Hayward is a city located in Alameda County in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is located primarily between Castro Valley, San Leandro and Union City, and lies at the eastern terminus of the San Mateo–Hayward Bridge. The Hayward Fault Zone runs through much of Hayward, including the downtown area. The city was devastated early in its history by the 1868 Hayward earthquake.

From the early 20th century until the beginning of the 1980s, Hayward’s economy was dominated by its now defunct food canning and salt production industries.  The economy of Hayward at that time was based largely on the Hunt Brothers Cannery.

Hayward has a large number of manufacturing companies, both corporate headquarters and plants. This includes some high-tech companies, with Hayward being considered part of a northern extension of Silicon Valley. Manufacturing plants in Hayward include Annabelle Candy, Columbus Salame, the Shasta soft drink company, and a PepsiCo production and distribution center.

Hayward is home to California State University, East Bay and Chabot College, a community college.