COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION: Discover an excellent work/life balance in a part of Central New York known as the Mohawk Valley - a medium-sized area offering all the amenities of a larger urban area in a beautiful, scenic and affordable setting. The greater Utica, NY area has the advantage of excellent schools and colleges, and an abundance of cultural and recreational activities. With more than 40 nationalities in Utica, the area offers a large 15K annual road race, 900 acres of city parks including one for downhill skiing and snowboarding, a zoo, a large arts institute and historical sites in the city and nearby towns. Within Oneida County to Utica’s west is Rome, which includes attractions such as an outdoor living history museum at the original site where the Erie Canal began. As the Mohawk Valley played a crucial role in the Revolutionary War, there are several recreational attractions with deep historical roots, including Fort Stanwix National Monument, also in Rome, and the nearby Oriskany Monument and Battlefield. To the east is the village of Herkimer, which also has a rich history extending back to pre-Revolution times, plus current natural attractions such as the Herkimer Diamond Mines. The region has excellent year-round outdoor recreation available, including water sports at numerous lakes, camping, hiking, golf, and great skiing and snowmobiling. It offers a wealth of cultural activities, including highly acclaimed museums – Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, the Oneida Community Mansion House and the Utica Children’s Museum – plus theaters (The Stanley Center for the Arts that presents Broadway Theatre League shows, among others), a sports arena, the Utica Memorial Auditorium, a 3,860-seat multi-purpose venue with a capacity of 5,700 for concerts. It is the home arena of the Utica Comets, the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks. Also known as “the city that loves refugees”, Utica has extraordinary dining options that include Bosnian, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Italian, German, Caribbean and more choices for the adventurous. Utica is also home to F.X. Matt Brewing Company, the fourth oldest family-owned brewery in the United States. It offers tours of its facility, and more craft breweries have recently opened across the area. Excellent public and private schools are available, as are both city neighborhoods and suburban towns with affordable homes and reasonable taxes. Nearby private colleges also provide higher education opportunities as well as additional cultural offerings, and Utica is part of New York’s Tech Valley. In addition, Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, NY, and Destiny USA, a six-story, regional shopping and entertainment complex on the shore of Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, NY, provide many opportunities for recreation.

- To the North: Adirondack State Park, the largest state park nationwide, which is internationally known for its hiking, camping, boating, skiing, and countless picturesque landscapes, and beyond that, Canada - To the South: Cooperstown, with Otsego Lake and its Baseball Hall of Fame, the Catskills, where you can easily find outstanding skiing, fly-fishing, hiking, and camping locations

- To the East: The Tri-City region including Albany, then Vermont, New England and the scenic mountains of western Massachusetts - To the West, Syracuse, Rochester, and the Finger Lakes Region, where wine tours abound.

Utica is centrally located: New York City: 4 hrs. Boston: 4.5 hrs. Montreal: 4.5 hrs. Both Syracuse and Albany are easily reached on the NYS Thruway, with international airports and Amtrak.