Union City, Michigan

Union City is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the village is within Union Township in Branch County with only a very small portion extending north into Burlington Township in Calhoun County. The population was 1,714 at the 2020 census.

History
The area was first surveyed by Robert Clark in 1826, and Isaiah Bennett purchased the first plot of land from the government in 1831. Justus Goodwin bought a large piece of Bennett's land in 1833, and he built a mill and became the first postmaster when a post office began operating on November 9, 1834. The post office was named Goodwinville. In 1835, E. W. Morgan platted the community and named it Union City. The post office was also renamed as Union City on January 23, 1840. The name was believed to come from the "union" of the Coldwater River and St. Joseph River that ran through the area. Union City incorporated as a village in 1866.

Union City was designated as Station No. 2 of the famous Underground Railroad, where John D. Zimmerman (1811-1879), formerly of Connecticut, was stationmaster. The slaves seeking refuge were taken into a home built around 1840 by Mr. Zimmerman, who arrived in Union City from Fairfield, Connecticut, in the spring of 1838. He brought with him a set of blacksmith tools to operate the blacksmith shop promised for him by Israel Ward Clark, one of the four proprietors of the village of Union City in 1837. In September 1839, Zimmerman returned to Union City with his family; he soon built a wagon factory, blacksmith shop, and a Greek Revival house. Outraged by the institution of slavery, Zimmerman became a stationmaster for the Underground Railroad, hiding escaped slaves in his house and assisting them in their flight to Canada and freedom. The home is on the list of Michigan State Historic Sites and is located at 119 East High Street.

In the early 1920s Union City built a hydroelectrical plant to deliver cheaper electricity to the town. By 1923 Riley Dam was constructed on nearby St. Joseph River, and the backwater forms Union Lake.

Children's author and illustrator Patricia Polacco lives in Union City. Her home, the Meteor Ridge Farm, formerly called The Plantation, was built in 1859 or 1860 and also served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, even receiving a personal visit from President Lincoln. One of Polacco's first books, Meteor!, is based on a true story of a meteor that fell on a farm in the town. Union City now has an annual Meteor Festival in early July, with many activities for children. The original meteor of the story resides in Riverside Cemetery as a family marker.

Union City also sponsors an annual Memorial Day parade, and holds a community Memorial Day service at Riverside Cemetery.

Parts of the horror film trilogy Evil Dead were filmed west of Union City.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.49 sqmi, of which 1.45 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi is water.

The vast majority of the village's area and population is located within Union Township in Branch County. The Branch County portion of the village has an area of 1.39 sqmi. The remaining 0.10 sqmi of area is part of Burlington Township in Calhoun County to the north. The village lies at the junction of the Coldwater River and St. Joseph River.

Major highways

 * runs along the northern edge of the village.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,599 people, 631 households, and 427 families living in the village. The population density was 1110.4 PD/sqmi. There were 725 housing units at an average density of 503.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 95.2% White, 0.4% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 631 households, of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.3% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.04.

The median age in the village was 35.7 years. 27.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.1% were from 45 to 64; and 13.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,804 people, 685 households, and 474 families living in the village. The population density was 1,223.7 PD/sqmi. There were 734 housing units at an average density of 497.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 95.90% White, 0.61% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.55% from other races, and 2.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population.

There were 685 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 29.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $37,065, and the median income for a family was $43,984. Males had a median income of $32,143 versus $21,571 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,101. About 7.9% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Orson Bennett, Medal of Honor recipient.Orson Bennett - Recipient -
 * Patricia Polacco, children's writer
 * Josh McDowell, Christian evangelist and writer
 * Floyd Odlum, businessman, and husband of Jacqueline Cochran, aviator
 * Orville Hubbard, longtime Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan
 * Lee Bartlett, former Olympic javelin record holder