How Walkable is Union City?

Union City has flat terrain, numerous restaurants and several shopping centers, but is it a good place for ditching the car and walking?

According to a Walk Score study released last week, Union City is a "somewhat walkable" city, averaging a 52 out of 100, the same score as Fremont. Both cities, however, rank lower than Newark, which has a Walk Score rating of 60.

The study shows that 41 percent of Union City residents live in car-dependent neighborhoods, with only 15 percent near areas where most errands can be taken care of on foot.

As expected, the most walkable neighborhoods are located near Union Landing, the "Four Corners" area (Dyer Street and Alvarado Boulevard intersection) and Decoto Road. See Union City's heat map.

Plug in the address for City Hall and the score comes out to 72, "very walkable," for its close proximity to the cluster of stores in the El Mercado and Safeway shopping centers. 

Creators of the study used census data, neighborhood boundaries from real estate marketing website Zillow.com, and other sources to calculate "walkability." Residences within a quarter mile from amenities received the most points. 

A score of 50-69 means some amenities are close within walking distance while a score of 90-100 means than no car whatsoever is required.

With that criteria, New York topped the list of the most walkable cities, with a score of 85.3. But San Francisco was a close second, at 84.9. Walk Score ranked about 2,500 cities and more than 10,000 neighborhoods. 

According to Walk Score, homes in walkable neighborhoods are worth more than those in less walkable neighborhoods. Furthermore, the average resident of a walkable neighborhood weighs six to ten pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood.

Look up the walkability of your neighborhood by typing your address at Walk Score’s website.