Hays was first settled in 1789 when still part of Baldwin Township by John Smalls, who named the area Six Mile Ferry Village.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection first investigated the erosion occurring in Streets Run in 1956.

Currently, there is a flood protection project in the works to remedy this situation which includes a concrete rectangular channel, wider banks, stormwater retention dams, and enforcement of existing regulations, such as those concerning the eroding CSX railroad line.

[6] After an absence of about two centuries, bald eagles were spotted in the Hays Neighborhood in January 2013 and were reported to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

[7] Hays is bordered by the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Arlington to the north, St. Clair to the northwest, New Homestead to the east and Lincoln Place to the southeast.