Editing Union City, California (section)

== History ==
Costanoans ("coastal peoples") were the first inhabitants, living along [[Alameda Creek|Alameda]] and Dry Creeks. Shell mounds along the sloughs of Alameda Creek near the Alvarado sugar mill contained burial sites.<ref name="sandoval 1985">{{cite book |last1=Sandoval |first1=John S |title=The history of Washington Township |date=1985 |publisher=Mt. Eden Historical Publishers |location=Hayward, California |isbn=093619300X}}</ref>{{rp|7–9}} <ref name="raymundo 2005">{{cite book |last1=Raymundo |first1=Myrla |title=Union City through the years (History of Union City) |date=2005 |publisher=FolgerGraphics, Inc|isbn=097152114X}}</ref>{{rp|8–9}}

The first non-native community was founded in 1850 by John and William Horner, who named it "Union City" after their [[Sacramento River]] [[Steamship]], "The Union".<ref name="city_history">{{cite web | url=http://www.ci.union-city.ca.us/general/history.htm | title=History of Union City | publisher=City of Union City, California | access-date=November 24, 2010}}</ref> In 1854, it merged with the nearby community of New Haven (founded 1851) to form the town of [[Alvarado, California|Alvarado]], named after a former Mexican governor, [[Juan Bautista Alvarado]].<ref name="museum_timeline">{{cite web | url=http://www.unioncitymuseum.com/Newsletters/newssep00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717163302/http://www.unioncitymuseum.com/Newsletters/newssep00.html | url-status=usurped | archive-date=July 17, 2011 | title=The Union City Historical Museum Letter | volume=2 | issue=5 | publisher=Union City Historical Museum |date = September 2000| access-date=November 24, 2010}}</ref> Alvarado was the first [[county seat]] of [[Alameda County]], a designation it lost in 1865 to [[San Leandro]]. Further east, [[Decoto]] was founded in 1870 as a railroad hub, hosting the [[first transcontinental railroad]].<ref name="city_history" /> Alvarado-Niles Road, one of the city's largest streets, connects the historical Fremont district of Niles with the historical Union City district of Alvarado.

The [[California Beet Sugar Company]], the US' first successful [[sugar beet]] mill, was located in Alvarado and began operations in 1870. The plant was [[demolished]] in 1977.<ref name="TriCed">{{Cite web|url=http://tricityvoice.com/articlefiledisplay.php?issue=2009-04-08&file=Holly+Sugar.txt|title=Tri-City Voice Newspaper - Whats Happening - Fremont, Union City, Newark, California|website=tricityvoice.com|access-date=August 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011012044/http://tricityvoice.com/articlefiledisplay.php?issue=2009-04-08&file=Holly+Sugar.txt|archive-date=October 11, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Union City is a former railroad and steel town with an extensive industrial heritage. The Pacific States Steel Company occupied the land behind Union City Station that is redeveloping into the Union City Station District Downtown. The Alvarado and Decoto neighborhoods were both former railroad hubs and active railroad lines bisect both East End and the West Side of town. Trains are a way of life in Union City and natives are accustomed to waiting for Amtrak and freight trains to cross while commuting.

In the 1950s, Alvarado and Decoto – the latter making up the eastern side of the town – were annexation targets of the nearby communities of Newark, Hayward, and what would become Fremont. On January 13, 1959, they decided to incorporate into a single city, and named it after the Horners' original settlement, Union City.<ref name="city_history" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tricityvoice.com/articlefiledisplay.php?issue=2008-09-24&file=Tom+Kitayama+History.txt|title=Tri-City Voice Newspaper - Whats Happening - Fremont, Union City, Newark, California|website=www.tricityvoice.com|access-date=May 31, 2017}}</ref> Tom Kitayama served as the city's first mayor in 1959 and was involved in Union City politics until his 1991 retirement.<ref name=":0" /> The population grew from 6,000 in 1959 to 70,000 in 2020. In 2016, Union City started to rebrand and unveiled a new city seal. Union City opened a new Teen Center in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ci.union-city.ca.us/home/showdocument?id=632 |title=Union City Climate Action Plan |date=November 2010 |access-date=December 1, 2014}}</ref> In March 2025, the city of Union City rolled out  new   city branded color coded  trash carts with Republic Services and local Tri-CED community recycling to meet state and local goals.