History

In the 1880's, Fremont was established as a lumber mill town. Later the major employer was the maritime industry. In the late 1980's, the area became more diverse as artists, craftspeople, and design professionals made their home in Fremont. Public art abounds as quaint shops and ethnic restaurants fill the landscape transforming the light-industrial and manufacturing district into a mecca of art and culture; Northwest style.

In 1994, the artist communty organized to proclaim Fremont an independant state of mind. The following is the proclamation of the King county council. 

Metropolitan King County Council 

Proclamation

 Whereas, Fremont is a State of Mind, not a foreign nation but an ImagiNation based on
the freedom to dream, and

 Whereas, the Fearsome and Frolicsome Fiefdom of Fremont hath a long and lustrous
history of community activism, having transformed itself into a thriving business, arts and
urban living community, within the Greater Pugetopolitan area; and

 Whereas, a myriad of magical and merry artistic pursuits hath sprung to lusty life amid
the fertile Fremontian foam and fomentations, to wit, the quiet crowd that waits cemented in
eternity for the bus that no more comes; and the droll troll that lurks in the shadow of the great
bridge hovering above the kingdom, guarding the hall of giants; and

 Whereas, the history of the land harketh back to primordial trees and spirits, and it
greeteth the future with recently acquired rocket capabilities that stretcheth into interstellar
space, or City Hall, depending on prevailing winds, and

 Whereas, in addition to its space program, Fremont hath its own port, school, national
bank, bakery, brewery, publicist, international market, television garden, theater, and outdoor
cinema, hence it be a self-supporting community unto itself, and

 Whereas, Fremont hath chosen a humorous manner of communicating its very real and
heartfelt concerns to the City of Seattle over the Urban Village designation and boundaries,
in hopes that laughter could heal that rift; and

 Whereas, despite Fremont denizens voting overwhelmingly to secede from Seattle at the
Fremont Fair, Fremont still loves and admires this great city of Seattle, County of King; and

 Whereas, it doth us much honor to greatly celebrate the Artistic Republic of Fremont,
affectionately referred to as ARF, to never be too much gentrified, and to publish abroad the
tidings of its aspirations,

 Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Council of King County;

The Artistic Republic of Fremont is hereby declared, decreed, and determined to be an
Independent ImagiNation and a Mecca for those of independent minds and spirits, and is
forever and fervently empowered with all the rights and privileges thereto accruing. Further,
the Metropolitan King County Council plainly postulates and proclaims Fremont to be Center
of the Universe, indeed, and hereby supports Fremont in its gallant endeavors to apply to the
United Nations for sovereign status under international law.

 DATED this twenty-fifth day of July, 1994

Cynthia Sullivan, District Two ......................Kent Pullen, Council Chair