Utica Facts
Fact 1: When the Erie Canal was completed in 1825, it linked the Hudson River and Lake Erie, providing a convenient travel route from the Eastern Seaboard to Midwestern markets. The canal helped New York City maintain its prominence and bolstered trade until railroads appeared on the scene. In the early 19th century, the canal was filled in and replaced by a newer, relocated version. In Utica, the original canal now lies beneath Oriskany Boulevard.
Fact 2: Although not as well-known as the South's grits or Maryland's crab cakes, Utica's signature dishes are much favored in Central New York. Chief among them are chicken riggies (rigatoni pasta topped with chicken, mushrooms, green peppers, and black olives in tomato cream sauce), tomato pie (square, tomato sauce-topped pizza with grated cheese, often served room temperature), half-moon cookies (frosted half and half with vanilla and chocolate), Utica greens (sauteed escarole with hot peppers and prosciutto bits), and pusties (small, custard-filled pastry shells).
Fact 3: Annette Funicello, one of Disney's original "Mousketeers," was born in Utica in 1942 and discovered by Walt Disney when she danced in a local production of "Swan Lake." Following her run as a child celebrity, she went on to star with Frankie Avalon in a number of "Beach Party" movies. As a side note: Another perennial favorite, Dick Clark, began his broadcasting career in Utica in 1951.
Fact 4: Attested to by its many Italian restaurants, Utica boasts a prominent Italian population. As with the rest of New York, immigrants came in two waves: right after the 1820s and in the decades before WWI. Utica's influx was greatest around 1910 and was fueled by an interest in textiles and manufacturing and the income such jobs could provide.
Fact 5: Baseball has been a favorite spectator sport in Utica since the 19th century. Over the course of the city's history, a variety of teams have called the area home. The most recent of these was the Utica Blue Sox, a farm team for the Florida Marlins, who left Donovan Field in 2002.
Fact 6: Utica and Oneida County have a great deal of American history within their bounds, much of it dating back to the Revolutionary War. However, the city's name hints of a much more exotic history. It recalls the North African city of Utica, founded in 1100 BC by Phoenicians. Allied variously with Carthage and Rome, this original Utica finally met with decimation by Arab invaders in 700 AD.
Fact 7: Although Utica's population has dwindled in past decades, it got a shot in the arm recently with an influx of Bosnian immigrants. Now five thousand strong, the Bosnian community is comprised largely of young, energetic individuals, eager to carve out lives in Central New York. They've created businesses, bought homes, and established themselves broadly, doing much to inject the city with renewed energy.
Fact 8: From 1848 to 1881, Oneida County was the home of the Oneida Community, followers of John Humphrey Noyes. These people believed in communal life and complex marriage, where each follower was thought to be married to every other member of the opposite sex in the group. The utopian community they maintained eventually devolved into a business, and their joint production of silverware became Oneida Limited, a company still based in the area. The group's Mansion House is open for tours in Oneida, NY.
Fact 9: One of Utica's claims to fame is as the "Gateway to the Adirondacks." These mountains, just northeast of town and only a few hours' drive away, offer gorgeous scenery, wildlife, and winter and summer sports, not to mention a variety of retreats, spas, cultural opportunities, and shopping possibilities.
Fact 10: Utica, the county seat of Oneida County, New York, is home to just over 60,000 residents. Utica College, which boasts an undergrad population of 2200, sits in its environs, as does SUNY Institute of Technology. Prominent local industries include textiles and machinery manufacturing.
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