Fremont is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Dodge County in the eastern portion of the state of

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. The population was 27,141 at the 2020 census, making it the 6th most populous city in Nebraska. Fremont is the home of Midland University.

History

From the 1830s to the 1860s, the area saw a great deal of traffic due to the

Mormon Trail The Mormon Trail is the route from Illinois to Utah on which Mormon pioneers (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) traveled from 1846 to 1869. Today, the Mormon Trail is a part of the United States National Trails Syst ...

, which passed along the north bank of the

Platte River The Platte River () is a major American river, in the state of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, w ...

. A ferry connected the two banks of the

Elkhorn River The Elkhorn River is a river in northeastern Nebraska, United States, that originates in the eastern Sandhills and is one of the largest tributaries of the Platte River, flowing and joining the Platte just southwest of Omaha, approximately ...

near Fremont. It was a major overland route for emigrant

settlers A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...

going to the West, the military and hunters. Fremont was laid out in 1856 in anticipation that the railroad would be extended to that site. It was named after the American explorer, politician and military official General

John C. Frémont Major general (United States), Major-General John Charles Frémont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was a United States Army officer, explorer, and politician. He was a United States senator from California and was the first History of the Repub ...

. By 1857, there were 13 log houses in the town. The

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

reached the town in December 1865 becoming the first railroad into the future rail hub.

Sioux City and Pacific Railroad The Sioux City and Pacific Railroad was a railroad in the U.S. states of Iowa and Nebraska. Built as a connection from Sioux City, Iowa to the Union Pacific Railroad at Fremont, Nebraska, it became part of the Chicago and North Western Railway sy ...

completed track into the town in 1868 with the Elkhorn Valley Railroad arriving in 1869. Due to the town's geographically central location, the First Transcontinental Telegraph line (1861),

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

(1865) and highway (1913) passed through or very near Fremont. Original brick portions of the " Old Lincoln Highway" are located east of Fremont, on the way to

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. Fremont is the namesake for the Fremont neighborhood in Seattle, which was settled by Luther H. Griffith and Edward Blewett from Fremont. On January 10, 1976, in downtown Fremont, the Pathfinder Hotel exploded due to a

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

leak in the basement. At the time the hotel was being used as apartments, mostly occupied by senior citizens. It also was a meeting place for philanthropic and business organizations, and had a drug store on the northwest corner. The

explosion An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amount of matter associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Explosions may also be generated ...

shattered windows around the city, and the ensuing fire killed 23 people and destroyed most of the city block of the hotel. Fremont gained national attention in 2010 when residents approved a referendum that would ban

illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...

from renting and working in the town. Fremont has a documented history of being a

sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States. They were towns that practiced a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combinati ...

including a sign featuring a

racial epithet The following is a list of ethnic slurs, ethnophaulisms, or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnic, national, or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pejora ...

stating that people of African descent were not welcome in the town.

Geography

Fremont is located along the

, approximately northwest of the largest city in the area,

, and northeast of the state capitol, Lincoln. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Fremont lies in the river plain between the Platte and Elkhorn rivers, at an elevation of approximately above sea level.

Climate

Demographics

Fremont is the county seat of Dodge County,

, and is likewise the financial and social center of the area. Facilitated by the completion of the US Highway 275 and Highway 30 bypass around Fremont, from

, eastern Fremont is growing rapidly as a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for Omaha.

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 27,141 people, 10,948 households, and 6,845 families in Fremont. The population density was 2,515.4 per square mile (970.7/km). There were 11,685 housing units at an average density of 1,082.9 per square mile (417.9/km). The racial makeup was 79.16% (21,486)

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.78% (212) black or African-American, 1.15% (311) Native American, 0.65% (176) Asian, 0.05% (14)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 9.92% (2,692) from other races, and 8.29% (2,250) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race was 15.0% (4,061) of the population. Of the 10,948 households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18; 48.2% were married couples living together; 28.6% had a female householder with no husband present. 29.7% of households consisted of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 2.9. 23.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 91.9 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $54,291 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,384) and the median family income $72,318 (+/- $2,903). Males had a median income of $41,392 (+/- $1,621) versus $26,350 (+/- $1,415) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $33,649 (+/- $2,465). Approximately, 7.1% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.0% of those under the age of 18 and 11.7% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 26,397 people, 10,725 households, and 6,862 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 11,427 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.7%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3%

, 7.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 11.9% of the population. There were 10,725 households, of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.0% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 38 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 25,174 people, 10,171 households, and 6,672 families living in the city, which makes it the 6th largest city in Nebraska. The population density was . There were 10,576 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.28%

, 0.57%

, 0.31% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.11%

, 2.29% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 4.31% of the population. There were 10,171 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were

living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,700, and the median income for a family was $45,259. Males had a median income of $31,865 versus $21,035 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $18,006. About 5.1% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the

, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

As of 2016, Fremont's single largest employer was

Hormel Foods Hormel Foods Corporation, doing business as Hormel Foods or simply Hormel, is an American multinational food processing company founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota, by George A. Hormel as George A. Hormel & Company. The company originally fo ...

, with an estimated 1000–1500 workers, whose hog-processing plant has been described as "the nation’s largest producer of

Spam Spam most often refers to: * Spam (food), a consumer brand product of canned processed pork of the Hormel Foods Corporation * Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages ** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages ...

." The next-largest employers were Fremont Health Medical Center, Fremont Public Schools, and Nye Health Services, each with an estimated 500–1000 employees.

Costco Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only big-box warehouse club retail stores. As of 2021, Costco is the third-largest retailer in the world, and as of August 2024, Cos ...

began building a poultry complex in 2019 that includes a processing facility, hatchery and feed mill. The facility is known as the Lincoln Premium Poultry.

Arts and culture

The Louis E. May Historical Museum is housed in a Victorian house built by Fremont's first mayor, Theron Nye, in 1874. A log cabin on the site is an example of the type of dwelling in which the earliest pioneers lived who moved to Nebraska as part of the

Homestead Act The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of Federal lands, government land or the American frontier, public domain, typically called a Homestead (buildings), homestead. In all, mo ...

. Historic downtown Fremont is known for its numerous antique stores and collection of historical buildings. Several local buildings are on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

(NRHP). Among them is the Love-Larson Opera House on Broad Street, built in 1888. Later used as apartments and a grocery store, it was restored for theatre use by a non-profit group in the 1970s, and again in 2003 by the Fremont High Drama Club.

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

Days, a festival held the second week of July annually, is a celebration of Fremont's history through a parade,

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

, classic car show, and vendors with handmade crafts. The Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area (also known as "the State Lakes") attracts boaters, skiers, fishermen and beachgoers from the area to the group of 20 man-made, tree-lined lakes which cover nearly along the north bank of the

. Two regional

Boy Scout A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organizatio ...

camps, Camp Cedars and Camp Eagle, are located nearby. Fremont forms part of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum collection. Fremont_book_removal_signs_1

In 2023 the city council and the board of the Keene Memorial Library voted to remove books on LGBT topics, including '' This Book Is Gay'', from the young adult section of the library to the adult section. A group of Fremont citizens attempted to have the book removed entirety, but failed.

Parks and recreation

Fremont has 21 city-owned parks, with a combined area of over . Located in the northwest corner of Fremont near the "Washington Heights" neighborhood is the Fremont Golf Club (FGC). The FGC was completed in 1930 and features of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. In 2007 construction of the "Splash Station" water park was completed. The park cost an estimated $5.1 million and features an interactive train slide, combination lap pool and wave pool, body slide and speed slide.

Education

Fremont is the home of the undergraduate

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on Undergraduate education, undergraduate study in the Liberal arts education, liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart ...

, Midland University, which houses the Musbach Art Center, among other attractions. The Metropolitan Community College system has a

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

campus in Fremont as well. There is one public

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

, Fremont Senior High, one private

K-12 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the world. ...

school, Archbishop Bergan Catholic School, and one private elementary-middle school, Trinity Lutheran School.

Transportation

US 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route of the United States Numbered Highway System, with the highway traveling across the Northern U.S. With a length of , it is the third-longest U.S. Highway, afte ...

* US 77 * US 275

Notable people

* William L. Armstrong, served as a United States Representative and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

from

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

* Mildred Banfield, Alaska state legislator * Robert Beerbohm, American comic book historian * Sue Bierman, San Francisco civic activist and

Supervisor A supervisor, or lead, (also known as foreman, boss, overseer, facilitator, monitor, area coordinator, line-manager or sometimes gaffer) is the job title of a lower-level management position and role that is primarily based on authority over la ...

Gutzon Borglum John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American sculpture, sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including Stone Moun ...

, sculptor * Jeanne Boyd, composer and music educator *

Harold Eugene Edgerton Harold Eugene "Doc" Edgerton (April 6, 1903 – January 4, 1990), also known as Papa Flash, was an American scientist and researcher, a professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is largely credited with ...

, pioneer in stroboscopic photography *

Marg Helgenberger Mary Margaret Helgenberger (born November 16, 1958) is an American actress. She began her career in the early 1980s and first came to attention for playing the role of Siobhan Ryan on the daytime soap opera ''Ryan's Hope'' from 1982 to 1986. Sh ...

, film and television actress * Charlie Janssen, Nebraska State Auditor, former member of Nebraska legislature * Doron Jensen, founder of Timber Lodge Steakhouse * Richard A. Jensen, theologian and professor at

Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Chicago, Illinois. LSTC is a member of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS), a consortium of eleven area seminaries ...

* Jason Licht, general manager of NFL's

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

* James Milliken, Chancellor of the

University of Texas System The University of Texas System (UT System) is a public university system in the U.S. state of Texas. It includes nine universities and five independent health institutions. The UT System is headquartered in Downtown Austin. It is the large ...

Ben Sasse Benjamin Eric Sasse ( ; born February 22, 1972) is an American politician and higher education administrator. He represented Nebraska in the United States Senate from 2015 to 2023, resigning to become the 13th president of the University of Flo ...

, Former

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

and former

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

* Jessica Shepard, WNBA player *

Julie Sommars Julie Sommars (born April 15, 1940) is an American actress. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for her role in '' The Governor & J.J.'' in 1970, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for ...

, film and television actress *

Sloppy Thurston Hollis John "Sloppy" Thurston (June 2, 1899 – September 14, 1973) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators (1901–60), Washington ...

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

* Mary A. Hitchcock Wakelin, educator and temperance reformer * Zach Wiegert, player in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

References

External links

City of Fremont
{{Authority control Cities in Nebraska Micropolitan areas of Nebraska Cities in Dodge County, Nebraska County seats in Nebraska Populated places established in 1871 1871 establishments in Nebraska