The city of Union City, New Jersey is known as the "Embroidery Capital of the United States". The area is also known as "Havana on the Hudson," which draws thousands of visitors each year. The city is also known for its Cuban Day Parade, the nation's oldest passion play. The following is a brief overview of the city's history. Once a prosperous industrial town, Union City has seen its share of declines, with a recent economic downturn.
In 2005, Union City's population was estimated to be 18,642 people, with 45.3% of households being family units. Of these, 66.6% were married couples, while 12.2% of households had a female householder who was not her husband. The remaining 15.8% were non-family units, while 3.8% of households were comprised of senior citizens living alone. The average household size in the city was 3.57 people and the population density was 421.6 per square mile.
The median household income in Union City, NJ is $45,550, compared to the national average of $53,560. This number is significantly lower than in the surrounding ZIP codes. However, these numbers are not indicative of the economic health of residents, as they were taken from self-reported data. A majority of the households in Union City, NJ are self-identified as Hispanic, followed by White and Other.