The City of Hayward will host a community celebration Wednesday to mark 150 years since its incorporation.
The celebration will take place at City Hall Plaza from 4:30 to 7 p.m. and will feature musical performances and refreshments like commemorative cupcakes, according to a news release issued by the city. The celebration will be the first in a series of events planned this year to mark the city’s sesquicentennial anniversary.
The town of “Haywards,” named after a landmark hotel, was incorporated on March 11, 1876, and the “s” was eventually dropped from its name, according to the city’s website.
The city expanded rapidly in the years after World War II, when farms and ranches were replaced by housing projects; between 1950 and 1960, the population increased fivefold from 14,000 to 72,000.