About Ohlone College

History of Ohlone College

Established in 1965, Ohlone College serves the cities of Newark, Fremont, and part of Union City located in the southeast area (East Bay Area) of the San Francisco Bay area, California (Campus and Area Maps). Ohlone is part of the Ohlone Community College District.

The Fremont campus is located on Mission Boulevard off Highway 680 on a beautiful 534-acre hillside site just south of historical Mission San Jose. The Newark campus is located on Cherry Street west of Highway 880 on a 31-acre site adjacent to the San Francisco Bay.

Officially named Ohlone College on June 18, 1967, the institution honors the early Ohlone Indians of the Costanoan tribe, who inhabited the Fremont and Newark area. Long before the local Indians were named Costanoans by the Spanish priests, they were known by a neighboring Miwuk tribe as the Ohlones or “people of the West.” Distinguished by peaceful pursuits, especially in agriculture, they held profound reverence for the earth, believing it was theirs for living and not for the taking. They aided the Franciscan Fathers in building the Mission San Jose de Guadalupe in the late 18th century and prospered until 1806-1833 when a series of epidemics virtually destroyed the tribe. Some descendants, however, still reside in the Fremont-Newark area.

Ohlone Community College District opened its doors in September 1967. The 2006-2007 academic year maked the 40th anniversary of serving the Tri-cities community with higher education opportunities. Classes were first held at a temporary site in the former Serra Center Home for Girls on Washington Boulevard in Fremont. A year later, the Huddleson Ranch property, located in the Mission foothills just south of old Mission San Jose, was selected as the permanent campus site.

See also The Ohlone Campuses.