Fremont, Nebraska

Fremont is a city in and the county seat of Dodge County, Nebraska, United States, near Omaha in the eastern part of the state. The population was 26,397 at the 2010 census. On June 20, 2011 at around 8 pm local time, a large squall line of storms entered the Fremont area and dropped an EF1 tornado through the center of town causing a damage path 6 mi long and 700 yards wide. There were no reported injuries or fatalities as a result.

History
From the 1830s to the 1860s, the area saw a great deal of traffic due to the Mormon Trail, which passed along the north bank of the Platte River. It was a major overland route for settlers, the military and hunters.

Fremont was founded in 1856, and was named after the American explorer, politician and military official General John C. Frémont. A colorful article about the early history Fremont can be found in this article.

Due to its geographically central location, the First Transcontinental Telegraph line (1861), railroad (1866) and highway (1913) passed through or very near Fremont. You can still drive on some of the original brick portions of the "Old Lincoln Highway" located east of Fremont, on the way to Omaha.

On January 10, 1976, in downtown Fremont, the Pathfinder Hotel exploded due to a natural gas 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. This explosion shattered windows around the city and the ensuing fire killed 23 people and destroyed most of the city block which the hotel sat on.

Fremont gained national attention in 2010 when residents approved a referendum that would ban illegal immigrants from renting and working in the town.

Recreation
Fremont has 21 city owned parks with a combined area of over 400 acre. 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 6390 yd 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. Maximum water depth is 6'.

Geography and climate
Fremont is located in the northeastern portion of Nebraska, at 41.43972°N, -96.49°W, along the Platte River, Fremont is approximately 35 mi northwest of the largest city in the area, Omaha, and 50 mi northeast of the state capitol, Lincoln.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total land area of 9.0 p square miles (20.5 km²). Fremont is quite flat, lying in the river plain between the Platte and Elkhorn rivers, at an elevation of approximately 366 meters (1,203 ft) above sea level.

Fremont has its own hospital, the Fremont Area Medical Center. Being the county seat, it is also the location of the county courthouse.

Arts, culture and attractions
The Louis E. May Historical Museum is housed in a Victorian house built by Fremont's first mayor, Theron Nye, in 1874. There is also a log cabin on the site, which is an example of the type of house the settlers who moved to Nebraska as part of the Homestead Act would have lived in.

Some of Fremont's roots in the railroad can be experienced by taking a ride on the Fremont & Elkhorn Valley Railroad (FEVR), or taking a special weekend trip on the historical Fremont Dinner Train and at the Nebraska Railroad Museum. Historic downtown Fremont is known for its large number of antique stores, and a collection of historical buildings. Several local buildings are on the national register of historic places. The Love-Larson Opera House on Broad Street, built in 1888, was later used as apartments and a grocery store, but was restored by a non-profit group in the 1970s, and again in 2003 by the Fremont High Drama club, and now is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Each summer, in July, Fremont spends a long weekend celebrating John C. Fremont Days, which is a celebration of Fremont's history through a parade, Chautauqua, rodeo, classic car show and local vendors selling their hand-made crafts. It draws attendees from around the area for both historical and social reasons.

The local AM radio station, KHUB 1340, and KFMT-FM 105.5, is where many of the residents get their news and entertainment. KFMT-FM is currently a Classic Rock format.

For recreation, 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 700 acre, along the Platte River. Two regional Boy Scout camps, Camp Cedars and Camp Eagle, are located near Fremont, along the Platte River.

Fremont forms part of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum collection.

Education
Fremont is the home of the undergraduate liberal arts college, Midland University, which houses the Musbach Art Center, among other attractions. The Metropolitan Community College system has a community college campus in Fremont as well.

There is one public high school, Fremont Senior High (part of the Fremont Public School System), one private K-12 school, Archbishop Bergan Catholic School (currently K, 1-5, middle/high school), and one private elementary/middle school, Trinity Lutheran School.

The Masonic Home for Children is located in Fremont.

Industry and business
Fremont has its roots in agriculture and is still an agribusiness community with the typical skyline of grain silos and elevators, but is also home to several industries. The nationally known meat packing company Hormel (the maker of SPAM) is the largest employer in town; the city also is home to Jayhawk boxes, Magnus Metals. Other large employers include the Fremont Area Medical Center and the local newspaper, the Fremont Tribune. The three major industrial sectors in Fremont are food processing, metal fabrication, and teleservices. In 2012 they will begin construction for a 25000 sqft of retail and restaurant space, a 135 room hotel, 15000 sqft of office space, 250 multiple family units, 119 lots for single family homes and 150 senior living units surrounding 23.5 acre of a community park around a lake. Some stores will open in 2013.

Demographics
Fremont is the county seat of Dodge County, Nebraska, 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 Omaha, eastern Fremont is growing rapidly as a bedroom community for Omaha (see links to air photos below).

As of the census of 2000, there were 25,174 people, 10,171 households, and 6,672 families residing in the city, which makes it the 6th largest city in Nebraska. The population density was 3,393.3 people per square mile (1,309.9/km²). There were 10,576 housing units at an average density of 1,425.6 per square mile (550.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.28% White, 0.57% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 2.29% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 married couples 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 for the city was $18,006. About 5.1% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

 * U.S. Route 30
 * U.S. Route 77
 * U.S. Route 275

Notable residents

 * Gutzon Borglum, sculptor
 * Harold Eugene Edgerton, pioneer in stroboscopic photography
 * Marg Helgenberger, film and television actress
 * Zach Wiegert, American football player