Union City, Georgia was established as a result of two individuals, Drewry Arthur Carmical and Charles Simon Barrett. Barrett was the newly elected president of the National Farmers Union at a time when the Union was looking for an appropriate location for its headquarters. The City was officially named as the result of the location of the headquarters.

A charter was drawn up for the new town and signed on August 17, 1908. Since that time, the community has continued to evolve and is known for its quiet neighborhoods and growing business districts. Drewry Carmical became the first mayor of Union City. He was chairman of the town’s school board and manager of the implement company.

Between 1908 and 1910 the Carmichael/Green House which is presently known as the upscale Green Manor Restaurant was built and sits today on Watson Street. Green Manor was named after Dr. A.J. Green, one of the first doctors here in Union City. Green Manor is currently owned and operated by the grandchildren of Dr. Green. 

The South Fulton Municipal Regional Jail, constructed in the late 1990s, is the first regional correctional facility in Georgia to be based on cooperation between cities (Union City and Palmetto) rather than between counties. The Regional Jail and the Union City Justice Center were built at the same time, and the jail was uniquely constructed in a way that connects the facility by tunnel to the Justice Center’s police headquarters, court system, 911 Center, and related city services.

In 2006, the Union City Planning Commission embarked on an ambitious venture of land acquisitions made possible by the introduction of Senate Bill 552 in the Georgia legislature. Through this bill, Union City was able to nearly double its land mass with the annexation of 5,330 acres of property to the west. This annexation brings the total area of Union City to 10,827.10 acres and planning for this area will include residential, commercial and industrial development to further enhance planned growth.

There is an abundance of rich history in Union City that is illustrated through more than one hundred pictures and information found in the book, Union City, Georgia: A Pictorial History: Celebrating 100 Years, written by Marilyn Singleton McCain and Sally Summers Chapman. It is available for purchase at City Hall. Don’t miss this opportunity to own a part of the celebration of… YOUR UNION CITY. 

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*Union City, Georgia: A Pictorial History: Celebrating 100 Years