Quality of Life

Visit the Utica Zoo on the way to your in-laws for Sunday dinner.

Eat, drink, and be merry every Thursday at a keg party sponsored by your neighborhood brewery. Listen to some great music while proceeds go to benefit your local United Way. The West End is the best end!

Visit a local Distillery where you can sample and purchase some Hand Crafted Vodka, Gin, and Bourbon. It’s all locally grown and distilled!

Spectate or participate in one of the nation’s largest 5K and 15K road races. Over 18 thousand runners from around the globe compete in this most challenging and scenic road race that twists and turns through the city of Utica with the finish line at the most celebrated post-race party in the world.

Enjoy and crave indigenous cuisine, like Utica’s original Chicken Riggies, half-moons, Utica Pizza (sauce on top), pusties, cannoli’s, tomato pie, Utica Greens, Vodka Penne.

Celebrate the diversity and culture of over 40 nationalities now living in Utica. With over 40 languages spoken in our schools, Utica is the fourth largest in the country behind New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Welcome to Utica, welcome to America. The world now calls Utica home.

Enjoy nine hundred acres of city parks. You can ride a bike, take a hike, walk your beagle at the eagle, fly a kite, have a bite, stay cool in the pool, Take a run and have some fun.

Play 18 holes of golf on a Robert Trent Jones course. The par 73 course challenges golfers of all skill levels and offers breathtaking vistas of the Mohawk Valley. This municipal golf course looks like an expensive private Country Club and is unique, because it’s right in the middle of the city!

Down-hill ski or board on the city’s ski slope & Terrain Park. With a lift and a rope tow to move skiers and boarders there’s never a wait and the sliding is great. Generations of families have learned how to ski and board right here in Utica. If you’re not into down-hill you can always cross country ski on miles of groomed trails. So when it comes to winter fun…it’s snow problem.

Choose to continue your education! Six colleges are located within the city limits. Offering a myriad of degrees and doctorate programs students from all over the world gravitate to these educational institutions. From the arts to cyber security and to engineering these colleges have had a major impact on the global economy. Utica is definitely a college town.

Experience Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, an internationally recognized fine arts center that’s home to more than 20,000 works of art with special exhibitions and programs year round. Interested in hands on art? MWPAI offers a number of classes to the public.

Climb aboard the Adirondack Scenic Railroad and travel in a vintage club car through the magnificent beauty of the six million acre Adirondack Park. Experience nature’s beauty and view a variety of tranquil ponds and streams along the route.

Find yourself at an old time Farmer’s Market with local growers and purveyors displaying and selling their goods. A community gem, the Farmer’s Market is home to great flavors, inspired artisans, and family fun. Grown local...sold local.

Catch up with Mayor Palmieri in action walking the streets with his department heads conducting sweeps keeping the city clean and safe. Never before has a Mayor displayed such love and compassion for his city to actually go on location and be “hands on” with the citizens. He listens to their concerns and confronts the offenders. Our Mayor’s motto is “Keep it clean, Keep it safe”.

Visit the Stanley Theater, one of the most impressive theaters in the world. Built in 1928, this cathedral to the performing arts is the crown jewel of Utica. With its flying balcony and newly renovated staging area the Stanley is bringing the world stage to downtown Utica.

Benefit from the most business friendly environment in the state. Downtown development is growing a steady pace with new restaurants, businesses, and loft apartments. Where you usually find miles of bureaucratic red tape, Utica cuts through the unnecessary clutter and gets your business open. The only red tape you’ll see is the one you cut at your grand opening.