twenty percent of all households were individuals or unrelated people living together.
The average size Fremont household in 1990 was 2.8 people, larger than the 2.5 average size for the rest of the Bay Area.
Fremont will continue to have predominance of family households. However, the demographic trend indicate the proportion of traditional nuclear families will continue to decline. The will be more single parents, more elderly, and more related individuals and other types of households living in Fremont in the future.
The expected growth in the diversity of household types and sizes implies a continuing need for wide variety of housing. Smaller homes will be needed for individuals, seniors, small families and others. There will also be a continuing demand for larger homes for growing families and other living together. The majority of the new housing is projected to be multi-family housing which tends to have unit sizes smaller than single family homes. The existing housing stock of single family homes, and larger new single family home swill help to meet the needs of larger households who can afford to purchase or rent.
Virtually everyone in the Bay Area has been touched to some degree by the region’s complex housing affordability problems. Even those who have not had a problem, have parents, children, relatives, and friends or co-workers who have had difficulties finding and maintaining safe and comfortable housing which they could afford. Nothing less than the social, cultural and economic character of Fremont is threatened if local and regional housing trends continue.
In 1990, Fremont was estimated to have 1.74 employed residents for every job in the City. The forecast for the next 15 years was for Fremont to add 22,400 new employed residents and add 39,500 jobs. Fremont is projected to provide housing for the 57 percent of the growth in Fremont’s work force
Alameda County: Profile of Ethnic and Immigrant Populations, April 1993.
Analysis of the 1990 Census in California, October 1991.
City of Fremont, 1991, Fremont General Plan, May 7, 1991.
Hill, Elizabeth G., July 1999, “California and the 2000 Census.”
Johnson, Hans, September 1993, “California: Findings from the 1990 Census.”