Union City is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay, approximately 25 miles southeast of Oakland. The city was founded in 1954 and originally named Decoto. In 1956, the name was changed to Union City to reflect the merger of the communities of Decoto and Alvarado.

Union City’s strong economy, diverse population, great educational institutions, unsurpassed quality of life, and world-renowned location make it the ideal place to do business, to work, and to live.

Union City is centrally situated, with San Francisco and San Jose/Silicon Valley just minutes away. Incorporated on January 13, 1959, Union City is a general law city with a city council/city manager form of government. Ours is an ethnically diverse community of about 70,000 residents. The highly-regarded New Haven Unified School District serves about 13,000 K-12 students.

Eighteen square miles in area, Union City offers a variety of housing, with affordable and upscale homes available in many charming neighborhoods throughout the city. Union City also has many wonderful parks, sports fields, community facilities, and a variety of recreation programs for citizens of all ages.

The land that is now Union City was originally inhabited by the Ohlone people. The first European settlers arrived in the area in the early 1800s. The area was originally known as Decoto, after the Spanish word for “little ditch.”

In the early 1900s, the area began to develop as a farming community. The town of Decoto was incorporated in 1954. In 1956, the town of Alvarado was annexed by Decoto, and the name of the city was changed to Union City.

Union City is located on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay. The city is bordered by the cities of Fremont, Newark, and Hayward. The Dumbarton Bridge connects Union City to Fremont and the East Bay. Union City is a relatively flat city with a few hills. The highest point in the city is Castro Hill, which is 250 feet above sea level.