On Saturday, January 23, 2016, the City of Fremont went all out and commemorated one of our City’s biggest milestones yet – its 60th anniversary. This important and celebratory day featured a time capsule ceremony, as well as a festive community picnic.

As I looked out at the crowd of faces who make up our one-of-a-kind community, I couldn’t help but feel proud of all that Fremont has accomplished since its inauguration in 1956. Honestly, it still amazes me that our City was founded just 60 years ago.

What started out as five individual townships – Centerville, Irvington, Mission San Jose, Niles, and Warm Springs – has evolved into a hub for advanced manufacturing and many other innovative companies. We’re developing into a strategically urban ecosystem complete with excellent schools, unique community programs, an Innovation District, and a future Downtown that will serve as the social heartbeat for our city.

Being born and raised in the City of Fremont, I know where our City stood more than 40 years ago, and I’m happy to say that we’ve come a long way since then. Fremont is a place that I am proud to call home. And when I think about my two sons and where they’ll be 40 years from now, I’m reassured knowing that Fremont is a city that they can thrive in. They’ll have the opportunity to get a great education, to hang out with friends Downtown, to establish their careers, and to make a home for their own families. I’m grateful that our youth will be able to build bright futures in Fremont.

To commemorate the City’s 60th anniversary, we wanted to do something that would not only highlight how far Fremont has come, but would paint a picture of our vibrant community as it exists today. We partnered with the City’s Youth Advisory Commission and the Fremont Unified School District, as well as the City’s Human Relations Commission, to assemble a time capsule, which will be installed at the site of what will be our new Downtown and Civic Center. We envision this spot to be a central location and gathering spot for the future Fremont community.

The time capsule includes a vast array of items, most notably a beautiful collection of student art and essays that represent what Fremont means to our youth, and how they envision Fremont 40 years from now.

When future Fremont residents open the time capsule in 2056, I hope that our city is thriving as an even stronger community because of the foundation that we’ve set today.