Hayward Minnesota Map

About Hayward, Minnesota

Hayward is a locality in Freeborn County, Minnesota, United States. It is a small community with a population of 252. The population density is 159.8 people per km². Hayward is located at 43.6505°N, 93.2441°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. Hayward is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 56043.

Hayward occupies a stretch of fertile, level prairie where the expansive horizon dictates the pace of the day. It lies 6.2 miles east of Albert Lea, MN (from Albert Lea, MN: bearing 88°T), and is situated 13.5 miles west of Austin. The landscape around Hayward remains defined by the persistent influence of ancient glaciers, which left behind a flat, productive expanse of earth that catches the low-slung, amber light of autumn afternoons. Just a mile away, the quiet waters of Albert Lea Lake mirror the vast, cloud-swept sky, while the subtle, winding course of Peter Lund Creek carves a path through the tall grasses. Though the dense, shadowed canopy of Hartland Forest lies twelve miles to the north, the immediate vicinity remains open, favoring the wide, unencumbered views that characterize this inland reach of the continent.

Agriculture serves as the bedrock of the local economy, with the rhythm of planting and harvest cycles anchoring the lives of those who dwell in Hayward. The proximity to Myre-Big Island State Park, situated only two miles away, offers a preserved glimpse into the native ecology that once blanketed this entire region before the arrival of the plow. Settlers of Scandinavian descent helped organize the early character of the region, leaving a legacy of sturdy, utilitarian architecture and a quiet, reserved temperament that persists in the way the land is worked today. Life here moves in steady alignment with the seasonal shifts, from the deep, frozen silence of winter to the sudden, vigorous green of spring, maintaining a focused connection to the soil that sustains the community.

About This Hayward Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Hayward, Minnesota. Coordinates: 43.650514, -93.244094. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.

Detailed location data for Hayward includes the ZIP code (56043), telephone area code (320), county seat of Freeborn County (Albert Lea), and school district assignment (Albert Lea Public School District).

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.