[DOC] Olmsted Falls by John D. Cimperman in Arts-Photography

Description

Union City was formed by the merging of two communities; Alvarado and Decoto. In the early 1850s; Alvarado was founded as a place to ship local produce to San Francisco. When Alameda County was created in 1853; Alvarado became the county seat and the hub of business activity for the county. The proximity of Alameda Creek to Alvarado; with its yearly floods; would cause the county seat to move to San Leandro and then Oakland. In the 1870s; Decoto was founded as a rail town on the new transcontinental railroad. Agriculture formed the start of Decoto; and eventually canneries cropped up along the railroad tracks; making local produce available around the country. In 1938; Pacific States Steel created jobs that expanded the town; making it the largest employer in Decoto for many years. In 1959; the towns of Alvarado and Decoto joined to form Union City. The first mayor of Union City; Tom Kitayama; was the first Japanese American mayor in the United States.