Is Hayward a nice place to live? (San Francisco, Oakland: rent, home builders)

[athleticsfan72737489]

Originally Posted by jade408

I really like Buffalo Bills. And the Japanese place on Hesperian and Winton I am forgetting the name of right now. Pretty tasty. I just would expect Hayward to have way more good restaurants. It is what 120K people?

I get what you mean. If you take away the Mexican restaurants, other than the places I mentioned earlier, there really aren't any decent restaurants in Hayward.

Same goes for Union City and Fremont. How many good restaurants are there in Fremont that aren't Indian or Chinese? What about Union City? You're probably stuck with a lot of chains.

[wie9778kzh]

Union City has lots of good Chinese restaurants. What are you talking about? There's a whole bunch at the corner of Alvarado-Niles and Decoto. They're usually busy with lots of chinese clientèle so you know its authentic and/or good. There's also pretty good mediterranean (mr kebab, ignore the funny name its actually pretty good), and indian, and a relatively new ramen restaurant in the same area.

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by justinbro2002

Hayward is a mixed bag there are some pretty good areas, some decent areas, and some really sketchy areas. I work in Hayward and know quite a few people who live in or have lived in Hayward and crime is pretty bad. This is a bluecollar city with alot of really poor people on welfare and the problems that go along with that. Anyone who says that people on welfare as a group aren't inherently more likely to commit crimes know not of which they speak. People I work with who live in various neighborhoods in Hayward say it is not unusual to hear gunshots on a regular basis at night. My friend who lives not to0 far from Chabot college has had their car broken into in front of their house half a dozen times in the last 10 years. Is Hayward East Oakland? Not it is not but it isn't all that safe either. If you pick the right neighborhood and stay away from the bad parts of town you should be okay. But do your own due diligency and research the neighborhood before you decide on an area.

I think this is a pretty fair assessment. I was raised in hayward and lived there for 40 years. I have seen the sad decline of my neighborhood. As kids we roamed the neighborhood playing with other kids into the evening hours. Nothing ever happened then. Now there is now way I would let my kids run around those same streets. I myself could still live there and have no problem with it. Like many cities that have a bad rap, the truth is most of the time there will be good and bad pockets.
If you find a street you want to live on post up and someone will tell you their opinion of it. If yo uneed to be in Hayward because of proximity,I think you should go for Castro Valley. It's right next door but has better schools and much less crime overall.

[TurboTalon]

Castro Valley has a few bad areas too though. I've been through both plenty of times on the weekend in the middle of the night without issue. I've had friends whose cars were broken into in super quiet upper middle class neighborhoods as well as the less nice areas. Crime happens.

I think that you really just need to visit the properties you're interested in and see how you feel about the area. It's usually pretty easy to decide if you'd feel comfortable living there.

[l1v1ng]

I have lived in the Southgate area (by chabot college) for 5 years, and love the neighborhood. However I do drive everywhere, if I had to walk it would be an issue not because of safety but because stores are far! Moving from SF it was an adjustment not being able to walk to the store, but I love not seeing homeless people on my doorstep like I did in SF. I love finding parking easily in front of my home and I love having peace and quiet.

Our neighborhood is clean, 95% homeowners, and very kid friendly.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

This is the answer.

People do exaggerate, but I don't think its exactly a great place. Its very working class, has a significant amount of crime and not many places that are really hangouts. The only reason I could see someone wanting to live there would be the lower cost of living.

[Mouth916]

I am scheduled to be employed there relatively soon, just waiting on this weather to allow construction to pick up. I have been familiar with that area for a long time, as I have worked throughout Alameda and the San Jose areas for most of my career. After a few years off from carpentry, I returned recently and had to drive thru Hayward for a local hall dispatch. I was amazed at what theyre doing to improve at least the looks of that town. Knowing that it is still lighter on the wallet to live there, I did some research about future projects. It appears they are adding a whole new section to their downtown area soon. Prompting me to consider moving there now, deal with it - i have lived in the worst areas of Sacramento without many issues - and get into a rental or ownership of property at good rates, seeing how improving this town will also, eventually, bring up the values of property. With that in mind, the riff raff will only struggle to stay there. Hayward is being transformed, and I for one wouldnt mind getting in ahead of all that. It is the best centralized location for anyone that constantly has different locations in the bay to commute to, in that regard it cant be beat. As far as ammenities like restaurants, find the hole in the wall type places for an easy meal, I eat about 95% at home, and go out on occassion. I lived in SF for some time and have no issues driving there for dinner on the weekend, or San Jose areas for the best Chinese-other Asian cuisine you will ever find. All are a short drive away, as far as SF, always make reservations if available. When it comes to living in areas some consider 'bad' the trick is to overcome this trend in which nobody communicates with their neighbors anymore. Get to know your whole block, its easy to tell who is trouble and who isnt. Watch out for them, their property and the favor will be returned. I currently reside in one of Sacs best area codes, yet I still bring my hand tools in daily. Theyre my livilihood, so I dont even chance it here. Dont be intimidated by what is out of your comfort zone, embrace it, get to know people, and youll be surprised at the solidarity some 'bad' areas have when it comes to watching out for each other. Show up and ignore everyone, that says a lot. And can backfire when you are looked at like an outsider, and it opens the door for many presumptions to be made of your household.

[MaggieZ]

I agree with what you say there, mouth916...That goes for any place on earth. If you mingle and get involved in the area you live in and help out and keep your nose clean, you'll go far. Word gets out if you mind your own business or not or if you're trouble. Staying alert is needed everywhere you live.

[mrazyattic]

I've lived here for a while. Although I do live in the hills.

-There isn't much here. But we do have hidden gems.

-Best located town in the bay IMO

-Our police department is the best ever!!!

-Stay out of south hayward and you're fine.

[ccm123]

I recently visited there (took BART into Hayward Station and walked around the Downtown area) and was pleasantly surprised at what the city is doing to improve things in Hayward. Keep it up!