Union City, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Union City is a village in Branch
and Calhoun
counties in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. Located mostly within Union Township
in Branch County, it sits at the junction of the Coldwater
and St. Joseph
rivers; the Calhoun County portion lies within that county's Burlington Township
. It is part of the Battle Creek
, Michigan
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,804 at the 2000 census.
M-60
passes just north of the village.
Union City was first settled by Justice Goodwin in 1833, when he built a mill here and became the first postmaster, calling it "Goodwinville." A year later, he sold several hundred acres to E. W. Morgan, who officially platted the site, renaming it from the "union" of the Coldwater and St. Joseph Rivers, which join there. It was eventually incorporated as a city in 1866.
Union City was designated as Station No. 2 of the famous Underground Railroad
where a Mr. 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 W. 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 this 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. Union Lake is known for its many stumps that occasionally create problems for power boaters.
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 cult-horror film trilogy Evil Dead were filmed west of Union City.
Geography
Demographics
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,804 people, 685 households, and 474 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,223.7 per square mile (473.8/km²). There were 734 housing units at an average density of 497.9 per square mile (192.8/km²). 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.
External links
Branch County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 45,787 people, 16,349 households, and 11,575 families residing in the county. The population density was 90 people per square mile . There were 19,822 housing units at an average density of 39 per square mile...
and Calhoun
Calhoun County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-69* I-94* I-194* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Albion.* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Battle Creek.* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Marshall.-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-37* M-60* M-66* M-78* M-89* M-96* M-99...
counties in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Located mostly within Union Township
Union Township, Branch County, Michigan
Union Township is a civil township of Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,121 at the 2000 census.The village of Union City is the only incorporated municipality in the township...
in Branch County, it sits at the junction of the Coldwater
Coldwater River (Branch County)
Coldwater River is a stream in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in Branch County, the river rises in Ovid Township at as the outflow of Coldwater Lake. Flowing north and west, it is joined by the outflow from the Lake of the Woods and continus north for several miles...
and St. Joseph
St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)
The St. Joseph River is a river, approximately long, in southern Michigan and northern Indiana in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Michigan...
rivers; the Calhoun County portion lies within that county's Burlington Township
Burlington Township, Calhoun County, Michigan
Burlington Township is a civil township of Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. It is part of the Battle Creek
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,804 at the 2000 census.
M-60
M-60 (Michigan highway)
M-60 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It runs from the Niles area at a junction with US Highway 12 to the Jackson area where it ends at Interstate 94 . The trunkline passes through a mix of farm fields and woodlands, crosses or runs along several rivers and...
passes just north of the village.
History
Union City is located on the northern border of Branch County, about ten miles (16 km) northwest of Coldwater. This is a small picturesque and historic town that functions primarily as an adjunct community to the greater Coldwater and Battle Creek areas. It has a striking turn-of-the-century look architecturally, with well preserved downtown buildings and several Victorian style homes. A Civil War monument can be seen on the north end of the main street area in the churchyard, while a veteran’s memorial along the riverbank to the south end stands to commemorate those who fought in more recent wars.Union City was first settled by Justice Goodwin in 1833, when he built a mill here and became the first postmaster, calling it "Goodwinville." A year later, he sold several hundred acres to E. W. Morgan, who officially platted the site, renaming it from the "union" of the Coldwater and St. Joseph Rivers, which join there. It was eventually incorporated as a city in 1866.
Union City was designated as Station No. 2 of the famous Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
where a Mr. 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 W. 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 this 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. Union Lake is known for its many stumps that occasionally create problems for power boaters.
Children's author and illustrator, Patricia Polacco
Patricia Polacco
Patricia Barber Polacco is the author and illustrator of numerous picture books for children.She struggled in school because she was unable to read until age 14 due to dyslexia; she found relief by expressing herself through art...
, 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
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
, even receiving a personal visit from President Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. One of Polacco's first books, Meteor!
Meteor!
Meteor! is a 1987 children's picture book by author Patricia Polacco. Polacco is well known for writing and illustrating novels depicting events from her childhood in Michigan. Meteor! was published in 1987 by The Trumpet Club, commonly known for publications of children’s books from grades PreK-6...
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 cult-horror film trilogy Evil Dead were filmed west of Union City.
Notable natives
- Patricia PolaccoPatricia PolaccoPatricia Barber Polacco is the author and illustrator of numerous picture books for children.She struggled in school because she was unable to read until age 14 due to dyslexia; she found relief by expressing herself through art...
, prolific children's writer - Josh McDowellJosh McDowellJoslin "Josh" McDowell is a Christian apologist, evangelist, and writer. He is within the Evangelical tradition of Protestant Christianity, and is the author or co-author of some 77 books. His best-known book is Evidence That Demands a Verdict, which was ranked 13th in Christianity Today's list of...
, Christian evangelist and writer - Floyd OdlumFloyd OdlumFloyd Bostwick Odlum was a wealthy lawyer and industrialist. He has been described as "possibly the only man in the United States who made a great fortune out of the Depression"...
, businessman, and husband of Jacqueline CochranJacqueline CochranJacqueline Cochran was a pioneer American aviator, considered to be one of the most gifted racing pilots of her generation...
, aviator - Hannah Norton, Grand Rapids Marathon Winner 2009
- Orville Hubbard, Longtime Dearborn Mi Mayor
- Lee BartlettLee BartlettLee Bartlett was one of America's top performers in the javelin throw during the 1920s and 30s. The Hillsdale, Michigan native was a three-time Olympian; representing the United States at the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Summer Olympic Games....
, Former Olympic Javelin record holder
Geography
Union City is at 42°04′00"N 85°08′10"W. The ZIP codeZIP CodeZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 49094 and the FIPS place code is 81360.
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.8 km²), of which, 1.5 square miles (3.8 km²) of it is land and 0.68% is water.
DemographicsAs of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,804 people, 685 households, and 474 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,223.7 per square mile (473.8/km²). There were 734 housing units at an average density of 497.9 per square mile (192.8/km²). 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
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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.
External links