Is Hayward a nice place to live? (Oakland, Fremont: crime, house)

[tk05]

Looking through old threads here I've seen a lot of negativity about Hayward. But people do tend to exaggerate, and there's nothing people exaggerate about more than crime. I'd like some honest opinions about what it's like to live in Hayward, especially compared to the areas surrounding Belmont/San Mateo.

I'm going to be working in Belmont but it looks like the rents are too high for a single person to afford living on that side of the bay. I have also seen an affordable and nice looking(based on the pictures) place listed in Hayward though the building is definitely very ugly from the outside and some of the area does appear a bit gritty.

My first concern about Hayward is safety. Is it really that bad? Is there really a chance of getting mugged or having my car broken into. Can I walk around late at night by myself? I understand there may be some established gangs in Hayward but are they like gangs in most other countries where they leave you alone as long as you leave them alone?

And how are amenities and shopping in Hayward? Does it have most everything one needs? One big thing for me is easy access to great trails. I usually spend at LEAST an hour on trails everyday and often look to spend several hours hiking on the weekend. How do trails/large parks compare in the Hayward area to the peninsula?

[mstnghu2]

I don't know much about specific neighborhoods in Hayward, but I can tell you that for the most part, Hayward is a somewhat dumpy run-down city that doesn't have a lot to offer.

Crime is sort of middle of the road. Hayward is safer than Oakland and San Leandro to the north but has more crime than Union City and Fremont to the south. The hills tend to be the most desireable and safest part of the city. There are some very nice areas up there.

Downtown Hayward isn't exactly spectacular although it is home to Buffalo Bill's Brew Pub which has great beer and decent food.

People can tend to exaggerate about things in an online forum, but for the most part all of the information I've seen on this forum regarding Hayward has been pretty accurate. It's basically a city that used to have lots of industry and blue collar jobs. Much of the industry has shut down its operations in the city and many jobs have disappeared, leaving the city without much of a real tax base. Take a drive along Mission Blvd. to see some of the many vacant buildings that once housed thriving businesses.

If this says anything, I have a co-worker who is also a Hayward PD police captain and he tells me that their police department rarely responds to calls about auto thefts or home burglaries...because they have too many other higher priority crimes to deal with.

[shooting4life]

Hayward is fine, a lot of people exaggerate. It's not as nice as San Mateo or Belmont but it is probably half the price as well. I currently live in San Lorenzo, which is an unincorporated alameda county sandwiched between San Leandro, Hayward and the bay. Crime is not an issue for me, both our cars are parked outside and never an issue. If I was you I would try and move a close to the San Mateo bridge as possible. It takes for ever to drive through Hayward if you are in the hills. I take the San Mateo bridge every day to work and it takes about 15 minutes to get to San Lorenzo when I get off 92 at clawitter. The 92/880 interchange sucks.
You are real close to the shopping area in union city and Dublin isnt far at all for a good mall. Other amenities in Hayward are lacking but I'm not much of a shopper so it doesn't bother me. Everything you need is there, but specialty type places and high end restraints will require you to go over the hill or across the bridge.

And to the person who thinks it is only blacks and Mexicans who live here, I'm very white and have no problem with the area. Not everyone can afford palo alto or blackhawk.

[ketch89]

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Pay no attention to the privileged who grew up living sheltered lives in Marin or Palo Alto.mod cut

I spent the first 15 years of my life in Hayward (until 2006), I'm white and my family and I never had any problems. There are gangs, and there is crime, sure, but there's also an understanding that if you live there you're "part of the community". Honestly, I feel that there's much more tension between races and classes on the peninsula and in SF because there's a clear difference between those with money and those without. In Hayward, you're just from Hayward. Is there a chance of getting mugged? This is America, of course there is.

On the subject of parks: Garin and Chabot regional parks are absolute gems and are much more than most cities in America have access to, but they're not really "forest" like the parks on the peninsula are. Though they are great you can feel the city nearby, while on the peninsula you can really hike for days and get lost in the woods.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by shooting4life

Hayward is fine, a lot of people exaggerate.

This is the answer.

[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.

[jade408]

I think that Hayward is "under-amenitied" for a city of its size and access to the rest of the region.

There really aren't that many good restaurants or anything. But the Target is great. And I love the Fresh and Easy and Mi Pueblo Markets. I always stop at them both if I happen to be traveling through Hayward.

Skip the area around South Hayward BART. Way too much crime/issues over there. A friend grew up there and feels it is getting worse over the years.

[athleticsfan72737489]

I think Hayward is okay as long as you know the right areas.

I would recommend San Lorenzo and the Washington Manor neighborhood of San Leandro. Both are working-class like Hayward but are affordable and don't have the crime problems that the poorer parts of Hayward have.

There are a lot of areas to avoid in Hayward including Longwood, the A Street Corridor between downtown and Hesperian and the area around the South Hayward BART Station.

Downtown Hayward has improved a lot over the last ten years - albeit from a low baseline. There's a weekly Farmers Market, Lucky Supermarket, ACE Hardware, an independent book store, a theater (which surprisingly hasn't turned into teen thug central like Bayfair), Peets, Starbucks, Buffalo Bill's Brewery, and some other restaurants. However, downtown doesn't get a lot of foot traffic and has a lot of car traffic and still has sketchy characters milling around.

Mission Blvd. which has long been an eyesore (from Downtown to the Union City border) has undergone sustantial renovation. The powerlines have been buried, the roads repaved, new stoplights, new trees planted, medians have been landscaped, new sidewalks and bus shelters - all much better.

[athleticsfan72737489]

Originally Posted by jade408

I think that Hayward is "under-amenitied" for a city of its size and access to the rest of the region.

There really aren't that many good restaurants or anything. But the Target is great. And I love the Fresh and Easy and Mi Pueblo Markets. I always stop at them both if I happen to be traveling through Hayward.

Actually Hayward has been improving on the amenities/stores front. Costco opened up on Industrial and Hesperian three years ago. There are actually two Targets in Hayward - one in North and one in South. There are two Mi Pueblos and two Chavez Supers now. They are building two new large gyms on Whipple near the Union City border. One will be a Club Fitness (?) and the other a 24 Hour Fitness where Circuit City use to be.

As far as downtown bars/restaurants go, Buffalo Bill's, Bijou, The Bistro, Neumanli and the Japanese restaurant inside the same building as the theater are all decent though not spectacular. And to think that block used to contain the old vacant Alpha Beta Market and a surface parking lot with weeds growing out of the ground.

[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?