Utica is a city in and the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Oneida County

Oneida County, New York

Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 234,878. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, an Iroquoian tribe that formerly occupied the region....

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census.

The city of Utica is situated within the region referred to as the Mohawk Valley

Mohawk Valley

The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains....

 in Central New York

Central New York

Central New York is a term used to broadly describe the central region of New York State, roughly including the following counties and cities:...

. Utica has an extensive park system, with winter and summer sports facilities. Utica and the neighboring city of Rome

Rome, New York

Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...

 are principal cities of the Utica–Rome, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area

Utica-Rome metropolitan area

The Utica-Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in central New York, anchored by the cities of Utica and Rome...

, which includes Oneida and Herkimer

Herkimer County, New York

Herkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part...

 counties.
Utica is located where it is because it was next to the shallowest spot along the Mohawk River

Mohawk River

The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...

 that made it the best place for fording across.