Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Cherryland

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
A−History
History · Cherryland

19% of Cherryland’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 84% of U.S. towns · #23 of 847 in California. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Meek Mansion and Carriage House and the Eden Congregational Church. Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1970.

2on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

About Cherryland’s history

How historic is Cherryland?

A−

More historic than 84% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Cherryland’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cherryland is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #23 of 847 in California. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cherryland’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194018.5% of homes (±4.6) · typical CA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register2 listings, 4 historic buildings, 2.8 per 10,000 residents · typical CA town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 84%
NewerOlder
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 97%

Few California towns list much on the Register (a typical California town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Cherryland’s 2.8 sits above most of its state (83% of California towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.6 points).

Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Cherryland’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Cherryland are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18998 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1993. Watch Cherryland change.Old housesHalf of Cherryland’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cherryland’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cherryland’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Cherryland on the map, 1899 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cherryland. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Cherryland on the 1899 USGS mapCherryland on the 1915 USGS mapCherryland on the 1947 USGS mapCherryland on the 1950 USGS mapCherryland on the 1968 USGS mapCherryland on the 1973 USGS mapCherryland on the 1980 USGS mapCherryland on the 1993 USGS map1899Haywards sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Cherryland.

The story

How Cherryland came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cherryland.

Read it all →

Cherryland largely comprises the residential subdivision of the vast orchards (2,200 acres (8.9 km2)) of San Lorenzo pioneer William Meek, often called the "first farmer" of Alameda County. "Cherryland" was the name of one huge subdivision of this farm initiated by third-generation heirs in 1911. The Meek Mansion is located on Hampton Road in the northern part of Cherryland. The mansion is maintained by the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, in conjunction with the Hayward Area Historical Society.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Cherryland, decade by decade

Today7 recent
San Lorenzo Ashland2022San Lorenzo AshlandCherrylandCropped32021CherrylandCropped3CherrylandCropped22021CherrylandCropped2CherrylandCropped12021CherrylandCropped1Cherryland Sign2021Cherryland SignCherryland Iglesia2020Cherryland IglesiaCherryland Community Garden2020Cherryland Community Garden
On the National Register

2 historic places in Cherryland

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Meek Mansion and Carriage House
Meek Mansion and Carriage HouseEden Congregational Church
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Italian Villa1
Greek Revival1
Meek Mansion and Carriage HouseItalian Villa
Eden Congregational ChurchGreek Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Cherryland, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,000198020002020Peak: 15,808

Between 9,425 and 15,808 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Cherryland’s Wikipedia page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Hayward1 historic placeCAshlandIts storyCSan LorenzoIts storyC−

Questions about Cherryland’s history

How does Cherryland rank for history?

Cherryland is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #23 of 847 in California. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Cherryland?

Two places: the Meek Mansion and Carriage House (listed 1973) and the Eden Congregational Church (2007).

How old are the homes in Cherryland?

19% of Cherryland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1960.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (7), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.