84-451: Eatonville may refer to: Eatonville, Florida , United States Eatonville, Minnesota, United States, an alternative name for the former Dakota village Ḣeyate Otuŋwe Eatonville, Mississippi , United States Eatonville, Ontario , a neighbourhood of the city of Toronto, Canada Eatonville, Nova Scotia , Canada, a ghost town Eatonville, Washington , United States Topics referred to by
168-562: A 30-year average from 1981 to 2010) is 45.7 in (116 cm), falling on an average of 175 days. The city's growth during the 19th century is indicated by the increase in its population; in 1845 the United States Census ranked Utica as the 29th-largest in the country, with 20,000 residents, more than the populations of Chicago , Detroit or Cleveland . As of 2014 , the city is the tenth-most populous in New York and
252-459: A high rate of poverty and a shrunken tax base, adversely affecting schools and public services. Local, regional and statewide economic efforts have been proposed to revitalize the area economy. In 2010 the city developed its first comprehensive master plan in more than a half-century. 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
336-447: A household in the town was $ 29,457, and the median income for a family was $ 31,042. Males had a median income of $ 21,719 versus $ 21,328 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 11,257. About 21.9% of families and 25.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 29.3% of those under age 18 and 24.5% of those age 65 or over. The Town of Eatonville has a Mayor-Council government . Interstate 4 passes through
420-576: A plant in Marcy just north of Utica in 2022. In October 2023, a new hospital in downtown Utica opened, replacing Utica's two existing hospitals. According to the United States Census Bureau , Utica has a total area of 17.02 sq mi (44.1 km )—16.76 sq mi (43.4 km ) of land and 0.26 sq mi (0.67 km ) (1.52 percent) of water. The city is located at New York's geographic center, adjacent to
504-540: A printing and publishing center, with many newspapers. 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 . The route, used by Harriet Tubman to travel to Buffalo , guided slaves to pass through Utica on
588-568: A small house constructed and instructed an agent to sell them. An article in the Tallahassee Weekly Floridian newspaper titled, "A Negro Colony in Florida" stated, A Negro settlement has been established at Maitland...which is divided into forty-eight lots, 50x50 feet, to be sold to Negroes at from $ 19 to $ 30 per lot. Mr. Lawrence has erected on this land a framed church 30x20 feet, a bell for which has been presented by
672-456: 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
756-606: A worn footpath with a paved road. 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. The boundaries of the village of Utica were defined in an act passed by the New York State Legislature on April 3, 1798. Utica expanded its borders in subsequent 1805 and 1817 charters . On April 5, 1805,
840-721: Is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York , United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State , its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census . Located on the Mohawk River at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains , it is approximately 95 mi (153 km) west-northwest of Albany , 55 mi (89 km) east of Syracuse and 240 mi (386 km) northwest of New York City . Utica and
924-554: Is a relative balance between the Democratic and Republican parties, a change from the predominantly single-party politics of the 20th century. 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 . Utica is in New York's 22nd congressional district , which has been represented by Republican Brandon Williams since 2023. The city
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#17327801389021008-619: Is also present in other Rust Belt cities such as Buffalo, Elmira and Erie, Pennsylvania ). Utica shares a cuisine with the mid-Atlantic states , with local and regional influences. Its melting pot of immigrant and refugee cuisines, including Dutch , Italian , German , Irish and Bosnian , have introduced dishes such as ćevapi and pasticciotti to the community. Utica staple foods include chicken riggies , Utica greens , half-moons , Italian mushroom stew, and tomato pie . Other popular dishes are pierogi , penne alla vodka , and sausage and peppers . Utica has long had ties to
1092-554: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Eatonville, Florida Eatonville is a town in Orange County, Florida , United States, six miles north of Orlando . It is part of Greater Orlando . Incorporated on August 15, 1887, it was one of the first self-governing all-black municipalities in the United States. ( Brooklyn, Illinois , incorporated July 8, 1873,
1176-785: Is generally low. 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 . The Utica Fire Department coordinates four engines, two truck companies, and rescue, HAZMAT and medical operations with a 123-person crew. 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
1260-543: Is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b, and native vegetation can tolerate temperatures from −10 to −15 °F (−23 to −26 °C). Winters are cold and snowy; Utica receives lake-effect snow from Lake Erie and Lake Ontario . Utica is colder on average than other Great Lakes cities because of its location in a valley and susceptibility to north winds; temperatures in the single digits or below zero Fahrenheit are not uncommon on winter nights. Annual precipitation (based on
1344-728: Is served by the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York , with offices in the Alexander Pirnie Federal Building. According to the comptroller's office, Utica's governmental expenses totaled $ 79.3 million (~$ 101 million in 2023) in 2014 (a net increase of $ 940,000 from the previous year). The 2015–16 budget proposes general-fund spending of $ 66.3 million (~$ 83.3 million in 2023). City taxes collected in 2014 were $ 25,972,930, with
1428-520: Is the city's tallest. 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
1512-470: Is the oldest incorporated Black town in the U.S.) The Eatonville Historic District and Moseley House Museum are in Eatonville. Author Zora Neale Hurston grew up in Eatonville and the area features in many of her stories. The Robert Hungerford Normal and Industrial School was founded in 1897 to provide education for black students in grades 6-12 and taught children for over 100 years. In 1990,
1596-560: Is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification , the Town of Eatonville has a humid subtropical climate zone ( Cfa ). As of the 2020 United States census , there were 2,349 people, 849 households, and 437 families residing in the town. As of the 2010 United States census , there were 2,159 people, 709 households, and 514 families residing in
1680-766: The Apalachin meeting of American Mafia leaders in 1957. The New York Journal American dubbed Utica the "Sin City of the East", 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. In 1959,
1764-706: The Bosnian War , and the Karen people of Myanmar , with about 4,000 resettled. 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. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees described Utica as
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#17327801389021848-748: The CONMED Corporation (a surgical-device and orthotics manufacturer) and the Mohawk Valley Health System , the city's primary health care system. Construction, such as the North-South Arterial Highway project, supports the public-sector job market. 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
1932-568: The Embargo Act of 1807 and local investment enabled further expansion of the textile industry. 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 78 mi (126 km) connection between Schenectady and Utica was developed in 1836 from
2016-564: The Erie and Chenango Canals and the New York Central Railroad . During the 19th and 20th centuries, the city's infrastructure contributed to its success as a manufacturing center and defined its role as a worldwide hub for the textile industry . Like other Rust Belt cities, Utica underwent an economic downturn throughout the mid-20th century. The downturn consisted of industrial decline due to offshoring and
2100-700: The Florida Watchman newspaper. A Post Office opened at Eatonville in 1889, and closed in 1918. Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is set in the town and nearby communities, many of which have disappeared with the expansion of Greater Orlando. Before the days of racial integration, Club Eaton was a popular stop on the Chitlin' Circuit , hosting performers ranging from B.B. King to Aretha Franklin , Ray Charles , Sam Cooke , The Platters , Duke Ellington , Ella Fitzgerald , Billie Holiday and James Brown . The Eatonville Historic District
2184-603: 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
2268-598: The citrus groves . J.E. Clark and several friends attempted to purchase a block of land to establish a "colony for colored people, but so great was the prejudice then existing against the Negro that no one would sell them land for such a purpose", according to Clark. Lewis Lawrence, originally from Utica, New York , agreed to help them in 1881. Lawrence convinced Captain Josiah Eaton, a neighbor and friend, to sell him 22 acres, which Lawrence subdivided. Upon each lot he had
2352-457: The rails were set into the streets . 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. West Utica (or the West Side)
2436-685: The right-of-way previously used by the Mohawk and Hudson railroad. 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 . 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. Utica went on to become
2520-532: 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. In 2024, 13-year-old Karen refugee Nyah Mway was shot and killed by police, making national news and tarnishing Utica's refugee-friendly reputation. Despite the reinvigorating effects of immigration, Utica continues to struggle with
2604-628: The 1850s, plank roads were built through the marshland surrounding the city. 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, including Greek Revival , Italianate , French Renaissance , Gothic Revival and Neoclassical . The modernist 1972 Utica State Office Building, at 17 floors and 227 ft (69 m),
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2688-463: The 1990s. New immigrants and refugees have included Bosnians displaced by the Bosnian War , Burmese , Karens , Latin Americans , Russians and Vietnamese . More than 42 languages are spoken in the city. 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
2772-661: 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. 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 . Italian immigrants from Basilicata were first to arrive, but most later immigrants came from
2856-504: The 29th-largest in the country (with 20,000 residents, more than the populations of Chicago , Detroit or Cleveland . ) 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. Utica's economy centered around the manufacture of furniture, heavy machinery, textiles and lumber. The combined effects of
2940-575: The Congregational Sabbath School of Chelsea, Connecticut . No liquor is ever to be sold or given away on the ground; no gambling or disreputable house of any kind will ever be allowed, under a forfeiture of the purchase. In 1884, the Orange County Reporter wrote about the “colored village at Maitland, sometimes known as Lawrence, the name of its worthy founder”. Mr. Lawrence requested that the settlement use
3024-504: The Eatonville Historic District: Eatonville is located at 28°37′7″N 81°23′0″W / 28.61861°N 81.38333°W / 28.61861; -81.38333 (28.618727, –81.383440). According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km ), of which 1.0 square mile (2.6 km ) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km ) (9.17%)
3108-543: The Great Race Problem by Securing a Home in Eatonville, Florida, a Negro City Governed by Negroes.” The article describes Eatonville as a "thriving community of 200-300 people — all colored, and NOT A WHITE FAMILY in the whole city.” The newspaper also recounts a near-lynching in Sanford , nineteen miles away. Rev. Columbus H. Boger Sr. (1857-1918) was Eatonville's first mayor, serving from 1887-1888. He edited
3192-715: The New York Central Railroad right-of-way en route to Canada. 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. 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". (It adjourned to Gerrit Smith 's home in nearby Peterboro, New York . ) This mob
3276-632: The New York State Thruway and providing intermodal freight transport with the railroads. Republican Michael P. Galime was elected to a four-year term as mayor in 2023, and took office at the start of 2024. 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 . Utica has a Strong mayor-council form of government. The council has eight standing committees for issues including transportation, education, finance and public safety. There
3360-677: The South. 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. During the 1980s and 1990s, major employers such as General Electric and Lockheed Martin closed plants in Utica and Syracuse. Some Utica businesses relocated to nearby Syracuse, with its larger and more educated workforce. Utica's population fell while population in
3444-562: The aftermath of the war, numerous colonial settlers migrated into the region of New York from New England, especially Connecticut . 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. The Seneca Turnpike was key to Utica's development, replacing
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3528-582: The bend Unundadages ("around the hill"), a name that now appears on the city's seal. 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. In
3612-545: The brutal fighting. The land housing Old Fort Schuyler was part of a 20,000-acre (81 km ) portion of marshland granted by King George II to New York governor William Cosby on January 2, 1734. 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. The Mohawk call
3696-495: The campus including jobs at the school's dairy, chicken coops, gardens and janitorial/maintenance of the institution's classrooms and buildings. The school had been privately funded until the Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) took control in 1950. The Hungerford School was closed in 2010. The Hungerford campus had grown to 300 acres (120 ha) in 1950, and was held in trust for the school. That land
3780-409: The city during a general restructuring in older industrial cities. New industries to rise in the city were electronics manufacturing (led by companies such as General Electric, which produced transistor radios ), machinery and equipment, and food processing . 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
3864-457: The city limits, but there is no exit. The closest exits are Florida State Road 423 (to the south) and Florida State Road 414 (to the north). The Robert Hungerford Normal and Industrial School was founded in 1897 for vocational education for Black students by Professor and Mrs. Russell C. Calhoun, a graduate of Tuskegee Institute . At that time, segregation in the South provided few opportunities for non-whites. The 160 acres (65 ha) land
3948-535: The city prospered as one of the wealthiest per capita in the United States. 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
4032-403: 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 , while on October 28 during the strike wave of 1919 , city police shot six or more striking textile workers. In 1919, two-thirds of employed Uticans worked in
4116-431: The closure of textile mills, population loss caused by the relocation of jobs and businesses to suburbs and to Syracuse, and poverty associated with socioeconomic stress and a depressed tax base. With its low cost of living, the city has become a melting pot for refugees from war-torn countries around the world, encouraging growth for its colleges and universities , cultural institutions and economy. The first Utica
4200-473: The county increased, reflecting a statewide trend of decreasing urban populations outside New York City . 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. The low cost of living in Utica has attracted immigrants and refugees from around the world. The largest refugee groups in Utica are Bosnians , with 4,500 refugees resettled following
4284-462: The early 21st century, the Mohawk Valley economy is based on logistics , industrial processes , machinery, and industrial services . 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. Utica's larger employers include
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#17327801389024368-532: 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. 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. During
4452-628: The historically Welsh neighborhood of Corn Hill. 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 : Utica has a humid continental climate (or warm-summer climate: Köppen Dfb ) with four distinct seasons, characterized by cold winters and temperate summers. Summer high temperatures range from 77–81 °F (25–27 °C). The city
4536-758: 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
4620-404: The name Eatonville. The following year, Maitland incorporated using votes from Black people, and at least one Black man was elected as a town officer. A year after incorporation, there were "discussions of separation as a peaceful, progressive-minded, mutually beneficial solution to the so-called 'race problem'.” While sources seem to disagree on the exact date and year of the town's incorporation,
4704-574: The national average. 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
4788-726: The nearby city of Rome anchor the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area comprising all of Oneida and Herkimer Counties. Formerly a river settlement inhabited by the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy, Utica attracted European-American settlers from New England during and after the American Revolution . In the 19th century, immigrants strengthened its position as a layover city between Albany and Syracuse on
4872-402: The population. In 2000, there were 761 households, out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.0% were married couples living together, 37.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
4956-879: 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. 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%). Median income per Utica household
5040-417: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Eatonville . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eatonville&oldid=1084423766 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
5124-434: 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. 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
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#17327801389025208-576: The school. The school provided both vocational and college preparation, teaching English, Latin, history, general science, biology, algebra, geometry, industrial arts and home economics. Students could also learn bookkeeping and typing, physical education and agriculture. Programs for drafting and radio were added during the 1940s. The campus included girls & boys dormitories, a dining hall, library, chapel, laundry, industrial training shops, home economics laboratory, equipment barn and farmland. To keep expenses down, students were assigned various duties around
5292-706: 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 . 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. The Mohawk were
5376-503: The sixth-most populous metro region in New York. It is the seat of Oneida County, 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 3,818 people per square mile (1,474 people/km ). Utica's population has remained ethnically diverse and has received many new influxes of immigrants since
5460-603: The textile industry. 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,
5544-418: The town founded the Zora Neale Hurston Museum of Fine Arts . Every winter the town stages the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities. A library named for her opened in January 2004. The population was 2,349 at the 2020 census. The vast majority are Black or African American. Eatonville has no gas station, supermarket or pharmacy; only a Family Dollar . With a median household income of $ 27,000,
5628-478: The town is struggling to survive. Artist Jules Andre Smith has done a series of paintings depicting life in Eatonville during the 1930s and 1940s. Twelve of these works are at the Maitland Art Center in the adjacent town of Maitland . Eatonville is home to WESH and WKCF , two television stations serving the Orlando television market. Ten years after the Emancipation Proclamation , formerly enslaved people migrated to rural Central Florida , finding work in
5712-422: The town's official site provides a detailed account of the process and the dates. The Town of Eatonville was officially incorporated as a municipality on August 15, 1887. Jim Crow laws enforced segregation, violence and racial discrimination in the Southern United States in the late 19th century. The Eatonville Speaker newspaper printed an invitation in 1889: “Colored People of the United States! Solve
5796-511: The town. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,432 people, 761 households, and 548 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,469.5 inhabitants per square mile (953.5/km ). There were 858 housing units at an average density of 871.2 per square mile (336.4/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 89.31% African American , 7.5% White , 0.49% Native American , 0.29% Asian , 1.56% from other races , and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.54% of
5880-422: The village's eastern and western boundaries were expanded, and on April 7, 1817, Utica separated from Whitestown on its west. 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. The municipal charter was passed by the state legislature on February 13, 1832. In 1845 the United States Census ranked Utica as
5964-483: The western border of Herkimer County , and at the southwestern base of the Adirondack Mountains . Utica and its suburbs are bound by the Allegheny Plateau in the south and the Adirondack Mountains in the north, and the city is 456 ft (139 m) above sea level; this region is known as the Mohawk Valley . The city is 90 mi (145 km) west-northwest of Albany and 45 mi (72 km) east of Syracuse . The city's Mohawk name, Unundadages ("around
6048-515: 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 . World War I sparked the growth of Savage Arms , which produced the Lewis gun for the British Army , and
6132-410: Was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.42. In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out, with 33.6% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males. In 2000, the median income for
6216-492: 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
6300-452: Was almost 40% of the town of Eatonville. However, OCPS purchased the land from the trust in 1951 for about $ 16,000 with the stipulation that it be used "for the education of Black children". Since the original purchase, OCPS has petitioned the courts multiple times to reduce the number of acres required to be used for the education of black children from 300 to 100 with OCPS receiving almost $ 8 million. The remaining 100 acres (40 ha) parcel
6384-536: Was appraised in 2019 for $ 20 million, but the OCPS announced their intention to sell the land to a developer for $ 14 million on March 31, 2023. The plans include a "new community" of 350 homes, apartments, retail businesses and restaurants. Existing residents claim the new development would wipe out the historic community and violate the land agreement, so locals are in a fight with the school board. Utica, New York Utica ( / ˈ juː t ɪ k ə / )
6468-425: 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
6552-501: 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. 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
6636-415: Was designated and added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 3, 1998. The district is bounded by Wymore Road, Eaton Street, Fords, and East Avenues, Ruffel, and Clark Streets. It contains 48 historic buildings. Several are related to the town's establishment as a home for African Americans and to its most famous former resident, Zora Neale Hurston . Some homes and buildings located in
6720-477: Was donated by E.C. Hungerford of Chester, Connecticut in memory of his physician son, Robert, who died of yellow fever . Cash donations came from across the country, including $ 400 from Booker T. Washington . The school was successful and more than 100 students were boarding in 1927, as well as local children attending and adult classes offered at night. Ten years later, Orange County provided bus transportation for black children from nearby Winter Park to attend
6804-411: Was he who gave out the central New York State Classical names, and he stated that he named the village of Utica. 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. Utica was established on
6888-645: Was historically home to German , Irish and Polish immigrants. The Corn Hill neighborhood in the city center had a significant Jewish population. East Utica (or the East Side) is a cultural and political center dominated by Italian immigrants. North of downtown is the Triangle neighborhood, formerly home to the city's African-American and Jewish populations. Neighborhoods formerly dominated by one or more groups saw other groups arrive, such as Bosnians and Latin Americans in former Italian neighborhoods and
6972-578: Was part of a national campaign of anti-abolitionist violence in the 1830s . The early 20th century brought rail advances to Utica, with the New York Central electrifying 49 mi (79 km) of track from the city to Syracuse in 1907 for its West Shore interurban line. In 1902, the Utica and Mohawk Valley Railway connected Rome to Little Falls with a 37.5 mi (60.4 km) electrified line through Utica. Waves of Lebanese Maronite , Italian, Irish, and Polish immigrants worked in
7056-432: Was persistently elevated. As in some other US cities during the decade, scandals involving political corruption , vice , and organized crime tarnished Utica's reputation. It remains unclear whether Elefante and his inner circle were actively involved in organized crime or simply turned a blind eye to it. Organized crime in Utica received national attention after three Utican mafiosos were reported to have attended
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