The end of the year brings about Top 10 lists in oh-so many categories. So in the spirit of David Letterman, here’s ours! Introducing the 2013 City of Fremont Top 10 Year in Review List (In no particular order):

10. Fremont was one of three cities recognized as a winner of USA Weekend Magazine’s National Make a Difference Day Competition and was featured in the Sunday insert! The Fremont Family Resource Center received a $10,000 award from Newman’s Own.

9. More local jobs! Companies choose Fremont for expansion – thank you to Men’s Wearhouse, ThermoFisher, Delta Products, Seagate, and EFI!

8. Fremont hosted the Western Region Clean Tech Open, the leading force for accelerating clean technology entrepreneurs.

7. Regional powerhouse Pacific Commons, new home to TJMaxx/Home Goods and FireHouse Subs, has recently opened The Block—a shopping and entertainment sub-district, which features a variety of new retailers including Men’s Wearhouse, Ulta, Krispy Kreme, The Habit and T-Mobile.

6. Lots happening in the Downtown. In addition to welcoming Whole Foods and Paragon Apartments, we were awarded the One Bay Area Grant (almost $6M!) to kick-start the Capitol Avenue Streetscape improvements that will create the pedestrian-oriented spine for the district.

5. Ranked 5th by 24/7 Wall Street as the “Best Run City in America.” http://bit.ly/18MLEFg

4. 4 out of 5 Fremont residents rate the Quality of Life in Fremont as “Good” or “Excellent” in the 2013 Community Survey, an increase from 2012! http://bit.ly/JnXcJj

3. Recognized by livability.com as one of the Top 100 Places to live. http://bit.ly/1gCsx96

2. We’re one of the happiest mid-sized cities in the U.S. http://bit.ly/1cNdt4M

1. There’s no question that Fremont has turned the corner from the greatest recession we’ve ever seen. Case in point: Fremont ranked #1 in the Top 10 Best Cities for Homebuyers by the Movato Real Estate Blog. http://bit.ly/1bTtAgg