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Utica, Mississippi
Town
Location of Utica, Mississippi
Location of Utica, Mississippi
Utica, Mississippi is located in the United States
Utica, Mississippi
Utica, Mississippi
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Mississippi
County Hinds
Government
 • Type Mayor-Council
Area
 • Total 3.00 sq mi (7.78 km2)
 • Land 3.00 sq mi (7.76 km2)
 • Water 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation
295 ft (90 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 636
 • Density 212.35/sq mi (82.00/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
39175
Area code(s) 601
FIPS code 28-75760
GNIS feature ID 0679161

Utica is a town in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 820 at the 2010 census, down from 966 at the 2000 census. Utica is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

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 32 miles (51 km) to Jackson, the state capital, and southwest 28 miles (45 km) to Port Gibson, while Highway 27 leads northwest 25 miles (40 km) to Vicksburg and southeast 20 miles (32 km) to Crystal Springs.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Utica has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2), of which 0.01 square miles (0.02 km2), 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.

Climate data for Utica, Mississippi
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 16
(60)		 17
(63)		 21
(70)		 25
(77)		 29
(84)		 33
(91)		 33
(92)		 34
(93)		 32
(89)		 27
(80)		 21
(69)		 16
(61)		 25
(77)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 3
(38)		 4
(40)		 8
(46)		 12
(53)		 16
(60)		 19
(67)		 21
(70)		 21
(70)		 18
(64)		 12
(53)		 7
(44)		 4
(39)		 12
(54)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 120
(4.8)		 120
(4.7)		 140
(5.6)		 130
(5.2)		 120
(4.7)		 100
(4.1)		 120
(4.8)		 89
(3.5)		 69
(2.7)		 64
(2.5)		 91
(3.6)		 130
(5.2)		 1,310
(51.5)
Source: Weatherbase

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1880 230 —
1890 370 60.9%
1900 540 45.9%
1910 572 5.9%
1920 445 −22.2%
1930 652 46.5%
1940 818 25.5%
1950 824 0.7%
1960 764 −7.3%
1970 1,019 33.4%
1980 1,064 4.4%
1990 1,033 −2.9%
2000 966 −6.5%
2010 820 −15.1%
2020 636 −22.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Utica racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 129 20.28%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 429 67.45%
Native American 6 0.94%
Other/Mixed 12 1.89%
Hispanic or Latino 60 9.43%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 636 people, 337 households, and 199 families residing in the town.

2010 census

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.

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 throughout the South. 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 (founded in 1829 and affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention), Utica Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Utica United Methodist Church, and St. Peter's Missionary Baptist Church, a black Baptist church founded after the Civil War in 1867 by freedmen. Because black Baptists withdrew en masse from white Baptist churches across the South, St. Peter's was founded as a mission of the white Baptist church in Utica. Black Baptists soon founded independent state associations of their congregations and organized 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 nearby.

Education

Utica is served by the Hinds County School District. Students up to grade nine attend Utica Elementary-Middle School, and older students attend Raymond High School in Raymond.

It is also the home of the Utica campus of Hinds Community College. Founded in 1903 as Utica Normal and Industrial Institute, a technical school for African Americans, the institute became known as Utica Junior College. Utica was also home to the former Hinds County Agricultural High School.

Jackson/Hinds Library System operates the Evelyn Taylor Majure Library in Utica.

Notable people

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Utica (Misisipi) para niños

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