Within half an hour of arriving in Fremont Thursday night, we met some friendly skaters at a well-lit park, had top-rated sushi and came across an Indian grocery store called Namaste.
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It's likely this snapshot that voted Fremont least stressed city in America. The survey by financial website WalletHub used the markers such as divorce and suicide rates, financial and family satisfaction.
A few other fast facts about Fremont:
- It's one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the Bay Area
- Nearly half the population is college educated
- The average household income is more than $100,000.
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"I've been living here my whole life, we've got this beautiful skate park, we have beautiful parks, we have Mission Peak," said resident Kenny Cordeiro.
Fremont has the advantage of distance from busier hubs like Oakland, San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Yet it's still close enough to be a vital part of the Bay Area.
"We are not like your city atmosphere, where there's a lot more going on," says Andrew Mata, sushi chef at Satomi Sushi, where families in the area dine regularly.
"It's very diverse, it's got lots of good restaurants and it's slightly away from Silicon Valley," says Zefir Asim.
"When you have kids, you always look for a good education, that's the most important part of why we chose to live in Fremont," says Manu Patil.
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But, perhaps the best argument for Fremont chill vibes comes straight from the skate park.
"It's not the kind of place where you have to spend 30 minutes trying to find a parking spot," said Cordeiro.
See the full WalletHub report here.
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