Hayward formerly, Haywards, Haywards Station, and Haywood) is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest in Alameda County, and is located on the Bay's eastern shore, primarily between Castro Valley and Union City, at the eastern terminus of the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge. Hayward was ranked as the 33rd most populous municipality in California. The former city of Mount Eden, and the former unincorporated communities of Russell City and Schafer Park, have been incorporated into Hayward.