Union City, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Union City
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Union City Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station.
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Location in Alameda County and the state of California
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 Union City, California
Location in California
Union City, California
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  California |
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| County | Alameda | |
| Incorporated | January 26, 1959 | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 19.22 sq mi (49.77 km2) | |
| • Land | 19.22 sq mi (49.77 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 70,143 | |
| • Density | 3,649.5/sq mi (1,409.34/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) | |
| ZIP code |
94587
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| Area code(s) | 510, 341 | |
| FIPS code | 06-81204 | |
Union City is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is part of the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2020, about 70,143 people lived there. This was a small increase from 69,628 people in 2010.
Union City is located about 19 miles (30 km) south of Oakland. It is 30 miles (48 km) from San Francisco and 20 miles (32 km) north of San Jose.
The city was formed in 1959. It brought together two older communities: Alvarado and Decoto. Alvarado is a special historical place in California. Union City celebrated its 50th birthday in 2009.
Contents
- About Union City's Location
- How Many People Live in Union City?
- Union City's Past
- Union City's Businesses
- Schools and Learning
- Getting Around Union City
- Downtown Development
- Local News
- Culture and Landmarks
- Union City's Weather
- Sister Cities Around the World
- Famous People From Union City
- Images for kids
- See also
About Union City's Location
Union City covers about 19 square miles (49 square kilometers) of land. It does not have any bay frontage. The city gets much of its water from the Niles Cone aquifer. An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing rock.
Hayward is to the north of Union City. Fremont and Newark are to the south. Union City, Newark, and Fremont are often called the "Tri-Cities."
How Many People Live in Union City?
The number of people living in Union City has grown a lot over the years.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1960 | 6,618 | — | |
| 1970 | 14,724 | 122.5% | |
| 1980 | 39,406 | 167.6% | |
| 1990 | 53,762 | 36.4% | |
| 2000 | 66,869 | 24.4% | |
| 2010 | 69,516 | 4.0% | |
| 2020 | 70,143 | 0.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Who Lives in Union City?
Here is a look at the different groups of people who live in Union City. This information comes from the 2020 census.
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 13,610 | 10,009 | 7,693 | 20.35% | 14.40% | 10.97% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 4,321 | 4,194 | 3,006 | 6.46% | 6.03% | 4.29% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 132 | 116 | 113 | 0.20% | 0.17% | 0.16% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 28,780 | 35,052 | 40,270 | 43.04% | 50.42% | 57.41% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 577 | 839 | 774 | 0.86% | 1.21% | 1.10% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 203 | 138 | 276 | 0.30% | 0.20% | 0.39% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 3,226 | 3,273 | 2,931 | 4.82% | 4.71% | 4.18% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 16,020 | 15,895 | 15,080 | 23.96% | 22.87% | 21.50% |
| Total | 66,869 | 69,516 | 70,143 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Union City's Past
The first people to live in this area were the Costanoans. They were also called "coastal peoples." They lived along Alameda and Dry Creeks. Old burial sites have been found near the Alvarado sugar mill.
The first non-native settlement was started in 1850 by John and William Horner. They named it "Union City" after their Sacramento River Steamship, "The Union." In 1854, this settlement joined with New Haven (founded in 1851). They formed the town of Alvarado. It was named after a former Mexican governor, Juan Bautista Alvarado. Alvarado was the first county seat of Alameda County. This means it was the main town where the county government was located. In 1865, San Leandro became the new county seat.
Further east, Decoto was founded in 1870. It became a hub for railroads. The first transcontinental railroad passed through here. Alvarado-Niles Road is a big street in Union City today. It connects the historic Niles area of Fremont with the historic Alvarado area of Union City.
The California Beet Sugar Company was in Alvarado. It was the first successful sugar beet mill in the U.S. It started working in 1870. The factory was taken down in 1977.
Union City used to be a big railroad and steel town. The Pacific States Steel Company was located where the Union City Station District Downtown is now being built. Trains are still a common sight in Union City. People who live there are used to waiting for Amtrak and freight trains to pass.
In the 1950s, Alvarado and Decoto were almost taken over by nearby towns. But on January 13, 1959, they decided to become one city. They named it Union City, after the Horners' original settlement. Tom Kitayama was the city's first mayor in 1959. He was involved in city politics until he retired in 1991. The population grew from 6,000 in 1959 to 70,000 in 2020. In 2016, Union City got a new city seal. In 2018, a new Teen Center opened in Union City.
Union City's Businesses
Union City is home to the American Licorice Company's West Coast operations. They moved there in 1971.
The city also has three main health care providers. These are a Kaiser Permanente facility, the Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, and Washington Hospital's Nakamura Clinic.
Many industrial and shipping companies are in Union City. These include R&S Manufacturing, RCD Concrete, Jatco, and EntirelyPets.
Shopping Areas
The Union Landing Shopping Center is a very large shopping area. It is about 100 acres (40 hectares) big. It is located next to Interstate 880. This center has about 70 stores. It was finished in 1999. Before that, the land was a drive-in movie theater.
A Target store is located near the border of Hayward and Union City.
Top Employers in Union City
Here are some of the biggest employers in Union City as of June 2019:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Haven Unified School District | 1,196 |
| 2 | Southern Wine & Spirits | 600 |
| 3 | Walmart | 534 |
| 4 | Masonic Home For Adults | 498 |
| 5 | Abaxis | 400 |
| 6 | Mizuho OSI | 400 |
| 7 | Sterling Foods | 400 |
| 8 | City of Union City | 313 |
| 9 | Emerald Packaging | 245 |
| 10 | American Licorice | 239 |
Schools and Learning
The New Haven Unified School District serves students from Union City and Hayward. In 2014, about 10,000 students were enrolled. The district has:
- Seven elementary schools (Kindergarten to 5th grade)
- Two middle schools (6th to 8th grade)
- One large high school, James Logan High School, with about 3,000 students. This high school has a 3,000-seat gym and a 4,000-seat football stadium.
- One adult/K-12 independent study program.
In December 2015, Alvarado Middle School was renamed Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School. This was to honor Philip Vera Cruz and Larry Itliong. The school district also added solar power to schools to save energy costs. James Logan High School now has an arts center and a new track and field.
In 2019, the New Haven Unified School District had its first teacher strike.
Cornerstone International College is the city's first college-level school. It is located at 725 Whipple Rd.
Union City is also part of the Ohlone Community College District and Chabot-Las Positas Community College District.
Getting Around Union City
Several ways to get around serve Union City:
- AC Transit
- The Dumbarton Express
- Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
- Union City Transit
Union City Transit started in 1974. It runs 6 bus lines throughout Union City and parts of Hayward.
BART trains came to Union City in 1972. In 2007, the Union City BART station was rebuilt. It became the Union City Intermodal Transit Station. This station connects BART with other train services like Capitol Corridor, Dumbarton Rail Corridor, and Altamont Corridor Express (ACE).
Union City has a network of major streets. There are four exits on Interstate 880. Highway 238 (also known as Mission Boulevard) also serves the city. Quarry Lakes Parkway is a 3-mile (4.8 km) road. It connects Mission Boulevard and Paseo Padre Parkway.
Downtown Development
Union City has invested $100 million to expand its downtown area. This includes building around the BART station. This area will connect BART with other train services. Construction has started on 800 new homes and businesses east of the BART station. This area is known as Station East, near Decoto Road.
Local News
You can find local news in Union City from a few sources:
- The monthly East Bay Echo newspaper.
- The bi-weekly Tri-City Voice newspaper.
- Union City Patch, which is part of Patch.com.
Culture and Landmarks
The first sugar beet factory in the United States was in Union City. It was called the California Beet Sugar Company. A special marker, California Historical Landmark #768, shows where it was located.
The Bay Area Flight 93 Memorial is in Sugar Mill Landing Park. This was the first monument in the U.S. to honor the people on United Airlines Flight 93. This plane was going to San Francisco. But it was taken over and crashed in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.
First Alameda County Courthouse
| First Alameda County Courthouse | |
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The center two-story building is the original Alameda County courthouse, in the old town of Alvarado, 1853–1865.
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| Location | 30977 Union City Blvd., Union City, California |
| Reference no. | 503 |
The first courthouse for Alameda County was in Alvarado. It opened on June 6, 1853. The original courthouse was a two-story wooden building. It used to be a store that also had a post office. It was built by A. M. Church and Henry C. Smith. In 1865, the county seat moved to San Leandro. The original site of the courthouse is now paved over because Union City Boulevard was made wider. This site is listed on the California Historical Landmarks list.
Masonic Home
The Masonic Home at Union City is a place for older members of Freemasonry and their spouses to live. The main building is a large brick administration building. It was built in 1898. It was originally called the Masonic Widows and Orphans Home. It overlooks Decoto. The north and south parts of the building were added in 1914 and 1928. Ten more buildings were built on this 305-acre (123-hectare) campus. This includes Acacia Creek, which opened in 2010. It is a retirement community for all seniors, not just Masons.
Union City's Weather
| Climate data for Union City, California | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 58 (14) |
62 (17) |
65 (18) |
67 (19) |
71 (22) |
75 (24) |
77 (25) |
77 (25) |
77 (25) |
73 (23) |
64 (18) |
58 (14) |
69 (20) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 42 (6) |
45 (7) |
48 (9) |
50 (10) |
53 (12) |
56 (13) |
58 (14) |
59 (15) |
57 (14) |
54 (12) |
48 (9) |
42 (6) |
51 (11) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.95 (75) |
3.02 (77) |
2.34 (59) |
1.02 (26) |
0.48 (12) |
0.11 (2.8) |
0 (0) |
0.03 (0.76) |
0.17 (4.3) |
0.81 (21) |
1.70 (43) |
2.56 (65) |
15.19 (386) |
| Source: The Weather Channel | |||||||||||||
Sister Cities Around the World
Union City has "sister cities" in other countries. This means they have special friendly relationships.
Famous People From Union City
Many notable people have come from Union City:
- Stephen Abas - Olympic silver medalist in wrestling
- Otis Amey - professional football player
- Joey Bragg - actor and comedian, known from Disney Channel's Liv and Maddie
- Angelina Camarillo - pop singer
- Vicky Galindo - USA Softball player
- Eddie House - professional basketball player
- Aaron Ledesma - former Major League Baseball player
- Darren Lewis - former Major League Baseball player
- Raaginder - Musician and violinist
- SuChin Pak - MTV VJ
- Kelli White - sprinter
- Roy Williams - professional football player
- Avantika Vandanapu - actress
Images for kids
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CHL 768: marking the first sugar beet factory in the U.S. (2009)
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The center two-story building is the original Alameda County courthouse, in the old town of Alvarado, 1853–1865.
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Masonic Home administration building; original central part constructed in 1898
See also
In Spanish: Union City (California) para niños
