Local businesses and quiet community life on the Ohio border
Union City, Indiana, is a small village of about 4,000 residents that runs along the state border with Ohio, right next to its twin city. Although it was founded 11 years after its sister city of Union City, Ohio, the Indiana portion caught up and eventually outpaced its Ohio counterpart after the expansion of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad. “I was born, raised, and grew up on the Ohio side. I stayed in town, but I changed states,” says Mayor Chad Spence with a laugh. The rural community offers a laid-back slice of small-town life with locally owned businesses, quiet streets and involved community members. “They have some manufacturing and some businesses over there. There’s quite a bit offered, and their downtown is really neat,” says Brody Tarter, a broker with Re/Max Evolve who has sold homes in Union City. “Their city’s put a lot of money downtown.”
Historic downtown district is on the rise
Union City’s historic downtown commercial district has seen a resurgence after years of decline. “We were a much bigger town way back in the day when we had a ton of industries, but when the ‘80s hit, they closed down,” Mayor Spence says. “New places have popped up over the past couple of years, and now we’re a small town that’s on the rise,” he says, noting new additions like Vision Corner Learning Center and Village Dough and Deli, a casual sandwich shop. Residents can grab groceries in town at Save A Lot. Abarrotes y Taqueria Luz Tacos has authentic Mexican fare, while folks drive from out of town for broasted chicken at Bouser’s Barn. Another highlight is Ghyslain Chocolatier, a boutique with gourmet truffles, hand-painted chocolates, French macarons, cakes and pastries.
Low inventory and steady demand for homes
The housing stock mainly consists of existing National, bungalow, foursquare and ranch-style homes built between the early 1900s and the 1980s, although some of the city’s homes date back to the early to mid-1800s. At the same time, the community has seen new residential development in the past few years. Union City has a median single-family price of about $130,000, slightly lower than the Winchester median of $150,000. “Inventory is low but demand has been steady,” Tarter says. “There’s a large demand for housing, both to rent and to buy, so there’s been quite a bit of new construction over there. There has probably been even more new construction over there than in Winchester, and it’s a very, very small town.”
Relaxation at Harter Park and creative expression at The Arts Depot
Harter Park unfolds across more than 80 acres of rolling hills and open green space. It features the city swimming pool, a disc golf course, playground equipment and a mile-long walking trail. The Union City Gateway Trail links the Indiana and Ohio villages and stretches from Harter Park to Railroad Park on the Ohio side. The Art Association of Randolph County runs The Arts Depot, a former train station converted into an art gallery and gathering space. The art collective showcases work by students and local artists and hosts concerts at the Artisan Park amphitheater across the street. Union City Golf Club is open to the public just a few miles outside town. Boating, fishing and water sports are 45 minutes away on Grand Lake St. Marys in Celina.
Vision Corner Learning Center offers real-world learning experiences
Randolph Eastern School Corporation serves the area and receives a B-minus rating from Niche. North Side Elementary School and Union City Junior-Senior High School also receive a B-minus. Leaders from the school district, city and secondary education institutions like Ball State University collaborated to create Vision Corner Learning Center, a downtown hub for job-based learning for students and adults. “We completely revamped this building. The space features a medical pathways program where kids can basically be medical assistants coming out of high school, and we have a cutting-edge E-Sports program,” Spence says. “So we have things that you wouldn’t expect for a place surrounded by corn and soybeans.”
Summer celebration on the state line and Christmas lights at the park
Locals look forward to a slate of events, such as free concerts at Artisan Park and Community Christmas at Harter Park, a drive-thru light display that draws more than 10,000 people to town each year. “We have something called the Fiesta every September, and it celebrates our Latin American community,” Mayor Spence says. “They have traditional dancers, and of course they play music and we’ve got food out the wazoo. We’ve also got Stateline Heritage Days where we celebrate being on the state line. It’s a cross-state celebration at the end of July and the beginning of August.”
Within two hours of Indianapolis, Columbus and Cincinnati
Sidewalks and low-traffic roads make it easy to walk or bike for leisure, but there’s no public transportation and the community is largely car-dependent. Many residents use golf carts for quick trips in town. The community is within a two-hour drive of major cities including Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati. There are primary care offices in town, but the closest emergency room is about 15 minutes away at Ascension St. Vincent Randolph in Winchester.
Written By
Leslie Klosterman
