5 Things That Make Living in the Utica Area Hard

Utica and the rest of Central New York is a pretty unique area. Sure, there's a lot of good things about living in this part of the country, but there are also a lot of things that making living here difficult.

If you've ever talked to someone who isn't from the area, you know the struggle. Trying to explain all the good things about this area, but still understanding some of the difficulties we face on a day-to-day-basis. Here are just 5 reasons living in Utica and Central New York can be tough...

1 - Genesee Street

Catching every light on Genesee Street can be one of the most annoying things ever, and it's especially worse if you have to go to the bathroom. Seriously, it takes like a half hour just to get through town.
Oh, and let's not get started on the parking on Genesee Street....

2 - No National Recognition

If someone from Central New York is on TV, they don't say 'Utica, New York' or 'Herkimer, New York.' It gets changed to either 'Syracuse, New York' or just plain 'New York.' What's so bad with mentioning the exact city or town in Central New York?
And on that same note as national recognition, when bands and performing artists come to the area, a lot of the big names skip CNY. Why? We have the venues, we have the interested people - Stop by the Utica AUD, we'll welcome you to our area.

3 - The Great Food Debate

It doesn't matter what pizzeria is your favorite, you're wrong. With so many different pizza places, and restaurants with their own chicken riggies recipes, it always causes a huge debate between people. There is no way to win these arguments. The only way to settle these debates is to agree to disagree. Otherwise, tension grow, friendships are lost, and family members stop talking to other family members.

4 - Unpredictable Weather

Okay, weather is unpredictable in general, but it's harder to deal with in Central New York. Because we have valleys, hills, lakes, and changes in elevation, it make the weather more... 'unique' out here. Old Forge can get hit with a snow storm that drops a foot of snow, while Utica stays completely dry. It could be pouring rain in Ilion, but in New Hartford it's sunny.

5 - Having Pride in Central New York

People only want to see the bad in Utica and Central New York. If you have any pride in this area, know that others will quickly try to tear it down (like 99% of the users on Topix). It's hard to show the world all that this area has to offer when people only want to see the bad. Yes, Utica has had a rough past, but things are rebuilding, jobs are moving to the area, new businesses are opening up. These things don't happen overnight, it will take some time before CNY is back on top, but it IS heading that way.

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