Utica, New York

The first Utica was a former city in modern-day Tunisia. Many central New York locations have the names of ancient cities or people (Rome, Syracuse, Ithaca, Troy, Homer, Cicero, Ovid, and a number of others).

The reuse of the name of ancient Utica for a modern village, then city, owes a great deal to classically trained surveyor Robert Harpur (1731–1825), for many years a professor in King's College (today Columbia University). It was he who gave out the central New York State Classical names, and he stated that he named the village of Utica.{{Cite book |title=Native American & Pioneer Sites of Upstate New York: Westward Trails from Albany to Buffalo |publisher=The History Press |isbn=978-1-6258-4776-8 |first=Lorna |last=Czarnota |chapter=Utica: Beer and Insanity |year=2014 |pages=77–81}} However, another theory involves a 1798 meeting at Bagg's Tavern (a resting place for travelers passing through the village) where the name was picked from a hat holding 13 suggestions. How Utica came to be among them, if not due ultimately to Harpur, is unknown.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=17}}{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of New York State |author=Eisenstadt, Peter R. |page=1208 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |year=2005 |isbn=9780815608080 |title=Place names}}{{cite book |title=Classical Place Names in New York State |last=Farrell |first=William R. |year=2002 |publisher=Pine Grove Press |isbn=9781890691080}}

File:Uticain1802.tif is at the top, and Bagg's Tavern is at the center right.]]

File:Utica index map.jpg

Utica was established on the site of Old Fort Schuyler, built by American colonists for defense in 1758 during the French and Indian War, the North American front of the Seven Years' War against France.{{cite wikisource |title=The American Cyclopædia |editor-first=George |editor-last=Ripley |editor2-last=Dana |editor2-first=Charles A. |editor2-link=Charles Anderson Dana |wslink=The American Cyclopædia (1879) |chapter=Utica (New York) |editor-link=George Ripley (transcendentalist) |plaintitle=The American Cyclopædia |year=1879 |publisher=D. Appleton & Company |edition=1879 |volume=16}}{{Sfn|Bagg|1892|p=3}}{{Sfn|Childs|1900|p=2}}{{Sfn|Bagg|1892|p=21}} Prior to construction of the fort, the Mohawk, Onondaga and Oneida nations of the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy had controlled this area southeast of the Great Lakes region as early as 4000 BC.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=15}} The Mohawk were the largest and most powerful nation in the eastern and lower Mohawk Valley. Colonists had a long-standing fur trade with the Mohawk, in exchange for firearms and rum. The Iroquois nations' dominating presence in the region prevented the Province of New York from expanding past the middle of the Mohawk Valley until after the American victory in the Revolutionary War. Following the war several Iroquois nations were forced to cede lands to New York: British allies due to defeat and American allies in exchange for post-war shelter and supplies which were necessary following the brutal fighting.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=15}}

The land housing Old Fort Schuyler was part of a {{cvt|20000|acre|km2|sigfig=2|adj=on}} portion of marshland granted by King George II to New York governor William Cosby on January 2, 1734.{{Sfn|Bagg|1892|pp=19–20}} Since the fort was located near several trails (including the Great Indian Warpath), its position—on a bend at a shallow portion of the Mohawk River—made it an important fording point.{{Sfn|Childs|1900|p=134}}{{Cite book |title=Native American & Pioneer Sites of Upstate New York: Westward Trails from Albany to Buffalo |publisher=The History Press |date=April 8, 2014 |isbn=978-1-6258-4776-8 |first=Lorna |last=Czarnota |chapter=Utica: Beer and Insanity |page=77}} The Mohawk call the bend Unundadages ("around the hill"), a name that now appears on the city's seal.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=17}}{{Cite book |last=Hauptman |first=Laurence M. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/47017112 |title=Conspiracy of interests : Iroquois dispossession and the rise of New York State |date=2001 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |isbn=978-0-8156-0712-0 |edition=1st pbk |location=Syracuse, N.Y. |oclc=47017112 |page=28 |access-date=January 17, 2022 |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204444/https://www.worldcat.org/title/conspiracy-of-interests-iroquois-dispossession-and-the-rise-of-new-york-state/oclc/47017112 |url-status=live}}

During the American Revolutionary War, border raids from British-allied Iroquois tribes harried the settlers on the frontier. George Washington ordered Sullivan's Expedition, Rangers, to enter Central New York and suppress the Iroquois threat. More than 40 Iroquois villages were destroyed along with their winter stores, causing starvation.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=17}} In the aftermath of the war, numerous colonial settlers migrated into the region of New York from New England,{{Sfn|Childs|1900|p=1}} especially Connecticut.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=17}}

In 1794 a state road, Genesee Road, was built from Utica west to the Genesee River. That year a contract was awarded to the Mohawk Turnpike and Bridge Company to extend the road northeast to Albany, and in 1798 it was extended.{{Sfn|Childs|1900|p=52}} The Seneca Turnpike was key to Utica's development, replacing a worn footpath with a paved road.{{Cite book |title=Pioneer Roads and Experiences of Travelers |url=https://archive.org/details/pioneerroadsand01hallgoog |publisher=A. H. Clark Company |date=1904 |access-date=April 29, 2015 |first1=Archer Butler |last1=Hulbert |first2=James |last2=Hall |first3=Thomas |last3=Wallcut |first4=Timothy |last4=Bigelow |first5=Francis Whiting |last5=Halsey |first6=Charles |last6=Dickens |first7=Sir Charles Augustus |last7=Murray |pages=[https://archive.org/details/pioneerroadsand01hallgoog/page/n103 99]–108}} The village became a rest and supply area along the Mohawk River for goods and the many people moving through Western New York to and from the Great Lakes.{{Sfn|Childs|1900|p=7}}{{Cite book |title=Utica: A City Worth Saving. |last=Przybycien |first=F. E. |publisher=Dodge-Graphic Press, Inc. |year=1976}}

The boundaries of the village of Utica were defined in an act passed by the New York State Legislature on April 3, 1798.{{Sfn|Bagg|1892|pp=48–49}} Utica expanded its borders in subsequent 1805 and 1817 charters. On April 5, 1805, the village's eastern and western boundaries were expanded,{{Sfn|Bagg|1892|p=89}} and on April 7, 1817, Utica separated from Whitestown on its west.{{Sfn|Bagg|1892|p=131}} After completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, the city's growth was stimulated again. Utica became a printing and publishing center, with many newspapers.{{cite book

|page=18

|first=Norman Kingsford

|last=Dann

|authorlink=Norman Dann

|title=Passionage Energies. The Gerrit and Ann Smith Family of Petersboro, New York[,] Through a Century of Reform

|location=Hamilton, New York

|publisher=Log Cabin Books

|year=2021

|isbn=9781733089111}}

The municipal charter was passed by the state legislature on February 13, 1832.{{Sfn|Bagg|1892|p=199}} In 1840 the United States Census ranked Utica as the 29th-largest in the country (with over 12,000 residents, more than the populations of Chicago, Detroit or Cleveland{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=22}}{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=25}}).

File:Utica 1850s.jpg

Utica's location on the Erie and Chenango canals encouraged industrial development, allowing the transport of anthracite coal from northeastern Pennsylvania for local manufacturing and distribution.{{Cite book |title=Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Reports and Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States, Volume 59 |publisher=L.K. Strouse, United States Interstate Commerce Commission |location=Harvard University |page=142 |url=https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=NlAuAAAAYAAJ&rdid=book-NlAuAAAAYAAJ&rdot=1 |year=1921 |access-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-date=November 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104020924/https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=NlAuAAAAYAAJ&rdid=book-NlAuAAAAYAAJ&rdot=1 |url-status=live}} Utica's economy centered on the manufacture of furniture, heavy machinery, textiles and lumber.{{Sfn|Childs|1900|p=25}} The combined effects of the Embargo Act of 1807 and local investment enabled further expansion of the textile industry.{{Cite book |title=History of Oneida County, New York: from 1700 to the present time |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofoneidac01cook |last=Cookinham |first=H. J. |publisher=Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Company |year=1912 |location=New York Public Library}}

In addition to the canals, transport in Utica was bolstered by railroads running through the city. The first was the Mohawk and Hudson Rail Road, which became the Utica and Schenectady Railroad in 1833. Its {{cvt|78|mi|adj=on}} connection between Schenectady and Utica was developed in 1836 from the right-of-way previously used by the Mohawk and Hudson railroad.{{Sfn|Childs|1900|pp=56–57}}{{Cite book |title=Railroad Wars of New York State |publisher=The History Press |date=2012 |isbn=978-1-6094-9727-9 |first=Timothy |last=Starr |page=80}} Later lines, such as the Syracuse and Utica Railroad, merged with the Utica and Schenectady to form the New York Central Railroad, which originated as a 19th-century forest railway of the Adirondacks.{{Cite book |title=Logging Railroads of the Adirondacks |publisher=Syracuse University Press |date=2006 |isbn=978-0-8156-0794-6 |first=Bill |last=Gove |pages=71–75}}

In the early 1800s, William Williams and his partner published Utica's first newspaper, The Utica Club, from their printing shop on Genesee Street. In 1817 Williams also published Utica's first directory.Bagg, 1877, pp. 164Malone, Vol. X, 1931, p. 294 Utica went on to become a printing and publishing center, with many newspapers.{{cite book

|title=Passionate Energies. The Gerrit and Ann Smith Family of Peterboro, New York Through a Century of Reform

|authorlink=Norman Dann

|first=Norman Kingsford

|last=Dann

|year=2021

|isbn=9781733089111

|location=Hamilton, New York

|publisher=Log Cabin Books}}{{rp|18}}

During the 1850s, Utica aided more than 650 fugitive slaves; it played a major role as a station in the Underground Railroad. The city was on a slave escape route from the Southern Tier to Canada by way of Albany, Syracuse, or Rochester.{{Cite book |title=The Underground Railroad in the Adirondack Region |publisher=McFarland |date=February 23, 2011 |isbn=978-0-7864-8740-0 |first=Tom |last=Calarco |page=132}}{{Sfn|Switala|2006|p=80}} The route, used by Harriet Tubman to travel to Buffalo,{{Sfn|Switala|2006|p=111}} guided slaves to pass through Utica on the New York Central Railroad right-of-way en route to Canada.{{Sfn|Switala|2006|p=111}} Utica was the locus for Methodist preacher Orange Scott's antislavery sermons during the 1830s and 1840s, and Scott formed an abolitionist group there in 1843.{{Sfn|Switala|2006|p=80}} Beriah Green organized the 1835 initial meeting of the New York State Anti-Slavery Society in Utica, which was disrupted by an anti-abolitionist mob led by local congressman Samuel Beardsley and other "prominent citizens".{{cite book |title=The enemies of the Constitution discovered; or, An inquiry into the origin and tendency of popular violence. Containing a complete and circumstantial account of the unlawful proceedings at the City of Utica, October 21st, 1835; the dispersion of the State Anti-Slavery Convention by the agitators, the destruction of a democratic press, and of the causes which led thereto; together with a concise treatise on the practice of the court of His Honor Judge Lynch. Accompanied with numerous highly interesting and important documents |location=New York |year=1835 |url=https://archive.org/details/enemiesofconst00thom/page/n5/mode/2up |publisher=Leavitt, Lord & Co.}} (It adjourned to Gerrit Smith's home in nearby Peterboro, New York.{{Sfn|Switala|2006|p=80, 83, 112}}{{cite book |title=The New York Abolitionists. A Case Study of Political Radicalism |url=https://archive.org/details/newyorkabolition0000sori |url-access=registration |first=Gerald |last=Sorin |author-link=Gerald Sorin |location=Westport, Connecticut |publisher=Greenwood Publishing |year=1970 |page=[https://archive.org/details/newyorkabolition0000sori/page/32 32] |isbn=0837133084}}{{cite news |title=The Dispersed Agitators |newspaper=Richmond Enquirer |date=20 November 1835 |agency="From the Utica Observer" |via=Virginia Chronicle, Library of Virginia |url=https://virginiachronicle.com/cgi-bin/virginia?a=d&d=RE18351120.1.4 |page=4 |access-date=January 13, 2022 |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113132338/https://virginiachronicle.com/cgi-bin/virginia?a=d&d=RE18351120.1.4 |url-status=live}}) This mob was part of a national campaign of anti-abolitionist violence in the 1830s.

File:Newsboys.jpg for the Utica Saturday Globe, 1910. Photo by Lewis Hine.]]

The early 20th century brought rail advances to Utica, with the New York Central electrifying {{cvt|49|mi}} of track from the city to Syracuse in 1907 for its West Shore interurban line.{{Cite book |title=Around Utica |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |date=January 24, 2007 |isbn=978-1-4396-1852-3 |first=Evelyn R. |last=Edwards |page=65}} In 1902, the Utica and Mohawk Valley Railway connected Rome to Little Falls with a {{cvt|37.5|mi|adj=on}} electrified line through Utica.{{Cite book |title=The Electric Interurban Railways in America |publisher=Stanford University Press |date=January 1, 2000 |page=121 |isbn=9780804740142 |first1=George W. |last1=Hilton |first2=John Fitzgerald |last2=Due}}

File:The Busy Corner.tifs can be seen crossing a bridge over the Erie Canal.]]

Waves of Lebanese Maronite, Italian, Irish, and Polish immigrants worked in the city's industries in the early part of the 20th century. Like many other industrial centers, labor unrest affected Utica in the 1910s; on April 5, 1912 martial law was proclaimed to stop riots in Utica, Yorkville, and New York Mills,{{cite web | title=MILITIA PUT DOWN UTICA STRIKE RIOTS; State Troops Are Encamped in Mill Villages and Martial Law Is Proclaimed. | website=The New York Times | date=1912-04-05 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1912/04/05/archives/militia-put-down-utica-strike-riots-state-troops-are-encamped-in.html | access-date=2024-06-09}} while on October 28 during the strike wave of 1919, city police shot six or more striking textile workers.{{cite web | title=UTICA POLICE SHOOT FIVE RIOTING STRIKERS; Mayor Asks Governor for State Police to Pacify Workers-- Major Chandler to Investigate. | website=The New York Times | date=1919-10-29 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/10/29/archives/utica-police-shoot-five-rioting-strikers-mayor-asks-governor-for.html | access-date=2024-06-09}}{{cite news|work=Lewiston Evening News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/828343135/?match=1&terms=utica%20riot|title=Six Shot in Utica Riots|page=9|date=Oct 29, 1919}}{{Cite journal |last=Bean |first=Philip A. |date=February 1994|title=The Irish, the Italians, and Machine Politics, a Case Study: Utica, New York (1870-1960) |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/009614429402000203 |journal=Journal of Urban History |language=en |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=205–239 |doi=10.1177/009614429402000203 |s2cid=145019677 |issn=0096-1442|url-access=subscription }} In 1919, two-thirds of employed Uticans worked in the textile industry.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} The textile industry in the Northern United States declined rapidly following World War I, as mills relocated to the Southern United States. Textiles remained the leading industry in Utica through 1947, employing a little less than a quarter of workers at the few remaining mills.

As early as 1928, the area Chamber of Commerce sought to diversify Utica's industrial base. Prompted by local labor issues and national trends, the Republican political machine in Utica declined and was replaced by a Democratic machine headed by Rufus Elefante with the support of Governor (and later, President) Franklin D. Roosevelt. Democratic political leaders cooperated with local business interests to draw modern industry to Utica. General Electric, Chicago Pneumatic, Bendix Aviation, and Univac among others established factories in Utica. Utica College and Mohawk Valley Community College were founded to provide skilled workers, and Oneida County Airport was built to provide transport. The city also underwent residential redevelopment, including slum clearance and modernizing streets and neighborhoods to accommodate the automobile. The period of Utica history through the 1940s and 1950s is sometimes called the "loom to boom" era. While it led to growth of the suburbs of New Hartford and Whitestown, Utica's population remained flat during this era, and unemployment was persistently elevated.{{sfn|Thomas|2003|pp=33–44, 74–76|loc="Loom to Boom"}}{{cite web |last=Tomaino |first=Frank |title=Golder leads Utica's 'loom to boom' era |url=https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2019/11/26/golder-leads-utica-x2019-s/2210879007/ |access-date=2022-08-11 |website=Utica Observer Dispatch |language=en-US |archive-date=February 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211081958/https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2019/11/26/golder-leads-utica-x2019-s/2210879007/ |url-status=live }}

As in some other US cities during the decade, scandals involving political corruption, vice, and organized crime tarnished Utica's reputation.{{sfn|Thomas|2003|p=4, 61}}{{Cite book |title=Politicians are People, Too |publisher=University Press of America |date=2006 |isbn=978-0-7618-3422-9 |first=Richard |last=Benedetto |author-link=Richard Benedetto |page=32}}{{Cite book |title=Wicked Mohawk Valley |last=Webster |first=Dennis |publisher=The History Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-6094-9390-5 |page=102}}{{unreliable source?|date=August 2023}} It remains unclear whether Elefante and his inner circle were actively involved in organized crime or simply turned a blind eye to it.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} Organized crime in Utica received national attention after three Utican mafiosos were reported to have attended the Apalachin meeting of American Mafia leaders in 1957.{{Cite web |last=LaDuca |first=Rocco |title=Day 4: The Mob Files |url=https://www.uticaod.com/story/sports/high-school/softball/2009/05/06/day-4-mob-files/44884144007/ |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=Utica Observer Dispatch |language=en-US|date=2009-05-06}} The New York Journal American dubbed Utica the "Sin City of the East",{{Cite web |title=Day 5: Mr. Fischer takes on Sin City |url=https://www.uticaod.com/story/sports/high-school/softball/2009/05/06/day-5-mr-fischer-takes/44805086007/ |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=Utica Observer Dispatch |language=en-US|date=2009-05-06|first=Rocco|last=DeLuca}} and reporting from sources like the Journal American and Newsweek gave Utica a national reputation for Mafia activities. Local business interests, as well as other media sources such as Look magazine, asserted that these reports were exaggerated, and corruption and crime in Utica were no worse than that in similar American cities.{{sfn|Thomas|2003|pp=66–70}} In 1959, the scandals culminated in criminal investigations of city employees and officials: many were arrested on charges related to prostitution, gambling, fraud, and conspiracy, and others were forced to resign.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=58}} The Utica Daily Press and Utica Observer-Dispatch were awarded the 1959 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for their investigations of local corruption. Elefante's machine lost dominance. Organized crime in Utica was curtailed, but resurged in the late 1970s. The local Mafia, present since the 1930s, ended with the indictment of local associates of the Buffalo crime family in 1989.{{cite web |title=Utica's organized crime revisited |url=http://www.uticaod.com/x272613696/Utica-s-organized-crime-revisited |access-date=April 19, 2015 |first=Rebecca |last=Croniser |date=September 14, 2008 |website=Observer-Dispatch |publisher=GateHouse Media |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150419040104/http://www.uticaod.com/x272613696/Utica-s-organized-crime-revisited |url-status=live}}{{sfn|Thomas|2003|p=57, 70}}

Strongly affected by the deindustrialization that took place in other Rust Belt cities, Utica suffered a major reduction in manufacturing activity during the second half of the 20th century. The remaining textile mills continued to be undercut by competitors in the South.{{cite book |last1=Ellis |first1=David Maldwyn |title=New York: State and City |date=1979 |publisher=Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca, N.Y. |isbn=9780801411809 |page=22 |chapter=The New York Character}} The 1954 opening of the New York State Thruway (which bypassed the city) and declines in activity on the Erie Canal and railroads throughout the United States also contributed to a poor local economy.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|pp=49–50}} During the 1980s and 1990s, major employers such as General Electric and Lockheed Martin closed plants in Utica and Syracuse.{{Sfn|Thomas|Smith|2009|p=24}}{{Sfn|Thomas|Smith|2009|p=66}} Some Utica businesses relocated to nearby Syracuse, with its larger and more educated workforce.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=113}} Utica's population fell while population in the county increased, reflecting a statewide trend of decreasing urban populations outside New York City.{{cite web |url=http://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/pubs/research/pop_trends.pdf |title=Population Trends in New York State's Cities |access-date=April 18, 2015 |website=Division of Local Government Services & Economic Development |publisher=Office of the New York State Comptroller |last=Hevesi |first=Alan G. |archive-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616042356/http://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/pubs/research/pop_trends.pdf |url-status=live}} Eccentric populist mayor Ed Hanna, who served from 1974 to 1978 and from 1996 to 2000, brought himself national media attention but was unable to stem Utica's decline.{{Cite web |agency=Associated Press |date=2009-03-13 |title=Former Utica mayor Edward Hanna dies in Fayetteville |url=https://www.syracuse.com/news/2009/03/edward_hanna_former_utica_mayo.html |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=syracuse |language=en}}

File:Utica Karen Wesleyan Church, Utica, New York.jpg refugees from Myanmar established a Wesleyan Church on South Street.{{cite news |last1=Gamela |first1=Renee |title=Utica's Karen refugees form Wesleyan congregation |url=https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2008/05/14/utica-s-karen-refugees-form/44791668007/ |access-date=2 January 2025 |publisher=Observer-Dispatch |date=14 May 2008}}]]

The low cost of living in Utica{{cite news |last1=Ledbetter |first1=Carly |title=10 Most Affordable Housing Markets In America |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/15/most-affordable-homes-in-the-us_n_6147890.html |access-date=August 24, 2015 |work=Huffington Post |date=November 15, 2014 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924211102/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/15/most-affordable-homes-in-the-us_n_6147890.html |url-status=live}}{{Cite book |title=Workers in America: A Historical Encyclopedia |last=Weir |first=Robert E. |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-5988-4719-2 |page=425}} has attracted immigrants and refugees from around the world.{{Cite news |title=Small Cities Fight for More School Aid From New York State |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/small-cities-fight-for-more-school-aid-from-new-york-state-1421788972 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=January 21, 2015 |access-date=April 19, 2015 |issn=0099-9660 |first=Leslie |last=Brody |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419071049/http://www.wsj.com/articles/small-cities-fight-for-more-school-aid-from-new-york-state-1421788972 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Struck |first1=Jules |title='They saved this town': Refugees poured into Utica and cleared the rust from a dying industrial city |url=https://www.syracuse.com/living/2022/05/they-saved-this-town-refugees-poured-into-utica-and-cleared-the-rust-from-a-dying-industrial-city.html |access-date=7 June 2022 |work=syracuse.com |date=26 May 2022 |language=en |archive-date=June 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607100949/https://www.syracuse.com/living/2022/05/they-saved-this-town-refugees-poured-into-utica-and-cleared-the-rust-from-a-dying-industrial-city.html |url-status=live }} The largest refugee groups in Utica are Bosnians, with 4,500 refugees resettled following the Bosnian War, and the Karen people of Myanmar, with about 4,000 resettled.{{Cite book |title=Bosnian Refugees in America: New Communities, New Cultures |url=https://archive.org/details/bosnianrefugeesa00coug |url-access=limited |last1=Coughlin |first1=Reed |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-3872-5154-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bosnianrefugeesa00coug/page/n45 39] |last2=Owens-Manley |first2=Judith}}{{Cite web |title=How Utica Became a City Where Refugees Came to Rebuild |url=https://lithub.com/how-utica-became-a-city-where-refugees-came-to-rebuild/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=Literary Hub |language=en-US|first=Susan|last=Hartman|date=June 9, 2022}} Utica also has sizable communities of refugees from the former Soviet Union, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere. Between 2005 and 2010, Utica's population increased for the first time in decades, largely because of refugee resettlement. In 2015, about one quarter of the population of Utica were refugees, and 43 languages were spoken in city schools.{{cite book|title=The Economics of Immigration|first1=Cynthia|last1=Bansak|first2=Nicole|last2=Simpson|first3=Madeline |last3=Zavodny|publisher=Routledge|year=2015|isbn=978-1317752998|page=322}} The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees described Utica as the "town that loves refugees" in 2005, although discrimination problems have arisen. In 2016, the Utica City School District settled lawsuits alleging refugee students were excluded from attending high school.{{Cite web |title=Progressive City Welcomes One and All? Not So Fast. |first=Kavitha|last=Rajagopalan|date=May 16, 2016

|url=https://nextcity.org/features/refugees-us-cities-immigration-utica-new-york |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=nextcity.org |language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Harris|first=Elizabeth A.|date=2016-05-19|title=Utica Settles Lawsuit Over Refugees' Access to High School|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/20/nyregion/utica-settles-lawsuit-over-refugees-access-to-high-school.html|access-date=2022-01-21|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121022231/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/20/nyregion/utica-settles-lawsuit-over-refugees-access-to-high-school.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Chen|first=David W.|date=2016-07-21|title=Utica Settles State Claim Alleging Biased Enrollment for Refugee Students|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/22/nyregion/utica-settles-state-claim-alleging-biased-enrollment-for-refugee-students.html|access-date=2022-01-21|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121023430/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/22/nyregion/utica-settles-state-claim-alleging-biased-enrollment-for-refugee-students.html|url-status=live}} In 2024, 13-year-old Karen refugee Nyah Mway was shot and killed by police, making national news.{{citation | last=Meko | first=Hurubie | title=13-Year-Old Boy Shot and Killed by Police After Chase | newspaper=The New York Times | date=2024-06-29 | issn=0362-4331 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/29/nyregion/utica-police-teen-shooting.html | language=en-US | access-date=2024-07-07 | page=}}

Utica continues to struggle with a high rate of poverty and a shrunken tax base, adversely affecting schools and public services.{{Cite book |title=Cities, Nature and Development: The Politics and Production of Urban Vulnerabilities |last1=Dooling |first1=Sarah |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-4094-0831-4 |pages=165–181 |last2=Simon |first2=Gregory}}{{Cite news |title=Utica schools have highest poverty rate in Upstate NY |url=http://www.uticaod.com/article/20131227/NEWS/131229505/?Start=1 |access-date=August 24, 2015 |first=Keshia |last=Clukey |date=December 28, 2013 |work=Observer-Dispatch |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204444/https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2013/12/27/local-outlook-part-2-sturgis/41440327007/ |url-status=live}} Local, regional and statewide economic efforts have been proposed to revitalize the area economy.{{cite news |title=Cuomo visits Lake Placid, Utica to talk upstate development |url=http://wivb.com/ap/cuomo-visits-lake-placid-utica-to-talk-upstate-development/ |access-date=April 20, 2015 |website=WIVB.com |agency=Associated Press |date=February 12, 2015 |archive-date=April 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427111536/http://wivb.com/ap/cuomo-visits-lake-placid-utica-to-talk-upstate-development/}}{{cite web |title=Cuomo won't budge on $1.5 billion economic development competition |url=http://www.uticaod.com/article/20150217/News/150219320 |access-date=April 20, 2015 |first=Elizabeth |last=Cooper |date=February 17, 2015 |website=Observer-Dispatch |publisher=GateHouse Media |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204444/https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/local/hampton-union/2015/02/17/mom-sells-t-shirts-to/35170733007/ |url-status=live}} In 2010 the city developed its first comprehensive master plan in more than a half-century.{{Cite news |url=http://www.uticamasterplan.org/press-release7.html |title=City of Utica Master Plan Accomplishments / 2.8.10 |last=Thomas |first=Brian |date=February 8, 2010 |work=City of Utica Master Plan |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=January 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120022555/http://www.uticamasterplan.org/press-release7.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Utica master plan: 'Play ball!' at Harbor Point? |url=http://www.uticaod.com/article/20100712/News/307129924 |access-date=April 19, 2015 |first=Dan |last=Miner |date=July 12, 2010 |website=Observer-Dispatch |publisher=GateHouse Media |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150419040104/http://www.uticaod.com/article/20100712/News/307129924 |url-status=live}} After a decade of delays and false starts, plans to create a nanotechnology center in the area came to fruition when semiconductor manufacturer Wolfspeed opened a plant in Marcy just north of Utica in 2022.{{cite web |title=Governor Cuomo Announces 'Nano Utica' $1.5 Billion Public-Private Investment That Will Make the Mohawk Valley New York's Next Major Hub of Nanotech Research |url=https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-nano-utica-15-billion-public-private-investment-will-make-mohawk |access-date=April 20, 2015 |date=October 10, 2013 |website=Governor Andrew M. Cuomo |publisher=New York State |archive-date=April 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427111114/https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-nano-utica-15-billion-public-private-investment-will-make-mohawk |url-status=dead}}{{Cite web |last=Howe |first=Steve |title=What to know about Wolfspeed and its $1B facility in Upstate New York |url=https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/local/2022/05/02/wolfspeed-opens-1-b-silicon-carbide-plant-upstate-new-york/9538712002/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=Utica Observer Dispatch |language=en-US}} In October 2023, a new hospital in downtown Utica opened, replacing Utica's two existing hospitals.{{Cite web |date=2019-12-09 |title=Groundbreaking planned for new Utica hospital |url=https://www.wrvo.org/regional-coverage/2019-12-09/groundbreaking-planned-for-new-utica-hospital |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=WRVO Public Media |language=en|first=Payne|last=Horning}}{{Cite web |last=Caputo |first=Thomas |date=2023-10-29 |title=HAPPENING TODAY: Wynn Hospital officially opens |url=https://www.romesentinel.com/news/wynn-hospital-mvhs-october-2023-opening-day/article_dfc4fe4c-74ec-11ee-9fb8-a3397c8dc2e1.html |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=Rome Sentinel |language=en}}

File:Mohawk Hudson Valley from space.jpg, with Utica center-left and Albany center-right]]

According to the United States Census Bureau, Utica has a total area of {{cvt|17.02|sqmi}}—{{cvt|16.76|sqmi}} of land and {{cvt|0.26|sqmi}} (1.52 percent) of water. The city is located at New York's geographic center, adjacent to the western border of Herkimer County, and at the southwestern base of the Adirondack Mountains.{{Cite book |title=The Mohawk |last=Hislop |first=Codman |publisher=Syracuse University Press |year=1948 |isbn=978-0-8156-2472-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/mohawk0000hisl/page/10 10] |url=https://archive.org/details/mohawk0000hisl/page/10}} Utica and its suburbs are bound by the Allegheny Plateau in the south and the Adirondack Mountains in the north,{{Cite book |title=Across This Land: A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada |url=https://archive.org/details/acrossthislandre00huds |url-access=limited |last=Hudson |first=John C. |publisher=JHU Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8018-6567-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/acrossthislandre00huds/page/n93 71]}} and the city is {{cvt|456|ft}} above sea level; this region is known as the Mohawk Valley. The city is {{cvt|90|mi|0}} west-northwest of Albany{{cite web |title=Utica, NY to Albany, NY |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Utica,+NY/Albany,+NY/@42.8714148,-75.0761703,9z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x89d93751356a7629:0x111a362618edfc86!2m2!1d-75.232664!2d43.100903!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a34cc4ffb4b:0xe1a16312a0e728c4!2m2!1d-73.7562317!2d42.6525793 |website=Google Maps |access-date=May 3, 2015 |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518152124/https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Utica,+NY/Albany,+NY/@42.8714148,-75.0761703,9z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x89d93751356a7629:0x111a362618edfc86!2m2!1d-75.232664!2d43.100903!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a34cc4ffb4b:0xe1a16312a0e728c4!2m2!1d-73.7562317!2d42.6525793 |url-status=live}} and {{cvt|45|mi|0}} east of Syracuse.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=5}}

File:Utica Marsh at Sunset.jpg along the Mohawk River]]

The city's Mohawk name, Unundadages ("around the hill") refers to a bend in the Mohawk River that flows around the city's elevated position as seen from the Deerfield Hills in the north.{{Sfn|Childs|1900|p=134}} The Erie Canal and Mohawk River pass through northern Utica; northwest of downtown is the Utica Marsh, a group of cattail wetlands between the Erie Canal and Mohawk River (partially in the town of Marcy) with a variety of animals, plants and birds.{{cite web |title=Utica Marsh Wildlife Management Area Overview |url=http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9323.html |website=New York State Department of Environmental Conservation |access-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-date=May 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514215805/http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9323.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Utica Marsh |url=http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/regions_pdf/utica.pdf |website=New York State Department of Environmental Conservation |access-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-date=May 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150515112412/http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/regions_pdf/utica.pdf |url-status=dead}} During the 1850s, plank roads were built through the marshland surrounding the city.{{Sfn|Childs|1900|p=55}} Utica's suburbs have more hills and cliffs than the city. Located where the Mohawk Valley forms a wide floodplain, the city has a generally sloping, flat topography.

Utica's architecture features many styles that are also visible in comparable areas of Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse,{{Sfn|Bottini|Davis|2007|p=ix}} including Greek Revival, Italianate, French Renaissance, Gothic Revival and Neoclassical. The modernist 1972 Utica State Office Building, at 17 floors and {{cvt|227|ft}}, is the city's tallest.{{cite web |url=http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=44721 |title=New York State Office Building, Utica |access-date=April 18, 2015 |website=SkyscraperPage.com |publisher=Skyscraper Source Media |archive-date=September 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914230736/http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=44721 |url-status=live}}

Streets laid out when Utica was a village had more irregularities than those built later in the 19th and 20th centuries. As a result of the city's location (adjacent to the Mohawk River), many streets parallel the river, so they do not run strictly east–west or north–south. Remnants of Utica's early electric-rail systems can be seen in the West and South neighborhoods, where the rails were set into the streets.{{Sfn|Childs|1900|p=134}}{{Sfn|Childs|1900|pp=57–58}}{{Sfn|Childs|1900|p=130}}

File:Street Running, Schuyler Street Utica New York.jpg

Utica's neighborhoods have historically been defined by their residents, allowing them to develop their own individuality. Racial and ethnic groups, social and economic separation and the development of infrastructure and new means of transportation have shaped neighborhoods, with groups shifting between them as a result.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=25}}

West Utica (or the West Side) was historically home to German, Irish and Polish immigrants. The Corn Hill neighborhood in the city center had a significant Jewish population.{{Cite book |title=The Jewish community of Utica, New York, 1847-1948 |publisher=American Jewish Historical Society |date=1959 |first=Solomon Joshua |last=Kohn |page=130 |oclc=304259}} East Utica (or the East Side) is a cultural and political center dominated by Italian immigrants.{{Cite book |title=La Colonia: Italian Life and Politics in Utica, New York, 1860-1960 |publisher=Utica College, Ethnic Heritage Studies Center |date=2004 |isbn=978-0-9660-3630-5 |first=Philip A. |last=Bean |page=111}}{{Cite book |title=From the Margin: Writings in Italian Americana |publisher=Purdue University Press |date=2000 |isbn=978-1-5575-3152-0 |first1=Anthony Julian |last1=Tamburri |first2=Paolo |last2=Giordano |first3=Fred L. |last3=Gardaphe |pages=[https://archive.org/details/frommarginwritin00anth/page/386 386–390] |url=https://archive.org/details/frommarginwritin00anth/page/386}} North of downtown is the Triangle neighborhood, formerly home to the city's African-American and Jewish populations.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=25}} Neighborhoods formerly dominated by one or more groups saw other groups arrive, such as Bosnians and Latin Americans in former Italian neighborhoods and the historically Welsh neighborhood of Corn Hill.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=25}} Bagg Commemorative Park and Bagg's Square West (Utica's historic centers) are in the northeastern portion of downtown, with Genesee Street on the west and Oriskany Street on the south.

The following are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:{{NRISref|2010a}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2010-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Listings |date=September 17, 2010 |work=WEEKLY LIST OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON PROPERTIES: 9/07/10 THROUGH 9/10/10 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=February 14, 2016 |archive-date=February 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201223258/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20100917.htm |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2012-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Listings |date=January 13, 2012 |work=Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 1/03/12 through 1/06/12 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=February 14, 2016 |archive-date=August 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828143250/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20120113.htm |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2015-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Listings |date=September 25, 2015 |work=Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 9/14/15 through 9/18/15 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=February 14, 2016 |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204448/https://www.nps.gov/nr/listings/20150925.htm |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2016-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places |date=January 15, 2016 |work=Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 1/04/16 through 1/08/16 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=February 14, 2016 |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204447/https://www.nps.gov/nr/listings/20160115.htm |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Observer-Dispatch |title=Uptown Theatre named in Register of Historic Places |url=https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2020/08/28/uptown-theatre-named-in-register-of-historic-places/113593710/ |access-date=2023-01-17 |website=Utica Observer Dispatch |language=en-US |archive-date=February 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211081958/https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2020/08/28/uptown-theatre-named-in-register-of-historic-places/113593710/ |url-status=live }}

{{div col |colwidth=20em}}

• Alexander Pirnie Federal Building
• Byington Mill (Frisbie & Stansfield Knitting Company)
• Calvary Episcopal Church
• Roscoe Conkling House
• Doyle Hardware Building
• First Baptist Church of Deerfield
• First Presbyterian Church
• Fort Schuyler Club Building
• Globe Woolen Company Mills
• Grace Church
• John C. Hieber Building
• Hurd & Fitzgerald Building
• Lower Genesee Street Historic District
• Memorial Church of the Holy Cross
• Millar-Wheeler House
• Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute
• New Century Club
• Rutger-Steuben Park Historic District
• St. Joseph's Church
• Stanley Theater
• Tabernacle Baptist Church
• Union Station
• Uptown Theatre
• Utica Armory
• Utica Daily Press Building
• Utica Parks and Parkway Historic District
• Utica Psychiatric Center
• Utica Public Library
• Gen. John G. Weaver House
• Forest Hill Cemetery

{{div col end}}

Utica has a humid continental climate (or warm-summer climate: Köppen Dfb) with four distinct seasons,{{Cite journal |last1=Kottek |first1=Marcus |last2=Greiser |first2=Jürgen |last3=Beck |first3=Christoph |last4=Rudolf |first4=Bruno |last5=Rubel |first5=Franz|display-authors=2 |title=World Map of Köppen–Geiger Climate Classification |date=June 2006 |journal=Meteorologische Zeitschrift |volume=15 |issue=3 |page=261 |doi=10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0130 |publisher=E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung |bibcode=2006MetZe..15..259K |url=https://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/files/40083/metz_Vol_15_No_3_p259-263_World_Map_of_the_Koppen_Geiger_climate_classification_updated_55034.pdf |access-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224195637/https://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/frontdoor/deliver/index/docId/40083/file/metz_Vol_15_No_3_p259-263_World_Map_of_the_Koppen_Geiger_climate_classification_updated_55034.pdf |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Utica, New York Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase) |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=744806&cityname=Utica%2C+New+York%2C+United+States+of+America&units= |website=Weatherbase |access-date=April 23, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114013937/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=744806&cityname=Utica%2C+New+York%2C+United+States+of+America&units= |url-status=live}} characterized by cold winters and temperate summers. Summer high temperatures range from {{cvt|77–81|F}}. The city is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b, and native vegetation can tolerate temperatures from {{cvt|-10 to -15|F}}.{{Cite web |title=2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map |url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=planthardiness.ars.usda.gov}}

Winters are cold and snowy; Utica receives lake-effect snow from Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.{{cite web |title=Weather: 6 inches to nearly 2 feet of lake-effect snow possible in parts of CNY |url=http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/weather_6_inches_to_nearly_2_feet_of_lake-effect_snow_possible_in_parts_of_cny.html |access-date=April 19, 2015 |website=Syracuse.com |date=January 5, 2015 |last=Catie |first=O'Toole |archive-date=April 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406095946/http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/weather_6_inches_to_nearly_2_feet_of_lake-effect_snow_possible_in_parts_of_cny.html |url-status=live}}{{Cite book |title=Air Apparent: How Meteorologists Learned to Map, Predict, and Dramatize Weather |last=Monmonier |first=Mark |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-2265-3423-7 |page=151}}{{Cite book |title=Synoptic Climatology of Snowfall in the Northeastern United States: an Analysis of Snowfall Amounts from Diverse Synoptic Weather Types |last=Karmosky |first=Christopher |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-5493-8718-3 |page=53 |publisher=University of Delaware. Department of Geography}} Utica is colder on average than other Great Lakes cities because of its location in a valley and susceptibility to north winds;{{Sfn|Childs|1900|p=136}} temperatures in the single digits or below zero Fahrenheit are not uncommon on winter nights. Annual precipitation (based on a 30-year average from 1981 to 2010) is {{cvt|45.7|in|cm}}, falling on an average of 175 days.{{cite web |title=Utica, New York Travel Weather Averages (Weatherbase) |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=744806&cityname=Utica%2C+New+York%2C+United+States+of+America&units= |website=Weatherbase |access-date=April 24, 2015 |archive-date=January 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113223719/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=744806&cityname=Utica%2C+New+York%2C+United+States+of+America&units= |url-status=live}}

{{Utica weatherbox}}

{{Main|Demographics of Utica, New York}}

{{US Census population

| 1820 = 2972

| 1830 = 8323

| 1840 = 12782

| 1850 = 17565

| 1860 = 22529

| 1870 = 28804

| 1880 = 33914

| 1890 = 44007

| 1900 = 56383

| 1910 = 74419

| 1920 = 94156

| 1930 = 101740

| 1940 = 100518

| 1950 = 100489

| 1960 = 100410

| 1970 = 91611

| 1980 = 75632

| 1990 = 68637

| 2000 = 60523

| 2010 = 62235

| 2020 = 65287

| estyear = 2022

| estimate = 64081

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |title=Census of Population and Housing |publisher=Census.gov |accessdate=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=March 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311081733/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |url-status=live }}

}}

The city's growth during the 19th century is indicated by the increase in its population; in 1840 the United States Census ranked Utica as the 29th-largest in the country, with over 12,000 residents, more than the populations of Chicago, Detroit or Cleveland.

{{As of|2014}}, the city is the tenth-most populous in New York and the sixth-most populous metro region in New York.{{cite web |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014 - 2014 Population Estimates |publisher=United States Census Bureau |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2014/PEPANNRES/0400000US36.05000 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150404140829/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2014/PEPANNRES/0400000US36.05000 |archive-date=April 4, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 24, 2015}} It is the seat of Oneida County,{{cite web |title=Residents |url=http://ocgov.net/residents |access-date=August 22, 2015 |website=Oneida County, NY |archive-date=September 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912072631/http://www.ocgov.net/residents |url-status=live}} and a focal point of the six-county Mohawk Valley region. According to a U.S. Census estimate, the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area decreased in population from 299,397 in 2010 to 296,615 on July 1, 2014, and its population density was about {{convert|3,818|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people}}.

File:Bosnian Islamic Association of Utica, New York.jpg

Utica's population has remained ethnically diverse and has received many new influxes of immigrants since the 1990s. New immigrants and refugees have included Bosnians displaced by the Bosnian War, Burmese, Karens, Latin Americans, Russians and Vietnamese.{{Cite news |url=http://www.uticaod.com/x1143356121/Mayor-Roefaro-to-speak-at-Bosnian-commemoration-event-in-Syracuse |title=Mayor Roefaro to speak at Bosnian commemoration event in Syracuse |last=Clarridge |first=Emerson |date=July 11, 2010 |work=Utica Observer-Dispatch |access-date=April 6, 2015}} More than 42 languages are spoken in the city.{{cite web |date=2013 |title=Six Continents, One Hometown: Public Opinion On Refugee Resettlement In Utica |url=https://www.thecenterutica.org/about/ |access-date=January 1, 2021 |archive-date=January 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126144720/https://www.thecenterutica.org/about/ |url-status=live}}{{verify source|date=January 2021}}{{cite web |title=Utica, New York |website=Modern Language Association |date=2000 |url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=36&place_id=76540&cty_id= |access-date=May 8, 2015 |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204451/https://apps.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=36&place_id=76540&cty_id= |url-status=live}} Utica's population halted a forty-year decline in 2010, influenced by this influx of refugees and immigrants.

In the 2020 United States census, Utica's population was 65,283. According to the 2013 American Community Survey, the Italian American population has declined since its peak by more than 40%. Italian Americans however remain the most prominent ethnic group, constituting 20% of the city population.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs#:~:text=The%20American%20Community%20Survey%20(ACS,housing%20information%20about%20our%20nation. |title=Census.org |access-date=December 13, 2020 |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205011314/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs#:~:text=The%20American%20Community%20Survey%20(ACS,housing%20information%20about%20our%20nation. |url-status=live}} Utica is historically one of the most Italian cities in the country. Throughout the 20th century, the city had a higher concentration of Italian immigrants than other cities with notable levels of Italian immigration, such as New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia.{{cite web |url=https://www.haverford.edu/college-communications/news/exploring-urban-colonies-utica |title=Exploring the "Urban Colonies" of Utica |website=Haverford College |date=2010-09-16 |access-date=2022-08-20 |archive-date=August 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820013542/https://www.haverford.edu/college-communications/news/exploring-urban-colonies-utica |url-status=live }} Italian immigrants from Basilicata were first to arrive, but most later immigrants came from the regions of Apulia, Lazio, Calabria, and Abruzzo, with an unusually large number from the village of Alberobello in Apulia. A smaller number came from Sicily than is typical for most Italian-American communities.{{Cite journal |last=Bean |first=Philip A. |date=2006 |title=Leftists, Ethnic Nationalism, and the Evolution of Italian-American Identity and Politics in Utica's "Colonia" |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23183387 |journal=New York History |volume=87 |issue=4 |pages=423–474 |jstor=23183387 |issn=0146-437X |access-date=January 16, 2023 |archive-date=January 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116003434/https://www.jstor.org/stable/23183387 |url-status=live }}

The remainder of sizable ethnic groups include, as approximations: Slavs (18%) broken down as Poles (8.3%), Bosnians (7%) and Eastern Slavs at a combined (2.7%). Irish (11.3%), African Americans (10.5%), German (10.3%), ethnically English or American residents (8%), Puerto Ricans (6.8%). Burmese (3.5%), French and French-Canadians (2.7%), Arabs and Lebanese (2%), (non-Hispanic) Caribbean West Indies (1.8%), Dominicans (1.5%), Vietnamese (1.5%) and Cambodians (.7%). Iroquois or other (non-Hispanic) Amerindians (.3%).{{cite web |title=American FactFinder |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/PCT5/0600000US3606576540 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=May 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213125535/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/PCT5/0600000US3606576540 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead}}

Median income per Utica household was $30,818. Per capita income was $17,653, and 29.6% of the population were below the poverty threshold.

During the mid-19th century, Utica's canals and railroads supported industries producing furniture, locomotive headlights, steam gauges, firearms, textiles and lumber.{{Sfn|Childs|1900|p=25}}{{Cite book |title=New York: A Guide to the Empire State |publisher=North American Book Dist LLC |date=1974 |isbn=978-0-4030-2151-2 |last=Writers' Program. New York |pages=353–355}} World War I sparked the growth of Savage Arms, which produced the Lewis gun for the British Army,{{cite web |title=Savage Arms History |url=http://www.savagearms.com/history |website=Savage Arms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518091456/http://www.savagearms.com/history |archive-date=18 May 2015}} and the city prospered as one of the wealthiest per capita in the United States.{{Sfn|Thomas|Smith|2009|p=64}}

In the early 20th century, the local textile industry began to decline, which had a significant impact on the local economy. The boll weevil adversely affected Southern cotton crops in this period. During the late 1940s, air-conditioned mills opened in the southern United States, and jobs were lost as factories were moved south, where labor costs were lower because "right to work" laws weakened unions. Other industries also moved out of the city during a general restructuring in older industrial cities.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=38}} New industries to rise in the city were electronics manufacturing (led by companies such as General Electric, which produced transistor radios),{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=117}} machinery and equipment, and food processing.{{cite web |title=Utica {{!}} Buildings {{!}} Emporis |url=http://www.emporis.com/city/101638/utica-ny-usa |publisher=Emporis |access-date=May 8, 2015 |archive-date=May 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511124855/http://www.emporis.com/city/101638/utica-ny-usa |url-status=usurped}}

File:Brewing tanks.jpg at the Matt Brewing Company in West Utica, producer of Saranac beer]]

The city struggled to make a transition to new industries. During the second half of the 20th century, the city's recessions were longer than the national average.{{cite web |title=The Regional Economy of Upstate New York |url=http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/regional_economy/upstate/spring2002.pdf |website=New York Fed |access-date=April 15, 2015 |publisher=Federal Reserve Bank of New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419231037/http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/regional_economy/upstate/spring2002.pdf |archive-date=April 19, 2015}} The exodus of defense companies (such as Lockheed Martin, formed from the merger of the Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta in 1995) and the electrical-manufacturing industry played a major role in Utica's recent economic distress. From 1975 to 2001, the city's economic growth rate was similar to that of Buffalo, while other upstate New York cities such as Rochester and Binghamton outperformed both.

In the early 21st century, the Mohawk Valley economy is based on logistics, industrial processes, machinery, and industrial services.{{cite web |title=Mohawk Valley {{!}} START-UP NY |url=http://startup.ny.gov/mohawk-valley/ |access-date=December 13, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714150030/http://startup.ny.gov/mohawk-valley/ |archive-date=July 14, 2015 }} In Rome, the former Griffiss Air Force Base has remained a regional employer as a technology center. The Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona is a tourist destination, with a number of expansions during the 1990s and 2000s.{{Sfn|Bottini|Davis|2007|p=x}}

Utica's larger employers include the CONMED Corporation (a surgical-device and orthotics manufacturer){{cite web |title=DEC has eye on contamination at ConMed site |url=http://www.uticaod.com/article/20150104/NEWS/150109893 |access-date=April 23, 2015 |first=S. Alexander |last=Gerould |date=January 4, 2015 |website=Observer-Dispatch |publisher=GateHouse Media |archive-date=April 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150423065007/http://www.uticaod.com/article/20150104/NEWS/150109893 |url-status=live}} and the Mohawk Valley Health System, the city's primary health care system.{{cite news |url=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/conmed-corporation/index.html |title=CONMED Corporation News |work=The New York Times |date=2008 |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=April 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417101333/http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/conmed-corporation/index.html |url-status=dead}}

Construction, such as the North-South Arterial Highway project, supports the public-sector job market.{{Cite news |url=http://www.uticaod.com/x1942604939/DOT-unveils-accelerated-time-frame-for-Arterial-project |title=DOT unveils accelerated time frame for Arterial project |last=Miner |first=Dan |date=May 3, 2012 |work=Observer-Dispatch |access-date=April 18, 2015}} Although passenger and commercial traffic on the Erie Canal has declined greatly since the 19th century, the barge canal still allows heavy cargo to travel through Utica at low cost, bypassing the New York State Thruway and providing intermodal freight transport with the railroads.{{cite web |url=http://www.canals.ny.gov/business/modern-freightway.pdf |title=New York State Canal System, Modern Freight-Way |date=May 2010 |access-date=April 24, 2015 |website=New York State Canal Corporation |last=Goodban Belt, LLC |archive-date=May 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512205733/http://www.canals.ny.gov/business/modern-freightway.pdf |url-status=live}}

{{Infobox UCR

|aggravated_assault = 237

|city_name = Utica, New York

|year = 2014{{cite web |title=Crime, Arrest and Firearm Activity Report: Utica Index Crimes |url=http://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/crimnet/ojsa/greenbook.pdf |website=Division of Criminal Justice Services |access-date=23 August 2015 |archive-date=May 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503023511/https://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/crimnet/ojsa/greenbook.pdf |url-status=live }}

|source_url = http://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/crimnet/ojsa/greenbook.pdf

|violent_crime = 390 {{increase}}

|homicide = 6

|forcible_rape =22

|robbery = 125

|burglary = 432

|larceny_theft = 1,845

|motor_vehicle_theft = 107

|property_crime = 2,384 {{decrease}}

|source_name = Utica City Police Department

|notes = Arson data not provided; 2014 est. population: 61,332

}}

{{stack|{{Multiple image

| header = Government

| align = right

| direction = vertical

| width = 220

| image1 = Utica, New York City Hall.jpg

| caption1 = Utica City Hall

| image2 = Oneida County Courthouse.jpg

| caption2 = The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York has offices in the Alexander Pirnie Federal Building

}}}}

Republican Michael P. Galime was elected to a four-year term as mayor in 2023, and took office at the start of 2024.{{Cite web |last=Caputo |first=Thomas|date=2024-01-01 |title=Michael Galime sworn in as next mayor of Utica |url=https://www.romesentinel.com/news/michael-galime-utica-mayor-sworn-in/article_0e1fc898-a8bf-11ee-a6a0-d3bb9f935c1f.html |access-date=2024-01-01 |website=Rome Sentinel |language=en}}

The common council consists of 10 members, six of whom are elected from single-member districts. The other four, including its president, are elected at-large.{{cite web |title=Common Council |url=http://www.cityofutica.com/government/common-council/index |website=City of Utica |access-date=April 16, 2015 |archive-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411041713/http://www.cityofutica.com/government/common-council/index |url-status=live}} Utica has a Strong mayor-council form of government. The council has eight standing committees for issues including transportation, education, finance and public safety.{{cite web |title=Standing Committees |url=http://www.cityofutica.com/government/common-council/standing-committees/index |website=City of Utica |access-date=April 16, 2015 |archive-date=May 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510115414/http://www.cityofutica.com/government/common-council/standing-committees/index |url-status=dead}} There is a relative balance between the Democratic and Republican parties, a change from the predominantly single-party politics of the 20th century.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|pp=145–149}} Throughout the 1950s, Democrats held the mayor's office and a majority on the city council, under the control of Rufus Elefante's political machine.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=37}}

Utica is in New York's 22nd congressional district, which has been represented by Democrat John Mannion since 2025. The city is served by the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, with offices in the Alexander Pirnie Federal Building.{{cite web |title=Utica {{!}} Northern District of New York {{!}} United States District Court |url=http://www.nynd.uscourts.gov/content/utica |website=United States Court, Northern District of New York |access-date=April 21, 2015 |archive-date=April 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408080604/http://www.nynd.uscourts.gov/content/utica |url-status=live}}

According to the comptroller's office, Utica's governmental expenses totaled $79.3 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=79300000|start_year=2014}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) in 2014 (a net increase of $940,000 from the previous year).{{cite web |title=Financial Statements and Required Reports Under OMB Circular A-133 as of March 31, 2014 |author=Bonadio & Co., LLP |url=http://www.cityofutica.com/Assets/forms/City%20of%20Utica%202014%20FS%20Final.pdf |publisher=City of Utica |access-date=April 16, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923204415/http://www.cityofutica.com/Assets/forms/City%20of%20Utica%202014%20FS%20Final.pdf |url-status=live}} The 2015–16 budget proposes general-fund spending of $66.3 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=66300000|start_year=2015}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofutica.com/Assets/Departments/Budget/City-Budget/2015-2016%20E&A%20Approved%20Budget.pdf |title=2015-2016 Board of E & A Approved Budget |date=February 13, 2015 |access-date=April 15, 2015 |website=City of Utica |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923204331/http://www.cityofutica.com/Assets/Departments/Budget/City-Budget/2015-2016%20E%26A%20Approved%20Budget.pdf |url-status=live}} City taxes collected in 2014 were $25,972,930, with a tax rate per thousand of $25.24.

According to the city's police department, there were six murders, 125 robberies, 22 rapes, and 237 assaults in 2014 (an increase from the previous year, representing a violent-crime rate of 0.6 percent). There were 432 burglaries, 1,845 larcenies and 107 motor-vehicle thefts (a decrease from 2013, representing a property-crime rate of 3.8 percent). Compared to other cities in New York, Utica's crime rate is generally low.{{Cite book |title=Cities Ranked & Rated: More Than 400 Metropolitan Areas Evaluated in the U.S. and Canada |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |date=May 7, 2007 |isbn=978-0-4700-6864-9 |first1=Bert |last1=Sperling |first2=Peter J. |last2=Sander |page=[https://archive.org/details/citiesrankedrate00bert/page/762 762] |url=https://archive.org/details/citiesrankedrate00bert/page/762}}{{cite web |title=Crime, Arrest and Firearm Activity Report |url=http://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/crimnet/ojsa/greenbook.pdf |website=Division of Criminal Justice Services |access-date=April 23, 2015 |date=January 31, 2015 |publisher=New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services |publication-date=March 6, 2015 |archive-date=May 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503023511/https://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/crimnet/ojsa/greenbook.pdf |url-status=live}} The Utica Police Department patrols the city, and law enforcement is also under the jurisdiction of the Oneida County Sheriff's Office and the New York State Police.{{cite web |title=Law Enforcement Division - Oneida County Sheriff |url=http://oneidacountysheriff.us/le/lemain.aspx |website=Oneida County Sheriff's Office |access-date=May 8, 2015 |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518084824/http://oneidacountysheriff.us/le/lemain.aspx |url-status=dead}} The Utica Fire Department coordinates four engines, two truck companies, and rescue, HAZMAT and medical operations with a 123-person crew.{{cite web |title=Fire Department |url=http://www.cityofutica.com/departments/fire-department/index |website=City of Utica |access-date=May 8, 2015 |archive-date=April 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150430060643/http://www.cityofutica.com/departments/fire-department/index |url-status=live}}

{{clear}}

File:Boilermaker race.jpg]]

Utica's position in the northeastern United States has allowed the blending of cultures and traditions. It shares characteristics with other cities in Central New York including its dialect group (Inland Northern American English, which is also present in other Rust Belt cities such as Buffalo, Elmira and Erie, Pennsylvania).{{Cite book |title=Let's Go 2005 USA: With Coverage of Canada |publisher=St. Martin's Press |date=December 13, 2004 |isbn=978-0-3123-3557-1 |first1=Katy |last1=Bartelma |page=[https://archive.org/details/letsgousawithcov0000unse/page/642 642] |url=https://archive.org/details/letsgousawithcov0000unse/page/642}}

Utica shares a cuisine with the mid-Atlantic states, with local and regional influences. Its melting pot of immigrant and refugee cuisines,{{cite news |last1=Santos |first1=Fernanda |title=Where Young Refugees Find a Place to Fit In |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/21/nyregion/21utica.html?pagewanted=all |website=The New York Times |access-date=April 9, 2015 |date=October 21, 2006 |archive-date=July 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706235731/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/21/nyregion/21utica.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live}} including Dutch, Italian, German, Irish and Bosnian,{{cite news |last1=Hartman |first1=Susan |title=A New Life for Refugees, and the City They Adopted |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/11/nyregion/a-new-life-for-refugees-and-the-city-they-adopted.html |website=New York Times |access-date=April 9, 2015 |date=August 10, 2014 |archive-date=May 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529160903/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/11/nyregion/a-new-life-for-refugees-and-the-city-they-adopted.html |url-status=live}} have introduced dishes such as ćevapi and pasticciotti{{efn|Locally known as "pusties"{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofutica.com/community/quality-of-life/index |title=Quality of Life |access-date=April 17, 2015 |website=City of Utica |archive-date=April 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417123916/http://www.cityofutica.com/community/quality-of-life/index |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Nadeau |first1=Mary |date=September 11, 2008 |url=http://www.uticaod.com/article/20080911/News/309119867 |title=A bright outlook on life |work=Observer-Dispatch |publisher=GateHouse Media |access-date=April 22, 2015 |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204447/https://www.uticaod.com/obituaries/story-obituaries-2008-09-11-robert-e-herman-75-63902194007 |url-status=live}} |group=nb}} to the community.{{cite web |title=From riggies to cevapi, immigrants have shaped Utica's food scene |url=http://roc.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100620/LIVING/6200319/From-riggies-cevapi-immigrants-shaped-Utica-s-food-scene |website=Democrat and Chronicle |access-date=April 20, 2015 |last=Miltner |first=Karen |publisher=Gannett |date=June 20, 2010 |archive-date=April 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150420011204/http://roc.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100620/LIVING/6200319/From-riggies-cevapi-immigrants-shaped-Utica-s-food-scene |url-status=live}}{{Cite book |title=Insight Guides: USA on the Road |publisher=Apa Publications (UK) Limited |date=February 25, 2013 |isbn=978-1-7800-5632-6 |chapter=New York State}} Utica staple foods include chicken riggies,{{cite web |last1=Monaski |first1=Jeff |title=Utica Native Shares Chicken Riggies Recipe With Taste Of Home Magazine |url=http://wibx950.com/utica-native-share-chicken-riggies-recipe-with-taste-of-home-magazine/ |website=WIBX 950AM |access-date=April 20, 2015 |date=June 6, 2013 |publisher=Townsquare Media |archive-date=April 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413191725/http://wibx950.com/utica-native-share-chicken-riggies-recipe-with-taste-of-home-magazine/ |url-status=live}} Utica greens,{{cite web |last1=Baber |first1=Cassaundra |title=Next Food Network star: Utica greens |url=http://www.uticaod.com/x1793480020/The-Next-Food-Network-Star-Utica-greens |website=Utica Observer-Dispatch |access-date=April 15, 2015 |date=January 11, 2010 |publisher=GateHouse Media}} half-moons,{{cite web |last1=Levine |first1=Ed |author-link=Ed Levine |title=The Best Black and White Cookies? Half-Moons? Amerikaners? |url=http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2008/01/the-best-black-and-white-cookies.html |website=New York Serious Eats |date=January 15, 2008 |access-date=April 15, 2015 |publisher=Serious Eats |archive-date=April 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416045432/http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2008/01/the-best-black-and-white-cookies.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Are Utica's Halfmoon Cookies 'Today Show' Bound?! |url=http://lite987.com/are-uticas-halfmoon-cookies-today-show-bound/ |website=lite98.7 |access-date=April 20, 2015 |last=Hubbell |first=Matt |publisher=Townsquare Media |date=April 16, 2015 |archive-date=April 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427143543/http://lite987.com/are-uticas-halfmoon-cookies-today-show-bound/ |url-status=live}} Italian mushroom stew,{{cite web |title=CNYEats A Taste of Utica Mushroom Stews |url=https://www.applecrumbles.com/2009/11/22/cnyeats-a-taste-of-utica-mushroom-stews/ |website=Apple Crumbles |date=November 22, 2009 |access-date=January 5, 2018 |language=en-US |archive-date=January 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106063912/https://www.applecrumbles.com/2009/11/22/cnyeats-a-taste-of-utica-mushroom-stews/ |url-status=live}} and tomato pie.{{cite web |last1=Russell |first1=Tina |title=O'Scugnizzo Pizzeria: A slice of Utica's history turns 100 |url=http://www.uticaod.com/article/20140806/News/140809683 |website=Utica Observer-Dispatch |access-date=April 15, 2015 |date=August 6, 2014 |publisher=GateHouse Media |archive-date=February 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211081959/https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2014/08/06/thursday-s-weather/36729808007/ |url-status=live }} Other popular dishes are pierogi, penne alla vodka, and sausage and peppers.{{cite web |title=Visitors |url=http://www.cityofutica.com/visiting/index |website=City of Utica |access-date=April 16, 2015 |at=Food |archive-date=April 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410093535/http://www.cityofutica.com/visiting/index |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Quality of Life |url=http://www.cityofutica.com/community/quality-of-life/index |website=www.cityofutica.com |access-date=April 25, 2015 |archive-date=April 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417123916/http://www.cityofutica.com/community/quality-of-life/index |url-status=live}}

Utica has long had ties to the brewing industry. The family-owned Matt Brewing Company (Saranac Brewery) resisted the bankruptcies and plant closings that came with the industry consolidation under a few national brands. As of 2012, it was ranked the 15th-largest brewery by sales in the United States.{{cite web |title=F.X. Matt Brewing Co. / Saranac - Brew Central |url=http://www.brewcentralny.com/venues/f-x-matt-brewing-co-saranac/ |access-date=April 20, 2015 |website=BrewCentralNY.com |archive-date=April 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427151951/http://www.brewcentralny.com/venues/f-x-matt-brewing-co-saranac/ |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |title=Brewers Association Releases Top 50 Breweries of 2012; Top 50 Overall U.S. Brewing Companies (Based on 2012 beer sales volume) |url=http://www.brewersassociation.org/press-releases/brewers-association-releases-top-50-breweries-of-2012/ |access-date=April 20, 2015 |publisher=Brewers Association |date=April 10, 2013 |location=Boulder, CO |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921153444/https://www.brewersassociation.org/press-releases/brewers-association-releases-top-50-breweries-of-2012/ |archive-date=September 21, 2015}} The Brewers Association named the brewery among America's top 35 craft breweries in 2019.{{cite web |last=Andrews |first=Colman |title=Brewing across America: These are the 35 most successful US craft breweries |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/08/07/35-most-successful-craft-breweries-in-america/42116955/ |access-date=2021-11-05 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105195837/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/08/07/35-most-successful-craft-breweries-in-america/42116955/ |url-status=live}}

File:Utica greens in skillet.jpg]]

The annual {{cvt|15|km}} Boilermaker Road Race attracts runners from the region and around the world, including Kenya and Romania.{{cite web |last1=Moses |first1=Sarah |title=Boilermaker Road Race makes changes to registration process for 2015 |url=http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/12/boilermaker_road_race_makes_changes_to_registration_for_2015_race.html |website=Syracuse.com |date=December 3, 2014 |publisher=Syracuse Media Group |access-date=April 18, 2015 |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419020232/http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/12/boilermaker_road_race_makes_changes_to_registration_for_2015_race.html |url-status=live}}{{Cite book |title=Runner's World |publisher=Rodale, Inc. |first=Bill |last=Braine |date=November 2007 |volume=42 |series=11 |pages=119–120 |issn=0897-1706}} The Children's Museum of Natural History, Science and Technology, next to Union Station, opened in 1963. In 2002, the museum partnered with NASA to feature space-related exhibits and events.{{cite news |last1=Sharp |first1=Debbie |title=Opening Set for NASA Exhibits at Utica Children's Museum |url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/news/releases/JO05-017.html |access-date=April 18, 2015 |agency=NASA |date=July 6, 2005 |archive-date=January 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113042112/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/news/releases/JO05-017.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=The Children's Museum of History, Natural History, Science & Technology |url=http://www.cityofutica.com/community/childrens-museum/index |website=City of Utica |access-date=April 18, 2015 |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419012424/http://www.cityofutica.com/community/childrens-museum/index |url-status=dead}} The Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, founded in 1919, hosts rotating exhibits alongside its permanent collection. Since 1999, it is also home to the PrattMWP program in cooperation with the Pratt Institute.{{cite web |title=PrattMWP, Pratt Institute's Utica, NY campus: A Great Choice for Many Art Students |url=http://www.mwpai.edu/about-prattmwp/pratt-utica-campus/ |website=PrattMWP College of Art and Design |publisher=Munson Williams Proctor Art Institute |access-date=April 18, 2015 |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419011436/http://www.mwpai.edu/about-prattmwp/pratt-utica-campus/ |url-status=live}}

The Utica Psychiatric Center is the site of a Greek Revival-style former insane asylum. The Utica crib, a restraining device frequently used at the asylum from the mid-19th century to 1887, was invented there.{{cite web |last1=Burns |first1=Stanley B. |title=19th and 20th century psychiatry: 22 rare photos |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/19th-and-20th-century-psychiatry-22-rare-photos/12/ |website=CBS News |date=September 28, 2011 |publisher=CBS |access-date=April 18, 2015 |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419013028/http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/19th-and-20th-century-psychiatry-22-rare-photos/12/ |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Roth |first1=Amy Neff |title='Old Main' played important role in history of psychiatry |url=http://www.uticaod.com/article/20130426/News/304269861 |access-date=April 18, 2015 |work=Observer-Dispatch |date=April 26, 2013 |publisher=GateHouse Media |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204623/https://www.uticaod.com/story/lifestyle/faith/2013/04/26/winning-at-home/45238514007/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=The Straightjacket and Utica Crib: Diagnostik |url=http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/medmuseum/galleryexhibits/diagnostik/utica.html |website=University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics |publisher=The University of Iowa |access-date=April 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521034429/http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/medmuseum/galleryexhibits/diagnostik/utica.html |archive-date=May 21, 2010 |date=November 2, 2001}} The Stanley Center for the Arts, a mid-sized concert and performance venue, was designed by Thomas W. Lamb in 1928 and today features theatrical and musical performances by local and touring groups.{{cite web |title=About » Stanley Center For The Arts |url=http://www.thestanley.org/about |website=Stanley Center for the Arts |access-date=April 20, 2015 |archive-date=April 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427082840/http://www.thestanley.org/about |url-status=live}} The Hotel Utica, designed by Esenwein & Johnson in 1912, became a nursing and residential-care facility during the 1970s.{{Sfn|Bottini|Davis|2007|p=13}}{{cite web |title=Hotel Utica – A History |url=http://hotelutica.com/?page_id=75 |website=Hotel Utica |access-date=April 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209153435/http://hotelutica.com/?page_id=75 |archive-date=February 9, 2015}} Notable guests had included Franklin D. Roosevelt, Judy Garland and Bobby Darin. It was restored as a hotel in 2001.{{Cite journal |url=http://www.nyfolklore.org/pubs/voic39-1-2/gspirits.html |title=New York's Haunted Bars |last=Tucker |first=Libby |date=2013 |journal=Voices |access-date=April 20, 2015 |issue=Spring-Summer |volume=39 |archive-date=April 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427130211/http://www.nyfolklore.org/pubs/voic39-1-2/gspirits.html |url-status=dead}}

File:The Eagle, Roscoe Conkling Park, Utica, New York - 20210917.jpg

Utica's parks system consists of {{cvt|677|acre}} of parks and recreation centers; most of the city's parks have community centers and swimming pools.{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofutica.com/departments/parks-and-recreation/index |title=Parks and Recreation |access-date=April 19, 2015 |website=City of Utica |archive-date=April 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410093449/http://www.cityofutica.com/departments/parks-and-recreation/index |url-status=live}} Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., who designed New York City's Central Park and Delaware Park in Buffalo, designed the Utica Parks and Parkway Historic District.{{cite web |title=Parks & Open Spaces |url=http://www.cityofutica.com/departments/parks-and-recreation/parks-open-spaces/index |website=www.cityofutica.com |access-date=August 21, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923204432/http://www.cityofutica.com/departments/parks-and-recreation/parks-open-spaces/index |url-status=live}} Olmsted also designed Memorial Parkway, a {{cvt|4|mi|adj=on|spell=in}} tree-lined boulevard connecting the district's parks and encircling the city's southern neighborhoods.{{Cite book |title=Sculpture Space: The Book : for the Artists and Individuals who are Part of the Sculpture Space Story |publisher=Sculpture Space, Incorporated |date=January 1, 2007 |isbn=978-0-9795-9690-2 |last=Vincent |others=Thomas Piché, Sculpture Space (Studio) |pages=63–65 |editor-last=Lin Smith |editor-first=Vincent |editor-last2=Waller |editor-first2=Sydney}}{{cite web |title=Memorial Parkway {{!}} Explore Our Parks {{!}} Central New York Conservancy {{!}} Mohawk Valley |url=http://www.cnyconservancy.org/explore-our-parks/memorial-parkway/ |publisher=Central New York Conservancy |access-date=April 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424045928/http://www.cnyconservancy.org/explore-our-parks/memorial-parkway/ |archive-date=April 24, 2015 |url-status=dead}} The district includes Roscoe Conkling Park, the 62-acre F.T. Proctor Park, the Parkway, and T.R. Proctor Park.{{cite web |title=Proctor Park |url=http://www.oneidacountyhistory.org/Recreation/Recreation.asp |website=Oneida County Historical Society |access-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409043942/http://www.oneidacountyhistory.org/Recreation/Recreation.asp |archive-date=April 9, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}{{cite web |title=Explore Our Parks in Utica, New York |url=http://www.cnyconservancy.org/explore-our-parks/ |publisher=Central New York Conservancy |access-date=April 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426074915/http://www.cnyconservancy.org/explore-our-parks/ |archive-date=April 26, 2015 |url-status=dead}}

The city's municipal golf course, Valley View (designed by golf-course architect Robert Trent Jones), is in the southern part of the city near the town of New Hartford. The Utica Zoo and the Val Bialas Ski Chalet, an urban ski slope featuring skiing, snowboarding, outdoor skating, and tubing, are also in south Utica in Roscoe Conkling Park.{{cite web |title=Val Bialas Sports Center: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow |url=http://www.uticaod.com/x1084476594/Val-Bialas-Sports-Center-Let-it-snow-let-it-snow-let-it-snow |access-date=April 19, 2015 |first=John |last=Pitarresi |date=December 22, 2012 |website=Observer-Dispatch |publisher=GateHouse Media}} Smaller neighborhood parks in the district include Addison Miller Park, Chancellor Park, Pixley Park, Seymour Park, and Wankel Park.{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofutica.com/departments/parks-and-recreation/parks-open-spaces/index |title=Parks & Open Spaces |access-date=April 19, 2015 |website=City of Utica |archive-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411041632/http://www.cityofutica.com/departments/parks-and-recreation/parks-open-spaces/index |url-status=live}}

The Utica Canal Terminal Harbor is connected to the Erie Canal and Mohawk River.

File:Utica Union Station.jpg]]

Griffiss International Airport in Rome primarily serves military and general aviation, and Syracuse Hancock International Airport and Albany International Airport provide regional, domestic, and international passenger air travel in the greater area.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=156}} Amtrak's Empire (two unnamed trains), Maple Leaf, and Lake Shore Limited trains stop at Utica's Union Station. Bus service is provided by the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority (CENTRO), a Syracuse public transport operator which runs 12 lines in Utica and has a downtown hub.{{cite web |url=http://www.centro.org/UticaSchedules.aspx |title=Centro Utica |date=April 1, 2013 |access-date=March 21, 2015 |website=Centro |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318162218/http://centro.org/UticaSchedules.aspx |archive-date=March 18, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}} Intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines, Short Line, Adirondack Trailways, and Birnie Bus Service, with weekday and Saturday service to Syracuse;{{cite web |title=Central New York - Weekday Line Runs |url=http://birniebus.com/pdf/Weekday_Schedule_050813.pdf |website=Birnie Bus Service, Inc |access-date=April 7, 2015 |archive-date=February 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226031818/http://www.birniebus.com/pdf/Weekday_Schedule_050813.pdf |url-status=dead}} both stop at Union Station.{{cite web |title=Greyhound.com, Utica, NY |url=https://www.greyhound.com/en/locations/terminal.aspx?city=151811 |website=Greyhound |access-date=April 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151213063307/http://locations.greyhound.com/bus-stations/search?state=&zip=13502 |archive-date=December 13, 2015}}{{cite web |title=Central New York - Saturday Line Runs |url=http://birniebus.com/pdf/Saturday_Schedule_050813.pdf |publisher=Birnie Bus Service, Inc. |access-date=April 7, 2015 |archive-date=April 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413101224/http://birniebus.com/pdf/Saturday_Schedule_050813.pdf |url-status=live}}

File:Utica, New York 1955 Yellow Book.jpg map of the Interstate Highway System in Utica; Interstates 90 and 790 are in the shaded portion]]

During the 1960s and 1970s, New York state planners envisioned a system of arterial roads in Utica that would include connections to Binghamton and Interstate 81.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|pp=114–115}} Due to community opposition,{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=114}} only parts of the highway project were completed, including the North–South Arterial Highway running through the city.{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|pp=114–115}}{{Cite book |title=Report on State arterial route plans in the Utica urban area |publisher=New York State Department of Public Works |date=1950 |location=University of Michigan}} Six New York State highways, one three-digit interstate highway, and one two-digit interstate highway pass through Utica. New York State Route 49 and State Route 840 are east–west expressways running along Utica's northern and southern borders, respectively, and the eastern terminus of each is in the city. New York State Route 5 and its alternate routes—State Route 5S and State Route 5A—are east–west roads and expressways that pass through Utica. The western terminus of Route 5S and the eastern terminus of Route 5A are both in the city. With Route 5 and Interstate 790 (an auxiliary highway of Interstate 90), New York State Route 12 and State Route 8 form the North–South Arterial Highway.{{cite web |title=Google Maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/North-South+Arterial+Hwy,+Utica,+NY+13502/@43.094478,-75.2639316,13z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x89d94118a9157f7b:0x9c2c185bdc710c33 |website=Google Maps |access-date=August 22, 2015 |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204632/https://www.google.com/gen_204?v=3&s=tactile&action=vtworker&srt=361&tbsrt=419&tran=15&conn=onchange&ei=IC2VYoepDNC3uvQPqqGcgAs&cad=vws:4253.870000131428,cr:wccf10,ct:2,jsv:20220524.0,cz:13,w:1088,h:27227,sc:0,drv:m&e=10202786,10202788,10203448,10203487,10203489,10203509,10203568,10203575,10204034,10204121,10204178,10204258,10204417,10204423,10204507,10204517,10204520,10204567,10204729,10204732,10204743,10205027,10205070,10205123,10205184,10205201,10205255,10205257,10205262,10205270,10205311,10205396,10205401,10205415,10205450,1381033,1368782,1368785,47025228,4592408,1375050,4536287&atyp=csi&rt=noop.0 |url-status=live}}

Electricity in Utica is provided by National Grid plc, a British energy corporation that acquired the city's former electricity provider, Niagara Mohawk, in 2002.{{cite web |title=National Grid - 2002 News Releases |url=http://www.nationalgridus.com/aboutus/a3-1_2002news.asp |website=nationalgridus.com |access-date=April 21, 2015 |archive-date=April 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427111432/http://www.nationalgridus.com/aboutus/a3-1_2002news.asp |url-status=live}} Utica is near the crossroads of major electrical transmission lines,{{cite web |title=New York Transco Transmission Projects |url=http://www.nyseg.com/Transco/default.html |website=New York State Electric & Gas |access-date=April 21, 2015 |archive-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411104453/http://www.nyseg.com/Transco/default.html |url-status=live}} with substations in the town of Marcy. An expansion project by the New York Power Authority, National Grid, Consolidated Edison, and New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) is planned.{{cite web |url=http://www.nypa.gov/TransmissionFiling/Exhibit%20PA-7%20-%20NYPA%20Trans%20List.pdf |title=Major Transmission Facilities Included In and Excluded From the Transmission Revenue Requirement |access-date=April 21, 2015 |publisher=New York Power Authority |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328174827/http://www.nypa.gov/TransmissionFiling/Exhibit%20PA-7%20-%20NYPA%20Trans%20List.pdf |archive-date=March 28, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}{{cite web |title=Proposed power line through Mid-Hudson region stirs concerns |url=http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20131116/proposed-power-line-through-mid-hudson-region-stirs-concerns |access-date=April 21, 2015 |first=William J. |last=Kemble |publisher=21st Century Media |website=The Daily Freeman |date=November 16, 2013 |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518100344/http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20131116/proposed-power-line-through-mid-hudson-region-stirs-concerns |url-status=live}} In 2009 city businesses (including Utica College and St. Luke's Medical Center) developed a microgrid, and in 2012 the Utica City Council explored the possibility of a public, city-owned power company.{{cite web |title=Mini electric stations, such as at Faxton St. Luke's, being touted |url=http://www.uticaod.com/article/20140918/News/140919514/?Start=1 |access-date=April 21, 2015 |first=Amy |last=Roth |date=September 18, 2014 |website=Observer-Dispatch |publisher=GateHouse Media |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204623/https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2014/09/18/mini-electric-stations-such-as/36381691007/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite book |title=Metropolitan Sustainability: Understanding and Improving the Urban Environment |publisher=Elsevier |date=September 11, 2012 |isbn=978-0-8570-9646-3 |first=F. |last=Zeman |page=544}}{{Cite news |title=Utica forming panel to study possibility of new power system |url=http://www.uticaod.com/x430726587/Utica-forming-panel-to-study-possibility-of-establishing-electric-utility |access-date=April 21, 2015 |first=Dan |last=Miner |date=January 26, 2012 |work=Observer-Dispatch |publisher=GateHouse Media}} Utica's natural gas is provided by National Grid{{cite web |title=Proceeding To Examine Policies Regarding the Expansion of Natural Gas Service Case 12-G-0297 |url=https://www3.dps.ny.gov/W/PSCWeb.nsf/96f0fec0b45a3c6485257688006a701a/01addbdc8541da9885257ae9005cfd4b/$FILE/ATT1STSB.pdf/9-National%20Grid%20-%20Upstate%20(final).pdf |website=New York State Public Service Commission |access-date=April 21, 2015 |date=January 9, 2013 |publisher=National Grid |archive-date=June 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618082707/https://www3.dps.ny.gov/W/PSCWeb.nsf/96f0fec0b45a3c6485257688006a701a/01addbdc8541da9885257ae9005cfd4b/$FILE/ATT1STSB.pdf/9-National%20Grid%20-%20Upstate%20(final).pdf |url-status=live}} and NYSEG.{{Cite news |title=National Grid requests $400,000 from city |url=http://www.uticaod.com/x497786472/National-Grid-requests-400-000-from-city |access-date=April 21, 2015 |first=David |last=Handelman |work=Observer-Dispatch}}{{cite web |title=Service Area |url=http://www.nyseg.com/OurCompany/servicearea.html |publisher=New York State Electric & Gas |access-date=April 21, 2015 |archive-date=April 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414085858/http://www.nyseg.com/OurCompany/servicearea.html |url-status=live}}

Municipal solid waste is collected and disposed of weekly by the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority,{{cite web |title=City of Utica Garbage & Recycling: Collection & Disposal Information |url=http://www.ohswa.org/assets/Uploads/CITY-OF-UTICA/Bro-CityofUtica-WebsitePostingBrochure-20150409-jlt.pdf |website=Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority |access-date=April 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427124702/http://www.ohswa.org/assets/Uploads/CITY-OF-UTICA/Bro-CityofUtica-WebsitePostingBrochure-20150409-jlt.pdf |archive-date=April 27, 2015}} a public-benefit corporation that coordinates single-stream recycling, waste reduction, composting, and the disposal of hazardous materials and demolition debris.{{cite web |title=About Us » Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority |url=http://www.ohswa.org/about-us |website=Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority |access-date=April 21, 2015 |archive-date=April 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427111453/http://www.ohswa.org/about-us |url-status=live}} Utica's wastewater is treated by the Mohawk Valley Water Authority, with a capacity of 32 million gallons per day.{{cite web |url=http://www.mvwa.us/WaterQuality.htm |title=Water Quality |access-date=April 20, 2015 |publisher=Mohawk Valley Water Authority |archive-date=April 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427111256/http://www.mvwa.us/WaterQuality.htm |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.mvwa.us/WQReport2014-long.pdf |title=Water Quality Report 2014 |date=2014 |access-date=April 20, 2015 |publisher=Mohawk Valley Water Authority |archive-date=April 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427111529/http://www.mvwa.us/WQReport2014-long.pdf |url-status=live}} Utica's drinking water comes from the stream-fed Hinckley Reservoir in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, with {{cvt|700|mi}} of piping throughout the city.{{cite web |title=Region boasts plentiful, clean water |url=http://www.uticaod.com/article/20150927/NEWS/150929547 |access-date=September 27, 2015 |first=Elizabeth |last=Cooper |date=September 27, 2015 |website=Observer Dispatch |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204711/https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2015/09/27/region-boasts-plentiful-clean-water/33436443007/ |url-status=live}}

File:Wynn Hospital, Utica, New York.jpg

The Wynn Hospital opened October 2023 in downtown Utica. This $650 million facility replaced the 66-year-old Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare hospital and the 106-year old St. Elizabeth Medical Center, both of which are now closed.{{cite news |last1=Roth |first1=Amy Neff |title=Wynn Hospital opens Sunday: What you need to know |url=https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2023/10/27/wynn-hospital-opening-downtown-st-elizabeth-st-lukes-closing/71340484007/ |access-date=30 October 2023 |publisher=Utica Observer-Dispatch |date=27 October 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Roth |first1=Amy Neff |title='Bittersweet' Sunday as St. Luke's, St. Elizabeth close, Wynn Hospital opens |url=https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2023/10/30/wynn-hospital-utica-opens-st-elizabeth-st-lukes-close/71378671007/ |access-date=30 October 2023 |publisher=Utica Observer Dispatch |date=30 October 2023}} Wynn is part of the Mohawk Valley Health System, a non-profit formed in 2014 by the merger of Faxton St. Luke's Healthcare and St. Elizabeth Medical Center.{{Cite web|title=Faxton St. Luke's, St. Elizabeth Inch Closer to Finishing Merger|url=https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-transactions-and-valuation/faxton-st-luke-s-st-elizabeth-inch-closer-to-finishing-merger.html|website=Becker's Hospital Review|access-date=2020-05-03|date=2013-12-19|archive-date=2020-09-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930103701/https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-transactions-and-valuation/faxton-st-luke-s-st-elizabeth-inch-closer-to-finishing-merger.html|url-status=live}}

{{Clear}}

File:Aerial photo of SUNYIT in Fall 2011.jpg from south to north]]

Like Ithaca and Syracuse, Utica has a mix of public and private colleges and universities; three state colleges and four private colleges are in the Utica–Rome metropolitan area. SUNY Polytechnic Institute, on a 400-acre campus in Marcy, has over 2,000 students{{cite web |url=https://www.suny.edu/campuses/sunyit/ |title=Campuses / SUNY Polytechnic Institute (formerly SUNYIT) |access-date=April 18, 2015 |website=The State University of New York |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204711/https://www.suny.edu/campuses/sunyit/ |url-status=live}} and is one of 14 doctorate-granting universities of the State University of New York (SUNY).{{cite web |url=https://www.suny.edu/programsearch/mapSetup.do |title=SUNY Graduate Campuses |work=SUNY |access-date=May 31, 2022}} Mohawk Valley Community College is the largest college between Syracuse and Albany with nearly 7,000 students,{{cite web |title=About MVCC |url=http://www.mvcc.edu/about-mvcc |publisher=Mohawk Valley Community College |access-date=April 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419153617/https://www.mvcc.edu/about-mvcc |archive-date=April 19, 2015}} and an Empire State College location serves Utica and Rome.{{cite web |title=Utica {{!}} Central New York {{!}} SUNY Empire State College |url=https://www.esc.edu/central-new-york/locations/utica/ |website=www.esc.edu |access-date=August 22, 2015 |archive-date=August 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823071012/http://www.esc.edu/central-new-york/locations/utica/ |url-status=live}}

File:TRProctorHighSchool.jpg]]

Formerly a satellite campus of Syracuse University, Utica University (Utica College before 2022) is a four-year private liberal arts college with over 3,000 students.{{cite web |url=http://www.utica.edu/instadvance/marketingcomm/about/ |title=About Utica College |access-date=April 18, 2015 |publisher=Utica College |archive-date=April 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408080424/http://www.utica.edu/instadvance/marketingcomm/about/ |url-status=live}} Established in 1904, St. Elizabeth College of Nursing partners with regional institutions to grant nursing degrees.{{cite web |title=History {{!}} St. Elizabeth College of Nursing {{!}} Utica, NY |url=http://www.secon.edu/about/history/ |website=St. Elizabeth College of Nursing |access-date=April 24, 2015 |archive-date=May 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511030510/http://www.secon.edu/about/history/ |url-status=live}} Pratt Institute offers a local two-year fine-arts course through its satellite campus at Munson.{{cite web |title=Pratt BFA Degrees {{!}} Top Ranked Design & Fine Arts Programs » PrattMWP |url=http://www.mwpai.edu/academics |website=PrattMWP College of Art and Design |access-date=April 24, 2015 |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419071355/http://www.mwpai.edu/academics/ |url-status=live}} The Utica School of Commerce, a for-profit business college, closed at the end of 2016.{{cite web |url=http://www.uticaod.com/news/20161205/utica-school-of-commerce-closing-after-120-years |title=Utica School of Commerce closing after 120 years |author=Amy Roth, Utica Observer-Dispatch |date=December 5, 2016 |work=Utica Observer-Dispatch |access-date=December 30, 2016 |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204711/https://www.uticaod.com/errors/404/ |url-status=live}}

The Utica City School District has a boundary that coincides with that of the city.{{cite web|last=DiNapoli|first=Thomas P.|url=https://www.osc.ny.gov/files/local-government/audits/2017-11/lgsa-audit-school-2014-utica.pdf|title=Utica City School District Financial Condition Report of Examination Period Covered: July 1, 2011 — March 31, 2013 2013M-341|publisher=Office of the New York State Comptroller|access-date=2024-12-27|page=3 (PDF p. 4/15)|quote=The Utica City School District (District) is a small city school district whose boundaries are the same as the City of Utica (City) in Oneida County.}}
See also: {{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36065_oneida/DC20SD_C36065.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Oneida County, NY|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2024-12-27}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36065_oneida/DC20SD_C36065_SD2MS.txt Text list] It had an enrollment of nearly 10,000 in 2012{{cite web |url=http://febp.newamerica.net/k12/NY/3629370 |title=Utica City School District |date=2012 |access-date=April 17, 2015 |website=Federal Education Budget Project |publisher=New America Foundation |archive-date=June 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626135604/http://febp.newamerica.net/k12/NY/3629370 |url-status=live}} and as of 2015 is the most racially diverse school district in Upstate New York.{{cite news |last1=Scott Thomas |first1=G |title=Utica scores highest in Upstate New York for racial diversity in public schools |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2015/06/25/di1.html |access-date=June 25, 2015 |work=Buffalo Business First |publisher=American City Business Journals |date=June 25, 2015 |archive-date=June 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626102716/http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2015/06/25/di1.html |url-status=live}} District schools include Thomas R. Proctor High School, James H. Donovan Middle School, John F Kennedy middle school and ten elementary schools. Utica's original public high school, the Utica Free Academy, closed in 1987.{{cite web |title=UFA to celebrate 200 years of memories, milestones |url=http://www.uticaod.com/article/20140405/News/140409495 |access-date=April 19, 2015 |date=April 5, 2014 |website=Observer-Dispatch |last=Tracey |first=Sarah |publisher=GateHouse Media |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530204712/https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/education/2014/04/05/ufa-to-celebrate-200-years/37766214007/ |url-status=live}} The city is also home to Notre Dame Junior Senior High School, a small Catholic high school founded in 1959 by the Xaverian Brothers.{{cite web |url=http://www.ndjugglers.org/history.htm |title=School History |publisher=Notre Dame High School website |author=NDHS |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416112928/http://www.ndjugglers.org/history.htm |archive-date=April 16, 2007 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 11, 2007}}

File:Utica Public Library.jpg]]

The first public library in Utica was founded in 1838. The library's location moved several times until construction of Utica Public Library was completed in 1904.{{Cite web |title=Library History |url=https://www.uticapubliclibrary.org/about/history/ |access-date=2023-08-23 |website=Utica Public Library}} Utica Public Library is part of the tri-county Mid-York Library System, which is also based in Utica. Both institutions are chartered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.{{cite web |title=About MYLS |url=http://myls.ent.sirsi.net/client/default/?rm=ABOUT1%7C%7C%7C1%7C%7C%7C0%7C%7C%7Ctrue |website=Mid York Library System |access-date=June 18, 2015 |archive-date=January 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112215141/http://myls.ent.sirsi.net/client/default/?rm=ABOUT1%7C%7C%7C1%7C%7C%7C0%7C%7C%7Ctrue |url-status=live}}

File:Utica Memorial Arena after renovation, 2016-02-07.jpg after renovations, 2016]]

Utica is home to the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL), a team affiliated with the National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils. The team was established in Utica for the 2013–14 season when the Vancouver Canucks relocated their AHL franchise.{{cite web |title=Utica Comets to join AHL in 2013-14 |url=http://theahl.com/utica-comets-to-join-ahl-in-2013-14-p184568 |publisher=American Hockey League |access-date=June 14, 2013 |date=June 14, 2013 |website=TheAHL.com |archive-date=November 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104062400/http://theahl.com/utica-comets-to-join-ahl-in-2013-14-p184568 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |title=Introducing the Utica Comets of the AHL {{!}} ProHockeyTalk |url=http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2013/06/14/introducing-the-utica-comets-of-the-ahl/ |access-date=December 13, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906154353/http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2013/06/14/introducing-the-utica-comets-of-the-ahl/ |archive-date=September 6, 2015 }} The 3,815-seat Utica Memorial Auditorium, or "the Aud", is home to the Comets and the Utica University Pioneers. The Utica Devils played in the AHL from 1987 to 1993, and the Utica Bulldogs (1993–94), Utica Blizzard (1994–1997), and Mohawk Valley Prowlers (1998–2001) were members of the United Hockey League (UHL).{{cite web |title=United Hockey League history and statistics at hockeydb.com |url=http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/61.html |website=hockeydb.com |access-date=April 20, 2015 |archive-date=April 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425071554/http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/61.html |url-status=live}} In April 2024, the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship was played at the Aud.{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/iihf-women-world-championship-final-canada-usa-gold-medal-game|title=Canada edges US in overtime for women's hockey world title|publisher=NBC Sports|language=English|date=14 April 2024|accessdate=15 April 2024}}

Since 2018, the city is also home to Utica City FC, the former Syracuse Silver Knights, a professional indoor soccer team playing in the Major Arena Soccer League.{{cite web |url=http://www.maslsoccer.com/news/the-masl-is-coming-to-utica |title=The MASL Is Coming to Utica |date=June 13, 2018 |access-date=September 1, 2018 |archive-date=June 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614071653/http://www.maslsoccer.com/news/the-masl-is-coming-to-utica |url-status=live}}

The city was home to the Utica Blue Sox (1939–2001), a New York–Penn League baseball team also affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays and, later, the Miami Marlins. Other former baseball teams included the Utica Asylums (1900) and the Boston Braves-affiliated Utica Braves (1939–42).{{Cite book |title=Baseball Team Names: A Worldwide Dictionary, 1869-2011 |publisher=McFarland |date=February 26, 2013 |isbn=978-0-7864-6844-7 |first=Richard |last=Worth |page=311}} Since 2008, the city has been home to a collegiate summer baseball team also called the Blue Sox.

Utica is served by three stations affiliated with major television networks: WKTV 2 (NBC; CBS on DT2),{{cite web |url=http://www.wktv.com/news/business/WKTV_bringing_CBS_affiliation_to_Utica.html |title=WKTV bringing CBS affiliation to Utica |publisher=WKTV |date=October 26, 2015 |access-date=December 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126015021/http://www.wktv.com/news/business/WKTV_bringing_CBS_affiliation_to_Utica.html |archive-date=November 26, 2015 |url-status=dead}} WUTR 20 (ABC), and WFXV 33 (Fox; CW on DT2). PBS member station WCNY-TV in Syracuse operates translator W22DO-D on channel 24. Several low-power television stations, such as WPNY-LD 11 (MyNetworkTV), also broadcast in the area. Cable television viewers are served by the Syracuse office of Charter Communications (doing business as Charter Spectrum), which produces Spectrum News Central New York and carries public-access channels.{{cite web |url=http://www.twcnews.com/nys/central-ny/about-us.html |title=About TWC News |access-date=April 19, 2015 |website=TWC News |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419083729/http://www.twcnews.com/nys/central-ny/about-us.html |url-status=live}} Dish Network and DirecTV provide satellite television customers with local broadcast channels.{{cite web |url=http://dish.client.shareholder.com/common/download/download.cfm?companyid=DISH&fileid=376929&filekey=9D0ABDA1-CC59-47BC-82E7-CD92F1737F91&filename=474211.pdf |title=Dish Network to Become First Pay-TV Provider to Offer Local Broadcast Channels in All 210 Local Television Markets in the United States |date=May 27, 2010 |access-date=April 19, 2015 |website=Dish Network - Investor Relations |publisher=Comtex News Network |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419115651/http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/DISH/166866x0x376929/9D0ABDA1-CC59-47BC-82E7-CD92F1737F91/DISH_News_2010_5_27_General.pdf |archive-date=April 19, 2015}}{{cite web |url=http://www.directv.com/city/utica-ny/ |title=Get DirecTV in Utica |access-date=April 19, 2015 |publisher=DirecTV |archive-date=March 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324161339/http://www.directv.com/city/utica-ny/ |url-status=live}}

Daily newspapers covering Utica news include the Rome Sentinel and the Observer-Dispatch. The city has 26 FM radio stations and nine AM stations. Major station owners in the area include Townsquare Media and Galaxy Communications. In addition to minor popular-culture references,{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=8}}{{Sfn|Thomas|2003|p=121}}{{cite web |url=http://lite987.com/popular-utica/ |title=Utica Gets Plenty of Attention In The Entertainment World: These TV Shows And Movies Prove Utica Is More Popular Than You Think |date=January 6, 2015 |access-date=April 19, 2015 |website=lite98.7 |publisher=Townsquare Media |last=Lynn |first=Naomi |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419093904/http://lite987.com/popular-utica/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite book |title=Howl and Other Poems |last=Ginsberg |first=Allen |publisher=City Light Books |year=1956 |isbn=978-0-8728-6017-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/howlotherpoems00gins/page/24 24] |author-link=Allen Ginsberg |url=https://archive.org/details/howlotherpoems00gins/page/24}} Slap Shot (1977) was partially filmed in Utica, and the city has been featured on the TV series The Office.{{cite web |title=Night Ranger, Gordie Howe and 'Slap Shot' stars coming to Utica Comets' first home game |url=http://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/09/utica_comets_night_ranger_gordie_howe_slap_shot_hanson_brothers.html |date=September 18, 2013 |author=Herbert, Geoff |publisher=Syracuse.com |access-date=August 19, 2015 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924112812/http://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/09/utica_comets_night_ranger_gordie_howe_slap_shot_hanson_brothers.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.uticaod.com/sports/hockey/x1015940764/Hanson-Brothers-will-return-to-Utica-Aud |title='Hanson Brothers' will return to Utica Aud |author=Fran Perritano |date=May 28, 2010 |work=Utica Observer-Dispatch |access-date=September 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209015105/http://www.uticaod.com/sports/hockey/x1015940764/Hanson-Brothers-will-return-to-Utica-Aud |archive-date=February 9, 2013 |url-status=dead}}

{{Main|List of people from Utica, New York}}

{{Portal|Geography|North America|United States|New York (state)}}

• Lower Genesee Street Historic District
• Utica Shale — a geological formation named for Utica
• Timeline of town creation in Central New York
• East Utica

{{Notelist}}

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• {{Cite book |title=Memorial History of Utica, N.Y.: From Its Settlement to the Present Time |last=Bagg |first=M. M. |publisher=D. Mason & Co. Publishers |year=1892 |location=Cornell University Library |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924028826556 |oclc=1837599}}
• {{Cite book |title=Utica |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |date=2007 |isbn=978-0-7385-5496-9 |first1=Joseph P. |last1=Bottini |first2=James L. |last2=Davis}}
• {{Cite book |title=Outline History of Utica and Vicinity |last=Childs |first=L. C. |year=1900 |publisher=New Century Club |location=Utica, New York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4UYVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP11 |oclc=1558992}}
• {{Cite book |title=Underground Railroad in New Jersey and New York |publisher=Stackpole Books |date=2006 |isbn=978-0-8117-3258-1 |first=William J. |last=Switala}}
• {{Cite book |title=In Gotham's Shadow |last=Thomas |first=Alexander R. |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7914-5595-1}}
• {{Cite book |title=Upstate Down: Thinking about New York and Its Discontents |publisher=University Press of America |date=2009 |isbn=978-0-7618-4500-3 |first1=Alexander R. |last1=Thomas |first2=Polly J. |last2=Smith}}

• {{Cite book |title=A Preliminary Report on Major Streets, Utica, New York |url=http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433088079706;view=1up;seq=11 |publisher=Willard Press |date=1921 |first=Harland |last=Bartholomew |oclc=682139143}}
• Briggs, John W. An Italian Passage: Immigrants to Three American Cities (Yale UP, 1978) on Utica NY, Rochester NY, and Kansas City, MO, 1890-1930. [https://archive.org/details/italianpassageim0000brig/page/n8/mode/1up online]
• {{Cite book |title=Utica, the Heart of the Empire State |publisher=Library of Congress |date=1913 |first=T. Harvey |last=Ferris |asin=B00486TJ2C}}
• {{Cite book |title=Ethnic Utica |publisher=Ethnic Heritage Studies Center, Utica College of Syracuse University |date=1994 |isbn=978-0-9668-1785-0 |first=James S. |last=Pula}}
• Koch, Daniel (2023). Land of the Oneidas: Central New York State and the Creation of America, From Prehistory to the Present. Albany: State University of New York Press.
• {{Cite book |title=A Bibliography of the History and Life of Utica; a Centennial Contribution |publisher=Goodenow Print. Co. |date=1932 |oclc=1074083 |last=Utica Public Library}}
• {{cite journal

|title=Utica: the Early Years

|first=Brad

|last=Velardi

|journal=Greater Utica Magazine

|date=December 2024

|pages=7–17}}

{{Sister project links|voy=Utica|Utica, New York}}

• NYPL Digital Gallery, [http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?word=Utica%20%28N%2EY%2E%29&s=3¬word=&f=2 Items related to Utica, NY]
• Library of Congress, Prints & Photos Division, [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=utica%20new%20york Items related to Utica, NY]
• SkyscraperPage, [http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=3174 Diagram of skyscrapers in Utica, NY]

{{Geographic location

| Center = City of Utica

| North = Town of Marcy
{{small|Erie Canal and Mohawk River}}

| Northeast = Town of Deerfield
File:I-90.svg File:I-790.svg File:NYS Thruway Sign.svg {{small|I-90, I-790;
New York State Thruway}}

| East = Herkimer County
{{small|Towns of Frankfort and Schuyler}}

| Southeast = Herkimer County
{{small|Towns of Frankfort and Schuyler}}

| South = Town of New Hartford
Herkimer County
{{small|Town of Frankfort}}

| Southwest = Town of New Hartford
{{small|Village of New Hartford}}

| West = Towns of Whitestown and New Hartford
{{small|Villages of Whitesboro, Yorkville, and New York Mills}}

| Northwest = Towns of Whitestown and Marcy
{{small|Villages of Whitesboro, Yorkville and New York Mills}}

}}

{{Navboxes

|title = Articles relating to Utica, New York

|state = expanded

|list =

{{City of Utica, New York|state=expanded}}

{{Oneida County, New York}}

{{Central New York colleges}}

{{New York}}

{{Hudson River}}

{{New York county seats}}

}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in New York (state)

Category:County seats in New York (state)

Category:Cities in Oneida County, New York

Category:Populated places on the Mohawk River

Category:1798 establishments in New York (state)

Category:Populated places established in 1798

Category:Utica–Rome metropolitan area