Often attributed to the region's rural to semi-rural character, there is more conservatism in culture and politics than found in the more urban downstate area, and it is the power base of the state's Republican Party. Upstate New York does however have several pockets of Democratic influence.
The Most Beautiful Places in Upstate New York
- Letchworth State Park. Castile.
- The Pavilion at The Sagamore. Lake George.
- McGregor Vineyard. Dundee.
- Rainbow Falls Bridge. Watkins Glen.
- Frank Lloyd Wright's Graycliff. Derby.
- The Devil's Path. Catskills.
- The Wild Walk. Tupper Lake.
- The Corning Museum of Glass. Corning.
NYC is made up of 5 boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx). New York State is the 27th largest state but the 4th in population (mostly in NYC). Most of the state is referred to as 'upstate' to distinguish from the city. Upstate and it's people are totally different from NYC.
By almost all definitions, this area is considered upstate New York. The Lower Hudson Valley encompasses Westchester and Rockland counties. All these regions are technically part of the New York City metropolitan area, and are, for the most part, reachable, on the Metro-North.
Except that there is. The five boroughs of New York City --- Manhattan (aka New York County), The Bronx (aka Bronx County), Queens (aka Queens County), Staten Island (aka Richmond County) and Brooklyn (aka Kings County) are all considered Downstate along with Nassau County and Suffolk County on Long Island.
Re: What would be considered upstate from NYC? As a native New York City girl, I consider White Plains upstate. Seriously, though, just about everything north of the immediate environs of NYC is upstate.
People who LIVE within the 5 boroughs that make up NYC also believe that the Hudson Valley NY is “Upstate New York”. What they do not realize is that the Hudson Valley is actually made up of THREE areas and that part of the Hudson Valley NY is actually CLOSE to NYC.
Albany's working definition of upstate New York is based on what lies outside the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's commuter rail area. Besides New York City and Long Island, it excludes Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam and Dutchess Counties.
No. New England consists of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. If you try to say any of New York or New Jersey is part of New England, New Englanders will get VERY HOSTILE. New York is part of the mid-Atlantic region with New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
New York: Capitalize Western New York, Upstate New York, etc. when referring to these regions. Avoid using WNY. When necessary to distinguish the state of New York from the city of New York, use New York State (capital “S” is a UB exception to AP).
The Western New York Region is located in the western part of the State and includes the Buffalo-Niagara Metropolitan area, which is compromised of Erie and Niagara counties, and also includes Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties. The Western New York (WNY) region covers 4,974 square miles.
Technically, all of New York State that is north and west of the northern border of New York City is “upstate New York”. By this definition, Yonkers is in the upstate region. More specifically, it lies in the Hudson Valley region of the state. So yes, technically Yonkers is in upstate NY.
PA is an east-west state. It would be a lot easier to say upstate if it was north-south.
The North Country is a region of the U.S. state of New York that encompasses the state's extreme northern frontier, bordered by Lake Champlain on the east, the Adirondack Mountains to the south, the Canadian border to the north, and Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway to the west.
Upstate New York ranked worst place to live in America: Albany.
Families, singles, and young professionals moving here will find that the cost of living is 29% lower than the New York average and housing is 50% lower than the national average, so Buffalo is a great place to buy a home.
(The Center Square) – New Square was ranked the poorest town in New York in a 24/7 Wall St. analysis examining small, lower-income communities where households earn much less than the nation's median annual household income.
Upstate metro areas have some of the highest childhood poverty rates in the nation. Three upstate cities rank among the top 25 nationally in childhood poverty rates, with the same three — Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo — also topping the list for overall poverty.
Upstate New York is a beautiful region with many friendly communities, but it is not widely known as a great retirement destination. In fact, several Upstate New York cities, including Albany, Rochester and Buffalo, have been ranked among the worst places to retire in the United States.
15 Best Places to Live in New York
- Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
- Harlem, Manhattan.
- Battery Park City, Lower Manhattan.
- Country Club, Bronx.
- Massapequa Park, Long Island.
- Kenmore, Buffalo.
- Jackson Heights, Queens.
- Endwell, Broome County.
Comparison Highlights
| Cost of Living Indexes | Albany, NY | Syracuse, NY |
|---|
| Overall Index: Homeowner, No Child care, Taxes Not Considered | 94.6 | 79 |
| Food & Groceries | 100.9 | 96.8 |
| Housing (Homeowner) | 79.7 | 38.1 |
| Median Home Cost | $184,300 | $88,200 |
50 best places to buy a house in Upstate New York, ranked for
- #50 Honeoye Falls (Monroe County) Median home value: $160,300.
- #49 Cayuga Heights (Tompkins County) Median home value: $331,000.
- #48 Irondequoit (Monroe County)
- #47 Attica (Wyoming County)
- #46 Hurley (Ulster County)
- #45 Clinton (Oneida County)
- #44 Lancaster (Erie County)
- #43 Sanborn (Niagara County)
The poorest places in each of New York's 62 counties
- Wells (town) - Hamilton County.
- Batavia (city) - Genesee.
- Brooklyn (borough) - Kings County.
- Inwood (hamlet) - Nassau County.
- Brewster (village) - Putnam County.
- Queens (borough) - Queens County.
- Manhattan (borough) - New York County.
- Staten Island (borough) - Richmond County. Median household income: $73,197.
New York's real per capita personal income was $53,700; the state's 3-year poverty rate average was found to be 11.8 percent; per capita state spending in 2017 was $7,910; per capita personal consumption expenditures in 2018 were $52,701 and state revenue per capita was $14,499.
New York is the sixth richest state in the United States of America, with a per capita income of $40,272.29 (2004).
