Situated in west-central Macomb County, the City of Utica, Michigan is about twelve miles north of Detroit and five miles northwest of Mount Clemens.
Bordered to the south by Sterling heights and to the north by Shelby Charter Township, Utica is in the northern Detroit Metro Region.
The Clinton River flows through the western portion of the city.
M-53 and M-59 (Hall Road) intersect in the southern part of the city. Other routes include Auburn Road, Canal Road, Clinton River Road, Schoenherr Road, Shelby Road, and Utica Road. Cities and villages within twenty miles of Utica include Sterling Heights, Rochester Hills, Fraser, Rochester, Mt. Clemens, Roseville, Troy, Center Line, Warren, Auburn Hills, Clawson, Madison Heights, Pontiac, Romeo, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, Hazel Park, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Ferndale, Detroit, Hamtramck, Lake Angelus, Berkley, New Haven, New Baltimore, St. Clair Shores, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Sylvan Lake, Keego Harbor, Lake Orion, and Highland Park.
The first European-American settlers in the area that would later become Utica was Nathaniel Squires and his wife, Jemima. They came in May of 1817, and built a cabin at a point of high ground where the river and two Native American trails crossed. By the end of that summer, others had come, and the new settlement was known variously as Hog Hollow or McDougalville until Joseph Stead platted and recorded it as Harlow in November of 1829.
After the English relinquished control of the area to the United States, Gordon C. Leech suggested the community be renamed Utica, as Harlow was the name of an English town, and several settlers had come from Utica, New York.
A post office was established on June 17, 1836, with William Smith as the first postmaster. In March of 1838, Utica became one of the first half-dozen Michigan towns to incorporate as a village. In 1837, the village was reincorporated with a small land area, so that certain farm properties could enjoy lower township taxes.
Early economic activity in Utica involved the Clinton River and the later abandoned Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal, intended to connect Lake St. Clair with Lake Michigan. Authorized by Michigan Governor Stevens Thomson Mason in 1837, construction of the canal began in 1838 but, due largely to the Panic of 1837, and in part to engineering miscalculations, only thirteen miles of the canal were completed before activity ceased in 1843. Boats were able to run from Utica to Frederick, but the canal quickly fell into disrepair after construction ended, and a portion of the canal was used to power watermills that operated until the 1940s. The Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Utica was a station stop on the Michigan Central Railroad's Detroit to Bay City branch, and the city is still served by Conrail Shared Assets. In the early 1900s, the MC Railroad had an agent-operator at the Utica station around-the-clock.
In the early years of Utica, the Wildcat Bank of Utica was organized, and a large, three-story Railroad Hotel was built. Apart from farming, one of the first industries in Utica was the manufacture of pickets by William (Picket) Smith, who was also the postmaster.
In 1904 and 1905, fires swept through the village, destroying much of the business district, including the hotel and several homes.
Charles Ward built a power house on the bank of the canal basin that furnished Utica with electric power in 1905. The waterwork was built in 1926, gas mains in 1930, and a sewer system in 1937. On August 20, 1937, Utica was incorporated as a city.
In 2020, Utica had a population of 5,245, down from its peak population of 5,657 in 2010.
Single-family homes make up about twenty percent of the total land area in Utica, while about five percent of the land in the city is utilized by multi-family homes. Between thirty-five and forty percent of the city's land area is commercial, and industrial land makes up about three percent.
The City of Utica maintains four parks, comprising forty-three acres, including Heritage Park, Memorial Park, Grant Park, and the Utica Recreation Area. With the exception of Grant Park, each of these have frontage along the Clinton River.
Utica Community Schools provides a public K-12 curriculum to students in the City of Utica, most of Shelby Township, the northern part of Sterling Heights, and portions of Macomb, Ray, and Washington townships. UCS operates twenty-five elementary schools, seven junior high schools, and four high schools, although only two of the schools are within the city limits.
The focal point of this category is the City of Utica, Michigan. Online resources for the municipal government, businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, and events within the city are appropriate for this category.
Recommended Resources
Located along Hall Road, Utica, Michigan, the hotel offers rooms with two queen beds or one king bed, with or without whirlpools. Photos of representative rooms, the common area of the hotel, descriptions, rates, and other details are set forth, along with policy information and a list of amenities. Other resources include guest reviews, and an overview of its dining facilities, and meeting spaces. As a Choice Hotel, members of the Choice Privileges Rewards program may earn points.
https://www.choicehotels.com/michigan/utica/comfort-inn-hotels/mi413
A campus of Utica Community Schools, Eppler is located on Brownell Street in Utica, Michigan. Its location, administrative contacts, office hours, and a school calendar are published on the site, which includes a student handbook, school meal menus, faculty and staff contacts, and an overview of its academics, athletics, transportation, and food and nutrition programs. The Junior High curriculum, specialty programs, graduation requirements, and announcements are posted.
https://www.uticak12.org/eppler
Enrolling students in grades K-6, Flickinger is a campus of Utica Community Schools, and located along Vanker Avenue in Utica, Michigan. Its address, telephone and fax numbers, an email address, and school hours are posted on the site, which includes a schedule of upcoming events, school and district news, announcements, a student handbook, a lunch menu, and information about its childcare programs, the Flickinger Parent Group program, and the UCS Success Toolkit.
https://flickinger.uticak12.org/
The Utica, Michigan church is part of a family of parishes that include St. Lawrence, St. Kieran, and St. Matthias. The parish address, telephone number, fax number, and email address are set forth, along with its walk-in hours, meeting schedules, a church bulletin, mass schedules, and an online contact form. Other resources include membership information, and contacts for those interested in joining the parish's Christian Service Commission, and other service opportunities.
https://www.stlawrenceparish-utica.com/
Established in 1931 and 1932, the school was staffed by the Sisters of St. Dominic - Adrian until the early 1970s, when it enrolled students in grades 1-8. Today, the school enrolls students in its nursery school, preschool, junior kindergarten, and K-8th grades. Located in Utica, Michigan, its history, mission, philosophy, and brand are featured, along with its admissions policies, tuition, and testimonials. Volunteer opportunities, a calendar of events, and a photo gallery are included.
http://www.stlawrence-school.com/
Affiliated with the North American Baptist Conference (NAB), the Utica, Michigan congregation was founded in 1991. Its vision, mission, and process are outlined, and its address, phone number, and email address are included. Its leadership and ministry team are introduced, and an overview of its ministries to kids, students, and small groups is included. Podcasts for recent sermons and teaching programs are presented. A link to sermon videos on Youtube is provided.
http://www.stonycreekchurch.org/
In business since 1946, the family owned and operated flower shop offers floral arrangements and gifts, which are featured here, including online shopping and local delivery services. Open seven days a week, with reduced hours on weekends, its store hours are posted on the site, along with its delivery policies and area, address, a map showing its location, telephone number, email address, and payment options. Specialty services include contemporary and traditional arrangements.
https://www.uticaflorist.com/
Serving residents of Utica and Macomb County, with the exception of Harrison Township, the public library is located on Auburn Road in Utica, Michigan. The library address, telephone, and fax numbers, and library hours are posted on the site, which includes access to the library catalog, instructions for obtaining a library card, library fines, fees, and loan periods, and its services and programs to children and adults. Also included are links to local governments, media, and schools.
http://www.libcoop.net/utica/
The City of Utica is in Macomb County, bordering Sterling Heights and Shelby Charter Township, in the upper Metro Detroit Region. The official municipal website features a calendar of upcoming events, city ordinances, and a sign-up form for a municipal newsletter. Contacts for the mayor's office, city council, and clerk's office are set forth, along with departmental contacts, and a guide to local churches, schools, restaurants, accommodations, entertainment venues, and library.
https://cityofutica.org/
