Fremont was labeled the happiest U.S. city, now it's being called one of the most unfaithful

According to a ranking from Ashley Madison, Fremont, Calif. is the fifth most unfaithful city in the country.  According to a ranking from Ashley Madison, Fremont, Calif. is the fifth most unfaithful city in the country.  Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Fremont was labeled the happiest U.S. city, now it's being called one of the most unfaithful 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

The reasoning behind Fremont, California's ranking as "happiest city" in America just got a little darker. 

Last year, WalletHub named the East Bay city the country's happiest — mostly because it had the lowest divorce and separation rate among the surveyed cities.  However, according to a new list from married dating website Ashley Madison, Fremont is also the fifth most unfaithful city in the U.S.

ALSO: Fremont is among the best places to raise a family in the Bay Area, according to survey

The dating service, whose slogan is "Life is short.  Have an affair" determined its cheating hotlist by looking at each city's signups from summer of 2018 on a per capita basis.  Remember, this is a website dedicated to helping people cheat, not the Pew Research Center — so maybe take their numbers with a grain of salt.  And just because people are signing up for Ashley Madison doesn't necessarily mean they are acting on the cheating. 

ALSO: Here's how WalletHub decided Fremont was the happiest city in America

So, are people in Fremont so happy because they're unfaithful?  Are they cheating tons but just keeping their partners in the dark/not filing for divorce?  Is Fremont the open marriage capital of the country?  Unfortunately, this is all the data we have, so it's up to speculation. 

Other California cities to make the infidelity list include Sacramento (number 18) and Anaheim (number 19). 

It's worth pointing out that this year, Fremont lost its number one spot on WalletHub's happiest cities in the country list.  However, the city still snagged the number four spot with high ratings in "community and environment" and "emotional and physical well-being."  That's pretty happy for a bunch of people (allegedly) cheating on each other. 

Madeline Wells is an SFGate editorial assistant.  Email: madeline.wells@sfgate.com | Twitter: @madwells22