Rome is located in Oneida County 15 miles NW of Utica along Highway 69 on the banks of the the Erie Canal River near Delta Lake and the Wood River in the Central Region of the region. Long before the Europeans discovered Rome, it was called De-O-Wain-Sta, an American Indian term meaning `the carrying place`. In the city's center is a portage on the only practical water route south of the St. Lawrence River which connected the Great Lakes with the Hudson River.

The Tug Hill plateau north of Rome receives up to 200 inches of snow a year. This region is renowned for it skiing, snowmobiling and year round hunting and fishing.