Franz Bruckner shares about the history of Newark.
Whenever I tell people in the Bay Area that I live in Newark, I usually get the exact same response: “Wait, New Jersey?” No, Newark, California. Growing up here, we actually wore t-shirts that joked, “Where the heck is Newark, CA?”
It is a tiny hamlet completely surrounded by the city of Fremont, and most Bay Area natives have no idea it exists. Honestly! I love that we fly entirely under the radar. It gives us a rare, tight-knit small-town feeling right in the middle of a massive urban metropolis. But don’t let our quiet reputation fool you. This hidden pocket played a massive role in building the Bay Area.
Back in the 1880s, Newark was a booming railroad hub. The local Carter Brothers manufactured the iconic wooden cable cars that still climb the steep streets of San Francisco. They ran one of California’s first narrow-gauge railroads and operated a massive ferryboat—proudly named the Newark—that sailed across the bay to supply San Francisco with fresh produce and construction materials.
Yet, our deepest history began thousands of years before the tracks were even laid. This land is the ancestral home of the Ohlone Nation. Right on our northern border at Coyote Hills, you can stand on the site of a Tuibun Ohlone village that dates back over seven millennia. It is a powerful reminder that history here isn’t just a collection of old museum artifacts.
The descendants of the Ohlone people are still right here, alive, thriving, and shaping our community today. Flanked by the beautiful Coyote Hills and the sweeping western salt marshes, Newark is a special oasis full of proud people. If you ask any resident on the street how they feel about their town, they will instantly smile and say, “I love Newark!” We are perfectly content remaining the Bay Area’s best-kept secret, hidden in plain sight. With a Perspective, I’m Franz Bruckner.
Franz Bruckner is a software engineer for a high tech company. He lives in Newark and enjoys outdoor activities including soccer and rafting.