Talk:Utica, New York
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See the Utica Page at http://UticaForum.org
Joseph Crandall??
In about thirty years of doing research and publishing on Utica's history, I've never encountered this name. I can't say with certainty that there was no such person who may have passed through the area, but it's contradictory to say that the place was "founded" by a person named Crandall and then to say that it was first settled nearly 70 years later--"foundation" means the beginning of meaningful settlement. In fact, before the American Revolution there were no more than a handful of white people living in the entirety of Oneida County, let alone the site of Utica. The village of Utica was not incorporated until the 1790s. This reference to this Crandall as Utica's "founder," for which the person who submitted it does not seem to have offered any documentation, is highly misleading, perhaps even fictional, and has now been repeated by a number of websites that refer to the history of Utica, which shows how problematic this Wiki process really is.
I agree with the person who contends that Herkimer is not a suburb of Utica. That takes quite a stretch of the imagination.
Finally, I don't see how anyone who has been around and who knows anything about Italian-American culture can say that "greens" is a distinctively Utica dish. There may be distinctive ways in which escarole is prepared in Utica--notably in the common practice of adding pickled red cherry peppers, which does not seem to be common, although I cannot say if it's uniquely Utican--but southern Italian immigrants were more fond of leafy green vegetables, specifically sauteed in olive oil and garlic, than the average American, so to say that "greens" is distinctive of Utica is really not accurate. Sauteed escarole, broccoli rabe, and so forth were eaten all over Italian-America.
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[edit] Herkimer as most significant suburb???
Someone keeps modifying the page to include Herkimer as Utica's most significant suburb. Anyone from the area knows that New Hartford is the commercial center of the Mohawk Valley. I live in Herkimer County, and not only is it the poorest county in the state, but the people have little ties to Utica from an economic and social standpoint. Furthermore, Herkimer a 15 minute drive from Utica, whereas New Hartford borders the city.
If anyone else wants to comment on this please do. I just don't understand how Herkimer has any relevance here.
Whether Herkimer's a suburb of Utica is open to debate. But much of what you say is not. Many rural counties in southwestern and northeastern New York are "poorer" counties (in terms of household income) than Herkimer County. And what's absolutely indisputable is the notion that there are "little ties" to Utica economically and socially.
Herkimer is part of the Utica-Rome metropolitan statistical area, and with good reason. The Observer-Dispatch has reported that about 10,000 Herkimer County residents travel to Utica for work each day, and about 4,500 Oneida County residents make the reverse commute.
While New Hartford is the undisputed commercial center of the Mohawk Valley, Herkimer also is a retail anchor of the Utica-Rome MSA. In the past decade, it's seen significant "big box" growth, and the trend is continuing, with Lowe's and Olive Garden being built on the village's east side. (Lowe's opted to located in North Utica and Herkimer instead of New Hartford. Olive Garden opted for Herkimer over New Hartford.)
To say that Herkimer being a 15-minute drive from Utica discounts it as a suburb is rather ridiculous. Most parts of DeWitt are 15 minutes from downtown Syracuse. Is it not a suburb of Syracuse? Colonie's 15 minutes from Albany. Is it not a suburb? (And for the record, Herkimer County borders Utica as much as New Hartford does, not that "bordering" a city is a requirement for it a suburb.)
I can live with the current edit.
[edit] Discrepancy with Isaac Singer's Birthplace
I'm a long time reader, first time contributor (ha ha). Anyways, being a resident of Rome, New York, which is near Utica, I did not realize that good 'ol Isaac Singer was born in Utica. However, according to the article for Issac Singer, he was born in Pittstown, New York. So which is it- Utica or Pittsford? It's driving me nuts!!!!!
Not that I doubt anyone will care about this discrepancy, but it's still wrong, I tell you. --24.59.3.206 13:36, 24 Jun 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Bosnian immigrants?
Any proof that they have "invigorated" the economy? 24.215.250.48 13:40, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Boring City
Can't someone write about the fact that Utica has no night life, a few busted up strip clubs and looks like a bomb hit it? Most depressing place I've ever lived.
[edit] Black and White and half moon all over
Utica's half moon cookies seem similar to black and whites, but they have a chocolate sugar cookie base? Is that right? -HiFiGuy 17:29, 8 September 2006 (UTC)
No they are definitely not sugar cookies, more like a cake. What are they like elsewhere? Fduross 14:40, 14 September 2006 (UTC)
I'd have to say that they're not sugar cookies down here (NYC metro), either. (I'm no black and white/halfmoon connoiseur.) Were they really invented in Utica, as the b&w article says? That could use a citation. Also, someone should say what "greens" are. An outsider would think it some kind of salad, and not escarole. -HiFiGuy 04:16, 8 October 2006 (UTC)
