Fremont: A Great Place to Live
Fremont Parks & Recreation
History of Ardenwood Park
In 1849 George Washington Patterson joined the stream of young men leaving the Midwest for California’s gold fields. His dreams left little room for failure, but after a year and a half of mining he was ill and broke. And so he turned to work he knew well — farming. George gradually bought land with the money he earned by working for farmers near Mission San Jose. By the time he married Clara Hawley in 1877, he was on his way to acquiring nearly 6,000 acres of land and was one of the most wealthy and well-respected men in the area. He had struck “gold” — not in the hills, but through farming the fertile plains of the East Bay. Today Ardenwood invites you to experience farm life as it was near the turn-of-the-century. Draft horses still pull wagons, rail cars and plows. The land still grows the kinds of crops George Patterson tended 100 years ago, and the farmyard is still full of animals. Staff and volunteers attired in Victorian clothing are on hand to show you through the Patterson family home, to demonstrate farm chores, to explain the social graces of the Victorian era, and to carry you by wagon around the 205-acre farm.
• Central Park and Lake Elizabeth began development in 1960.
• The Lake was dedicated to Fremont’s Sister City, Elizabeth, Australia, on March 22, 1969.
• The Park is set on 450 acres with an 83 acre lake.
• Central Park / Lake Elizabeth was named “Best Park” of the Tri-Cities area by the Argus newspaper for 2004!
The Central Park Dog Park officially opened on June 12, 2001. The park is located on a one-acre tract of land adjacent to the Central Park Softball Complex with access off of Stevenson Blvd. The double gate entry to the dog park turf area was designed for the convenience of dog owners and the security of their pets.
Coyote Hills is a beautiful park where you can hike, picnic, bike, get involved in the Naturalist Programs, and just enjoy being among nature in this wonderful wildlife refuge.
Rising steeply to the east behind the City of Fremont, Mission and Monument peaks form a dramatic backdrop to the South Bay.
Mission Peak has been described as one of the Bay Area’s most underrated summits. The determined hiker who reaches its top (2.8 miles) will be rewarded with views of Mount Hamilton to the south, the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west, Mt. Tamalpais to the north, and Mt. Diablo and the Sierra Nevada to the northeast.
Playgrounds:
- Arroyo Aqua Caliente
- Lone Tree Creek
- Azeveda
- Los Cerritos
- Blacow
- Lowry
- Booster Park
- Marshall
- Brookvale Plaza
- Mission San Jose
- Buena Vista
- Niles Community
- California Terrac
- Nordvik
- Centerville Community
- Northgate Community
- Central Park
- Old Mission
- Crandall Creek
- Patterson
- David Jones
- Peregrine
- Deep Creek
- Plomosa
- Frank Fisher
- Rancho Arroyo
- Gomes
- Irvington Community
- Shinn
Quarry Lakes
- Swimming
- Fishing
- Picnicking
- Boating
- Dogs
- Recreational and Natural Units
