Union City is a city in and the county seat of Obion County, Tennessee, United States. 11,170 people were living in the town as of the 2020 census. It is the principal urban settlement of the surrounding micropolitan area, which includes Obion County and Fulton County, Kentucky. Union City is home to Discovery Park of America which is a museum with many exhibits pertaining to local history, as well as state, national, and world history, science, technology, and art.

Etymology

thumb|left|Union City in 1922

In 1852, General George Gibbs gave Union City its name because of its location at the junction or "union" of two railroads, the Nashville/Northwestern Railroad (Hickman, KY) and the Mobile, Alabama/Ohio Railroad.

Geography

Union City is located at (36.424395, −89.050850). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The mayor, appointed by his fellow city councilors since 1988, is Terry Hailey.

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification system, Union City has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa).

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 11,170 people, 4,656 households, and 2,617 families residing in Union City. 94.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.1% lived in rural areas.

The median age was 39.0 years, with 24.6% of residents under the age of 18 and 18.9% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 86.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.9 males.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 7,148 || 64.0%

|-

| Black or African American || 2,491 || 22.3%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 37 || 0.3%

|-

| Asian || 65 || 0.6%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 592 || 5.3%

|-

| Two or more races || 837 || 7.5%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,014 || 9.1%

|}

2000 census

As of the census In November 2011, Titan Tire purchased the plant from Goodyear four months after the latter closed it. It initially will be used for mixing raw materials for other Titan production facilities.

Freight rail service was previously provided by the Illinois Central (IC) and then Canadian National (CN) via a branch line between Rives and Union City. On May 24, 2017, CN transferred operations of the line to the Indiana Business Railroad, which operates the Union City Terminal Railroad.

Darling International operates a rendering plant.

Cultural

thumb|Discovery Park of America in Union City, TN.

Museums

Union City is home to Discovery Park of America, a 50-acre museum and heritage park with exhibits pertaining to local and national history, nature, military history, art and science. Discovery Park was founded by local businessman Robert Kirkland in order to give back to his home community.

Sports

Union City was home to a Minor League Baseball team known as the Union City Greyhounds from 1935 to 1942 and 1946 to 1952 and as the Union City Dodgers from 1953 to 1955.

They played in the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League and won three league championships (1936, 1948, and 1954).

Union City is in the southernmost portion of the Paducah–Cape Girardeau–Harrisburg television market. Locally based Low-Power Class A television station WUWT-CD (channel 26) is licensed to Union City and serves Union City, Obion County, and immediate surrounding areas with programming from Retro TV, with programming from The Family Channel airing on its second digital subchannel. The main television broadcast stations serving extreme northwest Tennessee are:

  • WSIL-TV 3 Harrisburg (ABC)
  • WPSD-TV 6 Paducah (NBC)
  • WLJT 11 Lexington, TN (PBS)
  • KFVS-TV 12 Cape Girardeau (CBS)
  • KFVS-TV 12.2 Cape Girardeau (The CW)
  • KBSI 23 Cape Girardeau (Fox)
  • WUWT-CD 26 Union City (RTV)
  • WKPD 29 Paducah (PBS)
  • WDKA 49 Paducah (MNTV)

thumb|[[Confederate Monument (Union City, Tennessee)|Confederate Monument]]

Historic landmarks

  • Masquerade Theatre - located in the former Capital Theater on South First Street. The theatre is a historic landmark and has been standing since the early 1900s.
  • Confederate Monument

Education

Almost all of the city limits is in the Union City Schools. Very small portions extend into the Obion County School District.

Notable people

thumb|Discovery Park of America in Union City

  • Russell Dickerson – country music singer
  • Steve Finley – MLB outfielder, World Series champion with Arizona Diamondbacks
  • Bruce Fleisher (1948–2021) – professional golfer
  • Milton H. Hamilton Jr. – served in the Tennessee General Assembly; was majority leader of the Tennessee State Senate
  • Andrieus A. Jones – US Senator of New Mexico 1917–1927, born in Union City
  • Jovante Moffatt – NFL Player
  • Jon Robinson – General Manager, Tennessee Titans
  • Derrick Turnbow – MLB pitcher
  • Koko B. Ware – professional wrestler
  • Zach Underwood – professional fighter

References

Further reading

  • History of Obion County, assembled and edited by E.H. Marshall, 1941
  • Union City, official website