Union City Gateway in Ohio and Indiana

Trail Plan - Union City is on the border of Ohio and Indiana. It is in Darke County Ohio and also in Randolph County, Indiana. It was announced that a trail would be built across the Ohio-Indiana line in 2006 (See Union City Wins Gateway To Ohio Grant November 17, 2006).
I attended a meeting of the Ohio/Indiana Greenway Connector Steering Committee in Union City, Indiana 15 August 2007. The meeting was chaired by the Rails To Trails Conservancy Midwest Chairwomen; Ms. Rhonda Border-Boose.

Why Is This Trail Important? - The Union City Gateway completed June 2009, is about a mile long, Why is this trail so important? This trail is the first one to cross the Indiana and Ohio borders. It marks the beginning of cooperation from the trail developers in Ohio and Indiana. The Union City Gateway will connect to the:

Ohio/Indiana Greenway Connector Steering Committee - This committee of interested parties in the Western Ohio counties such as Darke, Preble, Miami, Montgomery and Mercer counties as well as the Eastern counties in Indiana; Wayne, Delaware, Randolph, Grant, Blackford, Jay and Henry. This group with representatives of both Ohio's and Indiana's rails-to-trails movements, was started to promote connectivity from Western Ohio to Eastern Indiana. It is chaired by Rails To Trails Conservancy Midwest Chairwomen; Ms. Rhonda Border-Boose. Organizations included in the Connector Steering Committee are:

The one mile trail Union City Gateway Trail was dedicated Friday 19 June 2009. I have new photos taken by the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission's attendee to the dedication, Mr. Matthew Lindsay. I have replaced all of the previous photos with these photos and descriptions of the dedication.

Click on photo for larger image	These photos will show you the new Union City Gateway trail. The trail is on both sides on State Line Road, the dividing line between Ohio and Indiana. You can see the trail in this Bing.com photo. Click on the photo to see the new trail. It runs East to West, North of and parallel to Ohio 571 from Columbia Street in Union City, Indiana to South East Deerfield Road in Union City, Ohio. The trails ends at Railroad Park in Ohio. I have marked the trail on the photo with red dashes so you can find the trail. See also Yahoo Maps (Union City). You can see the new trail parallel to and North of Ohio 571. You can manipulate the map to see most of the trail.

We will show you the trail starting in Union City, Ohio at Railroad Park. The trail starts at the end of the loop you see in the photo and runs West to the State Line. We are looking East to the end of Railroad Park. Please look at this Recreation Area map of Union City You'll have to Zoom In the map to see the parks. It shows both Railroad Park (red balloon) in Union City, Ohio as well as Harter Park red balloon) in Union City, Indiana which the trail will connect to in Phase II at some future date. Railroad Park	Click on photo for larger image Photo: MVRPC

Click on photo for larger image Photo: MVRPC	We are still in Railroad Park East of Division Street. The trail continues East until it ends at the photo above. If you look at the Union City map, click here or above), you can see that Railroad Park is a long skinny patch of green just North of Ohio-571. It runs West from SE Deerfield Road, crosses S. Division Street, S. Sycamore St., and State Line Street to end about one block into Indiana.

We are still looking East (from where we started in Railroad Park. We are standing about even with the Picnic Shelter.	Click on photo for larger image Photo: MVRPC

Click on photo for larger image Photo: MVRPC	In this photo my photographer; I should pay him more, turned his camera South to see the Picnic Shelter, a picnic bench and the all important bike rack. I hope that the man riding the Segway is not normally allowed on the trail.

Here we are looking West from the Gateway Park (Ohio) to the new Gateway Project which is at the State Line. The Sunoco Station is in Ohio; the pizza shop is in Indiana. The group of people are standing at the foundation for the Gateway Project, which are two decorative arches which will be erected on State Line Road.	Click on photo for larger image Photo: MVRPC

Click on photo for larger image Photo: MVRPC	This photo shows you one of the decorative arches that were not yet installed at the time of the dedication. There will be one on each side of the border.

At the State Line, a decorative plaza has been built as you can see here. They have used red brick on both sides of the border. Overhead arches will be installed on both sides of the line. We are looking West. The street is State Line Road.	Click on photo for larger image Photo: MVRPC

Click on photo for larger image Photo: MVRPC	In the middle of State Line Road, in the red brick, is a decorative seal that shows the outline of both states. The words above say: "Union City" and the words below the maps say: " The hub of two states"

This last photo is taken at the far West end of the trail in Indiana looking East. The trail runs behind the Rite Aid drugstore (building at right of photo) to Columbia Street . If you look at the Union City map you can see the (red balloon), that shows the location of Harter Park. Located within the park is the Harry and June Loy Walking Trail. Plans are being made to connect the Union City Gateway Trail West to this walking trail in Phase II of development. If you Click Here you'll be taken to Union City's page for the entire Gateway Project	Click on photo for larger image Photo: MVRPC

Trail Plan	Trail Photos	Why is this Trail Important?
Ohio/Indiana Greenway Connector Steering Committee