[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 14, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2528]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CELEBRATING THE CITY OF FREMONT, CALIFORNIA'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 14, 2005

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the city of 
Fremont, California's 50th anniversary. Fremont is the largest city in 
the 13th Congressional District. When Fremont incorporated in 1956, it 
had a population of approximately 22,000 residents. Today, Fremont 
residents number over 210,000, nearly 10 times the population of 50 
years ago.
  The Ohlone people and their ancestors had occupied Fremont for 
thousands of years when Spanish priests arrived from Mexico and founded 
Mission San Jose in 1797. After Mexico won independence from Spain in 
the early 1800s, an appointed administrator divided the mission lands 
into four large tracts known as Rancho del Agua Caliente, Rancho Arroyo 
de la Alameda, Rancho Portero de los Cerritos and Mission San Jose.
  John C. Fremont arrived in the 1840s to map a trail through Mission 
Pass. California's admission to the United States and the Gold Rush 
stimulated further migration to the area, attracting people from all 
parts of the world. By 1853, the communities of Mission San Jose, 
Centerville, Niles, Irvington and Warm Springs had formed themselves 
into Washington Township. The City of Fremont officially came into 
existence on January 23, 1956, when citizens of these communities voted 
to incorporate their town to form a single city.
  Fremont is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities 
in the United States. Over 137 languages are spoken; its residents come 
from all 50 states within the United States as well as 155 countries 
throughout the world.
  The celebration of Fremont's 50th anniversary promises to be as 
unique as Fremont itself. Celebrate Fremont's mission is to enhance the 
quality of life in the Fremont Community, now and for generations to 
come by serving all segments of the community by promoting the vitality 
of nonprofit organizations, fostering volunteerism and serving as a 
vital resource that promotes and enhances community activities 
including but not limited to those civic, cultural, and educational 
activities that celebrate the past, present and future of Fremont.
  I join the City of Fremont's civic leaders and its residents in 
celebrating Fremont's 50th anniversary. The motto for the celebration 
is ``creating a legacy for tomorrow by cherishing our past and 
connecting with our present.'' This celebration offers the city an 
historic opportunity to celebrate its past, while uniting its diverse 
community and historic districts around a shared vision for the future. 
Happy Birthday Fremont and best wishes for continued success as a model 
city.

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