Big city living isn’t for everyone–but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.
There’s the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There’s traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing–pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you’re looking at.
But that’s where the suburbs come in–they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.
Of course, not all suburbs of Fremont are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado…
Here are the 10 best suburbs around Fremont for 2019:
- Los Altos (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Piedmont (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Monte Sereno (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Los Altos Hills (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Danville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Hillsborough (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Orinda (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Woodside (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Portola Valley (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- San Carlos (Photos | Homes For Sale)
If you happen to be a resident of Los Altos, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Fremont ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Or feel free to check out some more reading about California:
Editor’s Note: If you see a slight difference between the best in state rankings and this suburb ranking, it’s because of the methodology. We needed a way to include more places, so we eliminated crime and commute times as criteria for this analysis.
How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Fremont for 2019
Figuring out the best ‘burbs around Fremont was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Low unemployment rate
- High Median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
Then we used the newest American Community Survey data (2013-2017) to research each suburb.
FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Fremont.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 3,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 44 suburbs to evaluate around Fremont.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 44 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the “Best Suburb near Fremont.” We’re lookin’ at you, Los Altos.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best of the best. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
/10
Population: 30,527
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $208,309
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 3.2%
More on Los Altos: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Los Altos is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Fremont area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Los Altos.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $208,309 a year, which is the 7th highest in the Fremont region. And only 3.8% are out of work. Homes average more than $2,000,000 each.
/10
Population: 11,296
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $202,631
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 4.9%
More on Piedmont: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Piedmont is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Fremont for 2019.
It ranks 8th for incomes in the area and only 1.5% of residents lack insurance, good for 6th best.
Jack_Tramiel.
| CC BY-SA 2.0/10
Population: 3,551
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Income: $250,000
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
Poverty Rate: 2.3%
More on Monte Sereno: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Here in Monte Sereno, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Fremont metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Monte Sereno.
/10
Population: 8,490
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Income: $248,218
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 4.2%
More on Los Altos Hills: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Los Altos Hills ranks as the 4th best suburb of Fremont for 2019.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Los Altos Hills and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 44,205
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 4)
Median Income: $152,798
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
Poverty Rate: 3.3%
More on Danville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Coming in as the fifth best is Danville.
Danville gets kudos for having the 22nd most expensive homes in the Fremont area, where houses sell for an average of $976,800. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 11,436
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 1)
Median Income: $238,750
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%
Poverty Rate: 3.3%
More on Hillsborough: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Hillsborough is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 4.9% which is 25th best in the area.
According to online reports, Hillsborough is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Fremont area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 19,248
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 1)
Median Income: $186,075
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%
Poverty Rate: 2.6%
More on Orinda: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Orinda.
Orinda schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 29.5 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 5,550
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Income: $250,000
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 4.3%
More on Woodside: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Woodside is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 2.2% of people lack insurance, good for 10th in the area.
/10
Population: 4,589
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 3)
Median Income: $244,539
Unemployment Rate: 5.7%
Poverty Rate: 2.7%
More on Portola Valley: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Is ‘Everything Better In Portola Valley?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 29,954
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 3)
Median Income: $152,521
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%
Poverty Rate: 2.8%
More on San Carlos: Real Estate | Data | Photos
And rounding out the top ten for 2019 is San Carlos.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Welcome to the Best Fremont ‘Burbs of 2019
We said it once and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
So if you’re hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Fremont, but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.
For more California reading, check out:
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In California
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In California
- 10 Safest Places In California
Detailed List Of The Best Fremont Suburbs
Rank | City | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Los Altos | 30,527 |
2 | Piedmont | 11,296 |
3 | Monte Sereno | 3,551 |
4 | Los Altos Hills | 8,490 |
5 | Danville | 44,205 |
6 | Hillsborough | 11,436 |
7 | Orinda | 19,248 |
8 | Woodside | 5,550 |
9 | Portola Valley | 4,589 |
10 | San Carlos | 29,954 |
11 | Atherton | 7,182 |
12 | San Ramon | 75,048 |
13 | Saratoga | 31,013 |
14 | Pleasanton | 79,341 |
15 | Lafayette | 25,792 |
16 | Palo Alto | 67,082 |
17 | Belmont | 27,110 |
18 | Cupertino | 60,687 |
19 | Dublin | 57,022 |
20 | Moraga | 17,231 |
21 | Menlo Park | 33,661 |
22 | Burlingame | 30,401 |
23 | Los Gatos | 30,709 |
24 | Millbrae | 22,738 |
25 | Campbell | 41,164 |
26 | Mountain View | 80,076 |
27 | Sunnyvale | 151,565 |
28 | Half Moon Bay | 12,565 |
29 | Brisbane | 4,642 |
30 | Livermore | 88,232 |
31 | San Mateo | 103,500 |
32 | Santa Clara | 124,635 |
33 | Walnut Creek | 68,516 |
34 | San Bruno | 43,105 |
35 | Morgan Hill | 43,136 |
36 | South San Francisco | 67,120 |
37 | Alameda | 78,246 |
38 | Milpitas | 75,498 |
39 | Newark | 45,554 |
40 | San Jose | 1,023,031 |
41 | East Palo Alto | 29,646 |
42 | San Leandro | 89,910 |
43 | Oakland | 417,442 |
44 | Hayward | 156,917 |