On October 25, 1995, the two sons of Susan Smith went missing. They were later found drowned in their mother's red Mazda in the bottom of the lake. The mother was convicted of murder for drowning her two sons.
Geography
\nUnion is located at 34°43'2" North, 81°37'30" West (34.717308, -81.624924)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.6 km² (8.0 mi²). 20.6 km² (8.0 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
Demographics
\nAs of the census of 2000, there are 8,793 people, 3,791 households, and 2,399 families residing in the city. The population density is 426.5/km² (1,105.0/mi²). There are 4,240 housing units at an average density of 205.7/km² (532.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 56.48% White, 42.12% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 3,791 households out of which 25.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.5% are married couples living together, 21.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% are non-families. 33.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 16.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.28 and the average family size is 2.91.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 79.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 74.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $26,110, and the median income for a family is $34,714. Males have a median income of $29,071 versus $19,966 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,175. 20.8% of the population and 17.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 29.1% are under the age of 18 and 15.3% are 65 or older.