Ethnic Geography of Early Utica, New York. Time, Space and Community
Author: | Noble, Allen |
Year: | 1999 |
Pages: | 120 |
ISBN: | 0-7734-8046-3 978-0-7734-8046-9 |
Price: | $119.95 |
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This is the first study which examines how each of the early immigrant communities (German, Irish, Welsh, Polish, Italian) changed the geographical shape of the city. Group identity was so strong that even a century after the first peoples began to arrive, different neighborhoods, and even larger sections of the city, retained the imprint of the immigrants. It is also the story of adaptive strategies followed by each community in responding to economic and social constraints imposed upon it. The study is oriented to the spatial perspective of the urban-cultural geographer. The internal movement of the groups is traced and the rationale for the particular directions of movement is related to physical, economic and cultural factors.
Reviews
“. . . this is an original and accessible piece of geographical analysis. It is a truly geographic piece of work from its assessment of the strategic importance of Utica’s location and site in the Hudson-Mohawk gap, to the mapping of the ethnic diffusion. . . . contains much information that would be of use to A-level teachers and for first year undergraduates. ‘ – Geography
“The writing is direct and easily readable. Explanations are straightforward and provided with much confidence, no doubt the result of Noble’s firsthand experience in Utica. Maps and graphs are especially valuable components of the book, for they demonstrate changing residential patterns both clearly and attractively. . . Also, Noble uses two intriguing types of diagrams of ethnic settlement patterns and change at the block level along certain key streets. These maps and diagrams are well linked to the text and help the reader visualize the patterns he discusses.” – Geographical Review
"Allen Noble has given us an extremely worthwhile addition to the literature on ethnicity and the small city. His intimate knowledge of Utica gives us a sense of the rich patina of daily life in such places. He has laid the foundations for our understanding of evolving urban patterns of late 20th century America." – Ary J. Lamme III
Table of Contents
Table of contents: List of Figures, List of Tables, Foreword, Preface
1.The Process of Migration
2.The Community and Its Setting
3.Keeping Up with the Joneses: The Welsh in Utica
4.The Irish in Utica: "A Capital Road from Cork to Utica"
5.The Germans in Utica: "Amerika du Hast es Besser"
6.South Italy and East Utica: From Streets of Stone to Streets of Gold
7.From the White Eagle to the Bald Eagle: The Poles in West Utica
8.Later Ethnic Groups, The Depression and Beyond
References, Index