Mt. Eden (Hayward, California)

 neighborhood, region

The first European settlers in Mt. Eden were a band of pioneers from Mt. Eden, Kentucky who (like Hayward) were drawn to California by the Gold Rush. The party disbanded upon reaching the San Francisco Bay, but a few of them settled at a road crossing. They nailed a sign reading "Mt. Eden" to two trees, and the name stuck.

A town developed at this bayshore site. It also had agriculture, but whereas Hayward was a tourist destination, Mt. Eden developed Bay shipping and salt-harvesting industries. The salt companies gradually consolidated; after the demise of the Oliver Salt Company in 1931, only the Leslie Salt Company remained. The shipping industry suffered from increasing competition from roads and railroads, particularly the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge (1929). Mt. Eden experienced significant immigration from northern Germany and Denmark.

The historic center of Mt. Eden (now a freeway interchange) was around Telegraph Avenue (now known as Hesperian Boulevard) between Depot Road and Jackson Street. The town was incorporated into Hayward in the late 1950s, though the post office and town name continued to be used until 1984 when the U. S. Postal Service decommissioned the post office.