Founded by Joseph Crandall, Utica was first settled in 1758. The city's name, was said to have been picked at random from a hat. During the American Revolution the original settlement was destroyed in an attack but was rebuilt after the Revolution.
Utica's location stimulated growth in industrial development which grew as railroads and other canals were built .Utica had numerous mayors in the postwar period, and substantial politic influence came from Utica's large Italian American immigrant population as the area grew and developed.
