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History · Hayward

Hayward’s post office opened in 1887

Most of Hayward was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: maps from 1939 on.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Hayward began

When was Hayward founded?

1887

The Hayward post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 93139 years
Founding year: the first Hayward post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Hayward’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 Hayward are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Hayward’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Hayward came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hayward.

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An early variant name was "Fisher", after John J. Fisher, an early settler. A post office called Fisher was established in 1880. The present name is after one Mr. Hayward, another early citizen. A post office called Hayward has been in operation since 1895.

The village disincorporated in 2000. Hayward is now an unincorporated community classified by the Census Bureau as a census-designated place.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hayward, 1887 to 1939

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Post officeThe Hayward post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1916Post officeThe Hayward post office closes
  5. 1939On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Hayward on the map, 1939 to 1971

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

Hayward on the 1939 USGS mapHayward on the 1955 USGS mapHayward on the 1971 USGS map1939Portageville 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 Hayward.

Famous people

Famous people close to Hayward

Nobody well known was born in Hayward itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Carl PerkinsAmerican guitarist · b. 1932
George WoodsAmerican shot putter · b. 1943
Donna HightowerAmerican soul singer · b. 1926
Eddie AcuffAmerican actor · b. 1903
Clifton Bledsoe CatesUnited States Marine Corps · b. 1893
Reggie YoungAmerican guitarist · b. 1936
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Hayward had its own post office from 1887 to 1916.

Hayward
1887–1916
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Hayward’s history

What year was Hayward founded?

The Hayward post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.