[Lakeshorestateofmind92]

While their biggest cities respectively have taken two different paths and very different in themselves do the other cities seem to have a quite a bit in common. BTW I'm not stating their exactly alike. As some could say Ohio is more like Michigan from their perspective. Just asking if they see any similarities between thsee two states only.
Both have a lot of natural beauty outside its cities
Both have a few mid size cities that didn't grow perhaps as big as they could have.
Syracuse as to Ann Arbor
Buffalo as to Flint
Albany as to Pontiac
Poughkeepsie as to Muskegon
Niagara Falls as to Mackinaw City
I couldnt find a New York Couterpart for Grand Rapids but here goes nothing...Rochester as to Grand Rapids

[DTWflyer]

Its hard to make the comparison since each city is unique in its history, development pattern, and growth drivers.
I am not that familiar with those aspects for most of those cities in New York.

Ann Arbor is vastly different from Syracuse primarily in the sense of how the University of Michigan is by far a much larger, more prestige, and global influence than Syracuse University. Also, Ann Arbor also acts as a bedroom community for Metro Detroit and has all the benefits of being a global research university town adjacent to a major metropolitan area.

Flint and Pontiac are both industrial, automotive towns tied to the boom and bust cycles of a particular industry (auto) and company in particular (GM). Pontiac its buried in the midst of the wealthy suburbs of Metro Detroit, Flint is on its own. Buffalo metro area is much larger than both of these.

Nigara Falls is exponentially bigger than Mackinaw City and sits on a busy international border crossing.