Our Changing Population: Utica's Cornhill - 1980 Versus 2010

Recently I did a comparative of Utica's Center City neighborhhood, 1980 versus 2010. The area lent itself to a relatively easy comparison given the stability of the census tracts used to define it over the years. Utica's Cornhill neighborhood is similar in that the tracts that largely comprise it are similar now to what they were back 30 years ago. It's not perfect, but certainly it's close enough to make some general observations about the nature of any changes that have occurred over that time period in Cornhill.

So where is Cornhill in Utica? The tract map below shows you the outline (in red) of this neighborhood, with the Parkway serving as its southern border, Genesee Street to the west, South Street to the north, and the eastern boundary running mainly along St. Vincent and Mohawk Streets.

This area is more than 50% apartments, with the remainder of housing being split roughly with 20% abandoned properties and 30% owner occupied homes. Between 1980 and 2010, the area saw a substantial drop in population - it lost about 30% of its population. It dropped from more than 16,500 to around 11,700. These people were part of about 4,100 households in 2010, as compared to in 1980 when the 16,500 residents were spread across about 6,600 households.

Below is an infographic that compares the age, sex, race, nativity, employment, education, income and poverty levels of those who have found Utica's Cornhill neighborhood to be their home, in 1980 and in 2010. There are substantial changes in who lives there now as opposed to 30 years ago. Click to enlarge the graphic for easier viewing !

Click to Enlarge

Our Changing Population: Center City Utica - 1980 Versus 2010

Utica's Center City is an area that lends itself fairly easily to some simple neighborhood data comparisons. In terms of census geography it has stayed relatively stable, at one time comprising mostly two tracts - Census Tracts 203 and 204. In the Census 2000, these two tracts were combined and renamed as Tract 203. I wanted to take a look at how this high poverty area in the center of downtown Utica has changed in the last 30 years. To do this I took a look at some of the archived 1980 Census data and the 2012 American Communities Survey 5 Year Estimates.

Center City Utica, as I noted before, has remained relatively unchanged in terms of its geographical definition for at least the last 50 years. Below is a simple map showing the area, outlined in red. with a few familiar roads labeled. Genesee Street basically bisects the neighborhood from northeast to southwest.

This area is a heavy mix of businesses and apartments, along with a small number of owner occupied homes as well. Between 1980 and 2010, the area saw a substantial drop in population - it lost about 40% of its population dropping from more than 1,800 to around 1,100. These people were part of about 600 households in 2010, as compared to in 1980 when the 1,800 residents were spread across about 1,000 households.

Most of the residents live in apartments now, as they did in 1980. In both censuses, about 90% of residents were apartment dwellers.

Below is an infographic that compares the age, sex, race, nativity, employment, education, income and poverty levels of those who have found Center City Utica to be their home, in 1980 and in 2010. There are substantial changes in who lives there now as opposed to 30 years ago. Click to enlarge the graphic for easier viewing !

Click to Enlarge

Following The Changes to The North-South Arterial: Twitter, Facebook, and DOT Project Web Links

NYSDOT Region 2 is initiating a large scale public outreach for the North-South Arterial project. In doing so, they have launched a Twitter feed and an Arterial Facebook account to provide real-time updates regarding the project. In addition, the project website will have information available. 

Also, at this time construction is planned to continue through the Summer of 2016 but the DOT is anticipating keeping two lanes of road open both northbound and southbound for the duration of the project (albeit at a slow construction corridor speed). Updates, as well as pictures of the progress of the project, can be found on all of the above links!

Utica: The Town That Loves Refugees

A recent article in Refugee Magazine (download it here as a pdf) touts Utica as the "Town That Loves Refugees". Refugee magazine is published through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

According to the Utica Observer-Dispatch, a Zogby Analytics study looked into how Utica has become synonymous with welcoming foreign-born populations that have streamed into the city. It also suggests that the attraction of refugees is a situation that is unique to the region. The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties Inc. funded the $50,000 study. About $30,000 went toward conducting the study, with the rest of the money going toward efforts and recommended improvements cited in the study.

Here are several of the main findings in a Zogby Analytics study about why Utica is such a welcoming city for new populations:

• The Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, though not the sole organization that caters to immigrants and refugees, is prominent in the community as the main resource for those populations.

• The area’s history of assimilating other immigrant groups, such as the Irish and Italians, provide a base for welcoming new immigrant populations.

• Though the Refugee Center has relationships with several area agencies that serve refugees, better communication and collaboration among those serving this population was cited as a need..

• Local places of worship have embraced much of the refugee community, offering them spiritual guidance as they settle into the area.

To see where our refugee populations are coming from, you might want to look at the table on this previous post about refugees in Utica.

Measuring Changes in Racial Composition Over Time: Pre and Post Census 2000

Part of the American landscape is our changing racial composition. The Census Bureau collects race data in accordance with guidelines provided by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. These data are based on self-identification. The racial categories included in the census questionnaire generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country, and not an attempt to define race biologically, anthropologically or genetically. In census questionnaires prior to the Census 2000, people were only allowed to select a single racial identification. As of the Census 2000, people could pick any number of racial identifiers, such as “American Indian” and “White.” People who identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may also be of any race. Hence comparing pre-Census 2000 to post-Census 2000 race data is generally discouraged given the vastly different measurement processes being used.

The U.S. Census Bureau adheres to the Office of Management and Budget standards on race and ethnicity which guide the Census Bureau in classifying written responses to the race question as follows:

• White – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
• Black or African American – A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. 
• American Indian or Alaska Native – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.
• Asian – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.

So despite the drastic change in how race was self-defined in the pre- and post- Census 2000 world, I do offer the following glimpse into what this has shown us for changes in minority population composition, in this case for the Greater Utica area. Below are three maps that show block group level minority data for the 1990, 2000, and 2010 censuses. Minority is a term used by demographers that identifies any population that is not white and non-Hispanic. Note the changes you can see between the 1990 and 2000 censuses particularly, since that was the period when the self-definitional process changed. I will post similar maps for the Greater Rome area in the future, and these maps are available on our MAPS page as well.

1990 Minority Population Greater Utica Area (Click to Enlarge)

2000 Minority Population Greater Utica Area (Click to Enlarge)

2010 Minority Population Greater Utica Area (Click to Enlarge)

Poverty Maps for the Cities of Utica and Rome

Below are two maps, one for Utica and one for Rome, that show the percent of individuals in poverty at the block group level. Mapping Census data can be helpful when you need to see spatially how certain characteristics exist within communities.

Click to Enlarge Utica Map

Click to Enlarge Rome Map

To see additional information from the 2011 three Year estimates for Utica and Rome, including information on poverty city-wide, visit this previous post .

Utica, Rome and the Town of New Hartford 2011 Profiles

With the advent of the American Community Survey (ACS), profile data is available for each and every community in the region, regardless of their size. As covered in early posts on this blog, the Census Bureau releases three versions of the American Communities Survey (ACS). These are the One Year, the Three Year, and the Five Year ACS Estimates. These are released every year and are based on the population size of the municipality. Five year estimates are released for EVERY level of census geography (down to the block group level) as well as every municipal  civil division (think town, city, and village). Three year estimates are only released for geographies or municipalities with a MINIMUM population of 20,000 persons. So many smaller villages and towns are excluded. One year estimates are released for municipalities with a MINIMUM population of 65,000. This means they are mostly available for counties and larger cities.

As noted above, three year estimates represent the most recent data available for municipalities of more than 20,000 people. In our region, this only covers three municipalities (other than Herkimer and Oneida Counties in their entirety). These municipalities are the cities of Utica and Rome, and the Town of New Hartford. Data for the ACS three year estimate profiles can be found by clicking on the links below.

Utica 2011 ACS Three Year Demographic Profile
Utica 2011 ACS Three Year Social Profile
Utica 2011 ACS Three Year Economic Profile
Utica 2011 ACS Three Year Housing Profile

Rome 2011 ACS Three Year Demographic Profile
Rome 2011 ACS Three Year Social Profile
Rome 2011 ACS Three Year Economic Profile
Rome 2011 ACS Three Year Housing Profile

Town of New Hartford 2011 ACS Three Year Demographic Profile
Town of New Hartford 2011 ACS Three Year Social Profile
Town of New Hartford 2011 ACS Three Year Economic Profile
Town of Newhartford 2011 ACS Three Year Housing Profile

It's A Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood !

Welcome to the Neighborhood !

Defining neighborhoods, in census terms, is not an easy prospect. Neighborhoods, well often well defined, do change over time as in and out migration, as well as the aging of populations, occurs. However, for the most part they generally remain in place for fairly lengthy periods.

One of the sets of data we get requests for in particular is for “neighborhoods” in the City of Utica. Such requests pose problems on several levels. The first is a matter of definition – what exactly ARE the neighborhoods of Utica ? And secondly, there is of course the issue of does any data exist for these specific areas being looked at?

Since 1980 data has been developed for what are seven distinct sections of the city. While there can be much debate about the boundaries of each area, they are historical “neighborhoods” from the standpoint of the availability of census data if nothing else. These seven can be seen on the map below, and include: East Utica, West Utica, North Utica, South Utica, Southeast Utica, Center City Utica, and Cornhill.

Neighborhood data exists then since about 1980 through the 2000 Census for Utica. Currently there is no such data put together for the 2010 Census, but efforts are underway to get at similar data for these areas of the city.

In the meantime, here is a basic three page demographic profile for the seven neighborhoods comprising Utica from the 2000 Census.

Utica and Rome Hispanic Population Concentrations

the singular fastest growing segment of our population is among Hispanic peoples. The term "Hispanic" in the census is used as an ethnic identifier, not a racial category. Hence many people may identify them by one of the traditional race categories (Caucasian, African American, Asian, etc.) but also indicate that they are Hispanic. These are not mutually exclusive categories by Census definition.

Below are three maps showing the concentration of persons who identified themselves as ethnically Hispanic in the 2010 Census for the Utica and Rome metro areas, based on block group geography.

Minority Distribution Maps

Minority population distributions have changed over time, partly because we have seen a growth in minority inflow to the region, and partly because of changes in race category definitions within the Census.

These 3 maps show the changes between the 1990, 2000, and 2010 censuses for the City of Utica and the surrounding area.

1990 Minority Distribution

2000 Minority Distribution

2010 Minority Distribution

Several things should be noted:

1. Between 1990 and 2000 the Census changed how it recorded race data. No longer were people restricted to a single race category, but could select multiple races.
2. Note how concentrated the areas with at least 25% of the population being of minority background was in the center of Utica. By 2000 the area had grown substantially to a large area surrounding that same core; by 2010 the minority population had expanded considerably into the West Utica neighborhoods.
3. North Utica sees considerable minority growth in 2000; South Utica sees it's minority populations expand particularly in the last decade.