Union City, Tennessee

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Coordinates: 36°25′28″N 89°3′3″W / 36.42444, -89.05083
Union City, Tennessee
Location of Union City, Tennessee
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Obion
Area
- Total	10.7 sq mi (27.6 km²)
- Land	10.7 sq mi (27.6 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	335 ft (102 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	10,876
- Density	1,020.1/sq mi (393.8/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	38261, 38281
Area code(s)	731
FIPS code	47-75940^[1]
GNIS feature ID	1273213^[2]

Union City is a city in Obion County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,876 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Obion County^[3]. The name comes from its location at the union of two railroads, one running roughly east-west and the other roughly north-south. Union City is best known for two things: It was the site of a minor battle in the Civil War in March of 1864 and has a Goodyear Tire Plant.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Media (Newspaper/Radio Stations/TV Stations)
4 Union City's Current Industries
5 Future Industries
6 Union City's Past Industries
7 Notable residents
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Geography

Union City is located at 36°25′28″N, 89°3′3″W (36.424395, -89.050850)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.7 square miles (27.6 km²), all of it land. The current mayor is Terry Hailey.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 10,876 people, 4,568 households, and 2,905 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,020.1 people per square mile (393.9/km²). There were 5,013 housing units at an average density of 470.2/sq mi (181.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.44% White, 21.29% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 1.59% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.41% of the population.

There were 4,568 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every hundred females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,399, and the median income for a family was $40,737. Males had a median income of $35,801 versus $19,694 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,787. About 12.5% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.4% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Media (Newspaper/Radio Stations/TV Stations)

Radio Stations

WENK-AM 1240 - "The Greatest Hits of All Time"
WWKF-FM 99.3 - "Today's Best Music with Ace & TJ in the Morning"
WCMT-AM 1410 "Your Best Friend"
WCMT-FM 101.3 "The Best Mix"
WCDZ-FM 95.1 "Good Times Great Oldies"
WQAK-FM 105.7 "The Cool Duck / Glenn Beck Program"
KYTN-FM 104.9 "Today's Best Country"

Television

WOBT - Union City

Newspapers

The Messenger

[edit] Union City's Current Industries

Union City, Tennessee was once an industrial powerhouse. Over the years many companies have located manufacturing/processing plants to the city. Currently, the city has several vital companies that operate plants and contribute to the industry in Union City.

The most notable company, still operating a plant in the city, would be the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. This plant is still considered the largest employer in Union City as well as in Obion County. The Goodyear plant opened its doors in 1969 and has been producing tires ever since. In the plant, workers produce tires for passenger and light-truck tires. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber plant in Union City is the ONLY plant that is licensed to produce tires for the Chevrolet Corvette. While production has been steady at the Union City Plant, most North American Goodyear Plants have slowed production during the recent years due to outsourcing of U.S. jobs overseas.

Another main company currently operating in Union City is Tyson Foods. Tyson Foods—Obion County Complex operates in multiple locations around Obion County. These facilities comprise the Union City Processing Plant, Hatchery, and Wastewater Plant. Tyson Foods also operates a rather large feedmill just inside the city limits of South Fulton, Tennessee. Tyson Foods is the second largest industry-type employer in Union City.

The Kohler Company, best known for producing various plumbing products, also operates a plant in Union City's Industrial Park. It is the third largest industry in the city. At the plant, workers produce shower doors.

Griffin Industries, formerly locally owned Duncan Tankage Corporation, operates a facility just outside the city limits of Union City. Griffin Industries acquired the Duncan Tankage Corporation in 1988. The plant is now considered to be a state of the art facility by many.

Union City is also home to a fireplace production plant located on Reelfoot Avenue. They produce fireplaces and fireplace products. The plant has been sold a number of times and undergone multiple name changes. The current name is Lennox Hearth Products. The name prior was Superior Fireplace. It was recently announced that Lennox is planning to expanding its Union City plant. Union City Council members have approved an agreement which will help Lennox expand its facilities. City manager, Don Thornton, informed the council that six acres behind Lennox and property for right-of-way from there to Highway 45 can be acquired from Pate Properties East if the city will expand Home and Nelson streets and provide water, sewer, curbs and gutters at the city’s expense. Thornton said the business expansion will bring 188 jobs over the next five years to Union City at an investment of $15 million to the community.

Jiffy Steamer Company, LLC is the world's largest manufacturer of garment steamers and is also headquartered in Union City. Dating since 1940, Jiffy Steamer serves the commercial, residential and travel industries with its innovative steamers used to remove wrinkles from any type of fabric.

The above mentioned are just a few of Union City's major employers.

[edit] Future Industries

It was announced by the Kirkland Foundation that Discovery Parks of America is coming to Union City. It's address is 830 North Everett Boulevard. There will be a world class museum (made of steel and glass, about 12 stories high), an aquarium, a convention center, and a green space, complete with walking trails and botanical gardens. Construction begins Summer 2008, and is expected to be complete by Spring of 2010.

[edit] Union City's Past Industries

As mentioned above, Union City was basically built on industry. The city housed factories and plants for companies like the Brown Shoe Company (the building still stands in the north side of town), Salant & Salant, American Metals, and Reelfoot Packing Company (building is still standing on Reelfoot Avenue, but scheduled for demolition.). In fact, in late June 2007, a fire started in the basement of this facility, and quickly spread throughout it, virtually destroying the structure. As of late September 2007, plans were still underway for the demolition of the former processing plant.