Fire engines and equipment, Girl Scout cookies, and even socks have been shared with friends and agencies in Hayward's Sister City of Arandas, Mexico. The Hayward Rotary Club will be reminded of the closeness of that relationship at its luncheon meeting Monday, Aug. 19 when Janett Hernández León of the Hayward/Arandas Sister City Committee addresses the organization. The club meets at 1074 B St.

 

Arandas is a municipality of the Altos Sur region of the state of Jalisco. The city center is located 86 miles east of Guadalajara, the state capital. The population of the town of Arandas was 59,648 as of the 2020. Arandas is situated on the Mesa Centra at an elevation of 6,762 feet and is known among Mexicans as the commercial and manufacturing centre for agricultural products (typically beans and wheat) and its pastoral environment, which allows the city to produce various commercial products such as linseed oil, tequila, pottery, woolen blankets, and straw hats. 

 

Like Hayward, named after founder William B. Hayward, the name Arandas is derived from the original name the existing population received during the 17th century: Santa María de Guadalupe de los Aranda, which was derived from the last name Aranda, one of the founding families.

 

HARD was created to provide park and recreation services for over 309,000 residents. Its boundaries encompass a 100 square-mile area, which includes the City of Hayward and the unincorporated communities of Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, and Fairview. HARD provides services through 133 full time staff members within an overall operating budget of $33.9 million. The Cherryland Community Center took the combined effort of the County of Alameda and HARD to make the facility a reality. The 17,500-square-foot center at 278 Hampton Road includes three multi-purpose rooms for activities and classes, a reading/computer room with a satellite Alameda County library, and a large community room. The center opened in October 2021.