Hayward

Hayward earned the nickname “Heart of the Bay” for its central location, and its revitalized downtown corridor of restaurants, breweries, and bars backs that up with real, current energy. It’s also one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country, a fact that shows up in everything from its restaurant scene to its neighborhood festivals.

Cal State University, East Bay anchors the city’s northern hills, and California’s oldest traditional Japanese garden — the Hayward Japanese Gardens — is a quiet, well-kept surprise most non-locals don’t expect to find here. From bay-view homes in the Hayward Hills to walkable pockets near downtown and the Cal State campus, the city covers a wide range of settings within its own borders.

Housing spans a genuinely wide range most single East Bay cities can’t match — from entry-level condos and townhomes to larger single-family homes in the hills — which makes Hayward a common landing spot for buyers priced out of Oakland or the inner East Bay. Its position along I-880 and BART’s Hayward and South Hayward stations keeps commute options open in multiple directions.