Settled in 1667, Union was the third English speaking settlement in New Jersey after Elizabeth and Newark, with the area that is now Union then called Connecticut Farms.<ref>Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living in: Union"Template:Webarchive, The New York Times, October 27, 1991. Accessed February 25, 2012. "Union, the third oldest English settlement in New Jersey after Newark and Elizabeth, is returning to its Colonial roots.... Union was settled in 1667 by Puritans, who left Connecticut fearing religious persecution. Then called Connecticut Farms, the community figured prominently in shipbuilding from the late 17th century, when the Headleys, one of its first European families, established a factory for wooden hoops to hold sails to masts."</ref>
The Self-Master Colony was a private experiment in housing the homeless; built on the Hoyt family mansion in Union Township in 1908. The colony was founded by Andress Small Floyd and his wife Lillian, lasting until 1938.<ref>"Union library to present historic program on 'Self Master Colony'"Template:Webarchive, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 15, 2017. Accessed June 27, 2022. "The Self Master Colony, also known as Floyd's Self Master Village, was a residence for men in need of assistance. Founded by Andress and Lillian Floyd, the Colony lasted from 1908 to 1938. The project was financed by Charles H. Ingersoll--famous for the Ingersoll Watch Company, as well as for his association with Thomas Edison and his cement houses (located on Ingersoll Terrace in Union). The Colony consisted of about 50 acres on Morris Avenue--today the site of the Township of Union's municipal building, public library, and Friberger Park."</ref>
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 9.08 square miles (23.52 km2), including 9.05 square miles (23.44 km2) of land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) of water (0.35%).<ref name=CensusArea/><ref name=GR1 />
Five Points, area around the junction of Galloping Hill Road, Chestnut Street, Salem Road, Delaware Avenue, Walton Avenue, and Tucker Avenue.
Brookside Heights (Curryville), west of Vauxhall Road.
Vauxhall, area of Union north of I-78 and west of Stuyvesant Avenue, with its own ZIP code 07088.
Union Center, area around the intersection of Morris and Stuyvesant Avenues.
Putnam Ridge, a section between Suburban Road, Morris Avenue, Twin Oaks Road, and Colonial Avenue.
Putnam Manor, an historic section between Colonial Avenue and Salem Road.
Orchard Park
Parkside Manor, a three-road section off of Union Terrace.
Larchmont Estates, area bordered by Larchmont Reservation (NW and NE edges), Morris Avenue (SW), Liberty Avenue (SE), and Joe Collins Park/Larchmont Reservation (NE edge).
Battle Hill, area served by Battle Hill Elementary School in west Union, bordered by Rahway River (W edge), Morris Avenue (N), the west branch of the Elizabeth River (E), and Route 22 (S).
Green Lane, new community between Kean University and Union Station.
Fairway Drive, community bordering the Galloping Hill Golf Course.
The 2010 United States census counted 56,642 people, 19,556 households, and 14,276 families in the township. The population density was 6,244.3 per square mile (2,410.9/km2). There were 20,250 housing units at an average density of 2,232.4 per square mile (861.9/km2). The racial makeup was 53.78% (30,464) White, 28.98% (16,417) Black or African American, 0.14% (80) Native American, 10.60% (6,003) Asian, 0.04% (24) Pacific Islander, 4.06% (2,297) from other races, and 2.40% (1,357) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.94% (8,465) of the population.<ref name=Census2010/>
Of the 19,556 households, 31.6% had children under the age of 18; 53.7% were married couples living together; 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 27.0% were non-families. Of all households, 23.0% were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.35.<ref name=Census2010/>
21.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 89.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 85.6 males.<ref name=Census2010/>
There were 19,534 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.25.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
In the township the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
The median income for a household in the township was $59,173, and the median income for a family was $68,707. Males had a median income of $45,299 versus $35,604 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,768. About 3.0% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
Union Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.<ref>Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New JerseyTemplate:Webarchive, Rutgers University Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.<ref name=DataBook>2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers UniversityEdward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 90.</ref><ref>"Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"Template:Webarchive, p. 7. Rutgers University Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor. The Mayor, in addition to voting as a member of the Township Committee, presides over the meetings of the committee and carries out ceremonial duties.
On March 26, 2024, Sandra Terrell was appointed to the Township Committee to fill the seat held by James Louis, who resigned on March 13 for personal reasons.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Louis had been appointed on December 5, 2023 to fill the seat held by Michele Delisfort, who resigned on November 21 following her election as Union County commissioner.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On December 19, 2023, Patricia Guerra-Frazier was appointed to the Township Committee to fill the seat held by Suzette Cavadas, who resigned on December 12 for personal reasons.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 2017 gubernatorial election, Democrat Phil Murphy received 9,190 votes (71.8% vs. 65.2% countywide), ahead of Republican Kim Guadagno with 3,309 votes (25.8% vs. 32.6%), and other candidates with 302 votes (2.4% vs. 2.1%), among the 13,119 ballots cast by the township's 36,358 registered voters, for a turnout of 36.1%.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 53.4% of the vote (6,269 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 45.4% (5,334 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (135 votes), among the 12,013 ballots cast by the township's 33,305 registered voters (275 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 36.1%.<ref name=2013Elections>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=2013VoterReg>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 7,628 ballots cast (53.0% vs. 50.6% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 5,734 votes (39.8% vs. 41.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 741 votes (5.1% vs. 5.9%) and other candidates with 113 votes (0.8% vs. 0.8%), among the 14,397 ballots cast by the township's 31,972 registered voters, yielding a 45.0% turnout (vs. 46.5% in the county).<ref>2009 Governor: Union CountyTemplate:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 31, 2009. Accessed May 24, 2013.</ref>
Union was threatened with being the first municipality north of the Mason–Dixon line to suffer from penalties as a result of school segregation. The area of Vauxhall was primarily black and the students enrolled at Jefferson Elementary School were disproportionately black, compared to the rest of the township. Union avoided problems by converting Jefferson Elementary into a sixth-grade only school called Central 6 and bused the Jefferson students to all the other elementary schools. It was later renamed Central 5 and is now Jefferson School, which is used as a one-year school for fifth-grade students.<ref>Sullivan, Ronald. "Jersey Township Gets Busing Plan; Union School Board Adopts Integration Proposal"Template:Webarchive, The New York Times, February 19, 1969. Accessed July 18, 2018.</ref>
Union is home to several houses constructed totally of poured concrete, an experiment of Thomas Edison. The homes on Ingersoll Terrace include poured concrete interior walls with formed concrete plumbing.<ref>Massey, James C.; and Maxwell, Shirley. "Concrete Houses", Old-House Journal, May-Jun 1994, p. 49. Accessed May 24, 2013.</ref>
Union is home to The Home Depot Superstore, that at Template:Convert was the chain's largest store in the world as of 2012.<ref>Liddane, Lisa. "The Home Depot opens its first Superstore in the West"Template:Webarchive, The Orange County Register, April 5, 2012. Accessed March 8, 2022. "The store, called The Home Depot Superstore, was remodeled and expanded to 205,000 square feet – about one-third larger than a typical Home Depot. Those proportions make it the Atlanta-based home improvement chain’s largest store in the West and the second largest Home Depot in the nation. The Union, N.J., superstore is the largest at 217,000 square feet."</ref>
Jamie Fox (1954–2017), political strategist<ref>Sullivan, John. "In Person; McGreevey Goes for Muscle"Template:Webarchive, The New York Times, December 1, 2002. Accessed May 24, 2013. "He was born in Elizabeth and raised in Union Township, and when he was 13 he sneaked out of his house and took a train into Manhattan to attend a wake for Robert F. Kennedy."</ref>
John Kean (1814–1895), businessman and public official<ref>Liberty Hall HistoryTemplate:Webarchive, Kean University. Accessed June 25, 2023. "In 1833, the estate was inherited by Susan’s grandson, John Kean. John graduated from Princeton in 1834. While on the staff of New Jersey’s Governor Pennington he acquired the rank of Colonel, a title he used the rest of his life. Over the next sixty years, Colonel Kean transformed Ursino from a 14-room country house to the 50-room mansion that stands today."</ref>
Amalya Lyle Kearse (born 1937), a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit<ref>Goldstein, Tom. "Amalya Lyle Kearse; Woman in the News"Template:Webarchive, The New York Times, June 25, 1979. Accessed July 18, 2018. "Amalya Lyle Kearse was born June 11, 1937, in Vauxhall, N.J. where her late father was postmaster and her mother first practiced medicine and then became an antipoverty official."</ref><ref>Washington, Ethel M. Union County Black Americans p. 93. Arcadia Publishing, 2004. Template:ISBN. Accessed October 16, 2015. "Jimmy Carter appointed Amalya Lyle Kearse judge for the U.S. District Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, in New York. Born in the Vauxhall section of Union, Judge Kearse received her bachelor's degree from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and juris doctorate degree from the University of Michigan Law School."</ref>
Elliott Maddox (born 1947), professional baseball player with both the New York Yankees 1974–1976 and the New York Mets 1978–1980<ref name=UnionBaseballHoF>Union County Baseball Hall of Fame Will Induct Three New Members, Feb. 11Template:Webarchive, Union County, New Jersey, press release dated December 27, 2006. Accessed July 3, 2007. "Over the years, the awards dinner has honored many local and national baseball luminaries – including Joe Collins of Union, Phil Rizzuto of Hillside, Don Newcombe of Elizabeth, Jeff Torborg of Mountainside, Willie Wilson of Summit, Jake Wood of Elizabeth, and Elliott Maddox of Union."</ref>
Karl Schellscheidt (born 1968), soccer player, educator and entrepreneur<ref>Arntzenius, Linda. "Profiles in Education; Karl Schellscheidt"Template:Webarchive, Town Topics, June 21, 2006. Accessed May 24, 2013. "As the son of a professional soccer player (and coach for Seton Hall University) who came to the United States from Germany in 1966, Mr. Schellscheidt has been rooting for Germany. As a former kid from Union, New Jersey, he's been rooting for the U.S. team."</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Bill Wenzel (1918–1987), cartoonist best known for his good girl art<ref>Cahillane, Kevin. "Art; Nostalgia, Wearing Stilettos"Template:Webarchive, The New York Times, December 4, 2005. Accessed July 18, 2018. "He was born in Irvington in 1918, grew up in Union, married his high school sweetheart on his 24th birthday, had two daughters, served in World War II and spent 30 years in Atlantic Highlands."</ref>
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