Union dates to 1838, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 48% of U.S. towns · #84 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
Most of Union was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2007. Below: maps from 1950 on and the census since 1920.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Union is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #84 of 142 in Kentucky. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Union’s overall grade.
Kentucky towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kentucky town has 29.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Union’s 35.3 sits near the middle of its state (54% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 27 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1838.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Union’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
The story so far
Union, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Union yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Union is a home-rule-class city in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 7,416 as of the 2020 United States census. The area was rural until residential growth in the 1990s and 2000s. Union is located 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Union was established in 1838. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,379 to 7,416 (+38%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Union in 1889
Passages that mention Union, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The political beginnings of Kentucky. A narrative of public events bearing on the history of that state up to the time of its admission into the American Union1889Read the page →
Read the text
The absorbing political topics had heretofore been almost wholly of a national character. They concerned, as has been shown, the building up of the Commonwealth and its incorporation into the Union; and for their immediate practical bearing looked toward the south for an establishment of trade down the uninterrupted current of the Mississippi, and to the northward for repression of Indian hostilities and the restoration to the American Union of posts still held along
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The political beginnings of Kentucky. A narrative of public events bearing on the history of that state up to the time of its admission into the American Union1889Read the page →
Read the text
stated. “The fact is,’ said Brown, “that from 1785, when the first convention met at Danville, on the subject of a separation from the State of Virginia, till 1792, when Kentucky was admitted into the Union as a separate State, no motion was at any time made, either in convention or to the people, to separate from the Union and form an alliance with Spain; nor was any measure to that effect discussed or advocated by any man. The proposition of Mr. Gardoqui originated
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
In 1838, according to Wikidata. the census of 1920 counted 100 people here.
How does Union rank for history?
Union is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #84 of 142 in Kentucky. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Union?
5 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Benjamin Piatt Fowler House (listed 1982, the first). 27 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Union?
0.0% of Union’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 2007.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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