Utica was originally an area known as Cane Ridge. In 1837, it was given the name Utica at the suggestion of the then postmaster, Ozias Osborn, who came from Utica, New York. The town was incorporated in 1880. Utica was located on the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad. A weekly newspaper, the Herald, was established in 1897. In the early 1900s, Utica had several churches, eight hotels, a public school for white students, and an industrial college for black students. Agriculture consisted of watermelons, cotton and timber. The settlement had a sawmill, three cotton gins, and a brick plant. The population in 1907 was nearly 1,000.
Geography
Utica is in southwest Hinds County at the junctions of Mississippi Highways 18 and 27. Highway 18 leads northeast to Jackson, the state capital, and southwest to Port Gibson, while Highway 27 leads northwest to Vicksburg and southeast to Crystal Springs. According to the United States Census Bureau, Utica has a total area of, of which, or 0.25%, are water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Utica has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 820 people living in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 64.0% Black, 26.8% White, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% from some other race and 0.1% from two or more races. 8.7% were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the census of 2000, there were 966 people, 339 households, and 241 families living in the town. The population density was 323.0 people per square mile. There were 397 housing units at an average density of 132.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 30.54% White, 66.36% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 2.07% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.83% of the population. There were 339 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were married couples living together, 27.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.43. In the town, the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $27,614, and the median income for a family was $30,083. Males had a median income of $28,594 versus $21,932 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,491. About 17.1% of families and 27.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.1% of those under age 18 and 24.5% of those age 65 or over.
Religion and society
Utica is the location of the URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp, organized by the Union for Reform Judaism and dating to when there were more Jews in smaller communities in Mississippi. Most now live in larger urban areas with more professional opportunities. The town is home to several churches of various denominations, including the following on Main Street: Utica Baptist Church, Utica Christian Church, Utica United Methodist Church, and St. Peter's Missionary Baptist Church, a black Baptist church founded in 1867 after the war by freedmen as a mission of the Baptist church. The black Baptists mostly withdrew en masse across the South from the white Baptist churches. They soon founded independent state associations of their congregations in the South, organizing a national convention by the end of the century. There are several other houses of worship in the town proper, as well as others in the county.
