What is Upstate??? (New York, Buffalo, Rochester: transplants, living in, costs)

[arp.robinson]

Originally Posted by livecontent

This subject could be considered funny but it is also tragic I was born in NYC and moved to Western New York, near Buffalo, when I was a child. In 1968, I commuted and went to SUNY Buffalo, I can still remember how terrible the people from New York City Area treated people from the Buffalo area---I am from "THE CITY" and you are not important. After the Army (where there were plenty of loud and pushy New Yawkers) I went to SUNY Binghamton and the same attitude was apparent with the arrogance of the New Yawkers. I have lived Dutchess County and again I saw the same miserable 'know it all" personality of the New Yawker which to them everything north of Westchester County was nothing. Unfortunately this attitude, has permeated the politics and the economics policies of New York and have contributed to the severe decline of the state with the exception of Metro NYC area.

When is New York going to consider itself a unified state and that the economics of the the whole are important?? Maybe the suggestion of splitting the state and making NYC metro a separate state and allow the rest of the state to become independent or to join a state, like Ohio, Pennsylvania or Vermont which would be more responsive to the needs of these ignored people.

Now forty years latter, It is even worse, economically, in "upstate" and the attitude still prevails. I now live in Colorado; I do not see the same attitude of Denver people to the rest of the state or to the rural areas of Kansas, Wyoming or Nebraska. Denver considers it self a regional center of the West and people from other areas are not considered trash.. I would never go back to the ghettos which are being created by the self-centered New Yawk demigods. I would suggest anybody thinking about New York read all the postings and you will see that many people have this arrogant New Yawk attitude and treat the rest of the state with disdain. It is such a shame to allow the Empire State to disintegrate and fail to serve many wonderful people of the state.

Livecontent, I think you have a point, perhaps NYC should be separated, then if it fails it fails on it's own without the rest of the state to bail it out. Problem is that as you stated that you lived in Dutchess County, they would still find that housing would be cheaper in DC and other counties north of and to flock to and continue the urban sprawl that is quickly devouring the local farmland. Not to mention much of NYC's water supply reservoirs are out in nowhere, NY. NYC would sink into the ocean without the rest of the state to balance it if that's possible.

The apple orchard that I grew up across the street from closed down some years ago for precationary pesticide/insurance reasons but arson to the building on the land made it more inviting to sell the land and have a brand new half million dollar home put up instead. Now all that same property is housing. The good thing is that the town was smart enough to keep the houses from being built on top of each other, other towns were not so smart. And don't get me started on the schools.

[swami60]

This seems to confuse everyone - me, too. To NYC residents, Upstate seems anywhere north of Westchester County. I think of the areas immediately north of Westchester as Hudson Valley or Eastern NY. The areas north of Albany (Albany area) seem properly called North Eastern NY or NE Adirondack areas. Going west of Albany through the Mohawk Valley - to Utica & Syracuse is often referred by residents of these areas as Central NY. Just an opinion.

[718bound]

Originally Posted by OvertaxedOnLI

Most Long Islanders consider "upstate" to be anyplace north of Westchester County.

HAHA so true. I grew up on Long Island and looked at it the same way. I live in the Finger Lakes region now... I am moving to Brooklyn soon and was down in NYC last week with a freind. Whenever anybody asked us where we are from and said Upstate, NY the response was always "oh... ok... like westchester"

"Nope like closer to Rochester"

"Holy sh !t you guys are up there!"

I also found it funny if I said Finger Lakes Area somebody would ask which lake we are on, then started naming the great lakes.

I personally look at this way: I have always looked at the 5 boroughs, Long Island, and the counties that surround NYC as the NYC area or "downstate" as they call it up here.

If you live in NYC you say you are from NYC... if somebody asks what part of NYC you are from you say Brooklyn Quees ETC... If you live Upstate you say you are from Upstate NY if somebody asks where you are from you say the Finger Lakes area, Central NY ETC or Rochester Syracuse ETC. You are just giving people a general idea where you are from then you can pin point it more acuratly.

[I'minformed2]

I've always said "western NY"....because that is relatively well known as just consisting of the Rochester/fingerlaks metro area and Buffalo area. Upstate is too broad a term for most people to really get an idea of where you are from.

[nomoresnow]

OMG, I expected two answers on this thread - one from the people from "The City" and one from the Northern New Yorkers. Was I wrong! I laugh when someone refers to Albany as Upstate. Don't forget us people in Northeastern New York. ANd I was really surprised to see so many replies from my area - Plattsburgh. BTW, it's soft drink to a lot of us up here in the boonies. It's true - there are as many answers as there are people in the state. No matter how you cut it up, it's beautiful.

[carolinajack]

the real question is why??? Why are you so against it being "called" upstate? Its just a term and doesnt really mean much. I think the issues of concern are the economics, environmental and social aspects that make your region vibrant or not.

its just a term

[Rachael84]

upstate = anything above Westchester.

[carolinajack]

thank you Rachel, i having lived in Albany for 10 years always heard people calling everything from Westchester North as upstate, certainly the mid Hudson Valley from the Catskills to Canadian border
and out as far as Utica Rome, then it is central NY and Buff is western NY

[aka_mouse]

Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Albany, NYC

People Leave Utica or Utica/Rome out of the list usually, but screw that

Utica has major problems but it doesnt deserve to be forgotten.

[nomoresnow]

Sorry to offend anyone. I was being my usual sarcastic self and that's why it was capitalized and in quotes. You may want to add Ogdensburg and Plattsburgh to that list. They may be small, but they're still cities.