Why "Nobody" Lives In Upstate New York
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 2 май 2024
- Watch the podcast: @GeographyPod
Listen to the podcast: linktr.ee/geographyiseverything
💬 Instagram: / geographybygeoff
💬 Threads: www.threads.net/@geographybyg...
🌎 Podcast: www.spreaker.com/show/geograp...
🌳 Linktree for everything: linktr.ee/geographybygeoff
New York State is big in both size and population. But most of its population is within the New York City metro area, leaving the vast majority of the state feeling pretty empty. So why do so many people live in New York City rather than any of the other major cities within the state such as Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, or Albany?
Stock footage is acquired from www.storyblocks.com.
Animation support provided by DH Designs (needahittman.com) 
Наука
7.5 million people is not “nobody” or “empty”
In comparison to over 12 million taking up 5% of the land it’s a vast difference
@@kingjames3949It's still quite dense compared to other states like Maine or Vermont.
Considering you can fit 3 Taiwans in upstate New York, and each one has a population of almost 24 million, upstate New York is pretty sparse.
@@Peanutbetter27 True but those states have no condensed population, let alone something as international as NYC
He should say, NYC and Hudson valley. Most of the money and residents are in those 2 areas.
On behalf of the empty part of the state we like it that way. We invite the crowds in NYC to stay where they are.
Yes!
Thanks! More pizza for us! 😁
The most racist people of new york live in upstate NY
that's ok we have to stay down here to continue making the millions the WHOLE state needs to function. ;-)
@@Hawks282the state wouldn't need all that money if NYC wasn't giving it away to every lowlife with their hand out. Debit cards for uninvited trespassers, paying extra money for every illegitimate baby a ghetto woman can produce, funding baby murders, paying drag queens to groom our children, etc. We don't need your money to pay for garbage that we don't want anyway. NYC is shit. I was born and raised in The Bronx and lived there 50 years, so I know what I'm talking about, and I know you know what I'm talking about.
My sibling lives in Brooklyn. She lives with rats and cockroaches for three times my mortgage. I’ll take being nobody over that any day of the week. Thank you very much.
Many of us do NOT have rats and cockroaches - do NOT give a false impression to others here about life in New York City. Many of us love our NYC.
WTF kind of misinformation is this? one of the biggest problems facing suburban home owners is rats invading their homes.
What is Upstate New York like for you? I want to visit.
@@Enoxificatti I live in New York City - and love it so much - exciting - lots going on - but I have taken train rides up into Upstate New York - it is beautiful up there - but I wouldn't stop living in NY City.
Syracuse Binghamton and Buffalo are pretty big. Maybe not classified as major but still big ass cities
Don’t forgot Rochester! Not from there but might as well give them justice
If you include Binghamton then throw in Utica and Rome who’s Metro Area has 300,000, Newburgh-Poughkeepsie Metro area has 500,000, Albany Schenectady Troy who’s Metro Area is increasing to 900,000, Rochester at 1,000,000,
Theres nothing to do in binghamton and it has no trains or airport which would make it easier to get to since it has a good university
As someone who lives in upstate, don't feel bad if you forget there's more to our state than the city, our state government does too
I absolutely agree. I was born at home in 1949 in Jordan, NY, in Onondaga Co. I never got further than Cayuga County until I was 56. The Finger Lakes area is gorgeous. For me, the only drawback was living in the lake effect area. After a nasty divorce, I finally moved to NC in 2006. My son still lives in Jordan. It is a great place to raise your kids if you can afford the taxes.
Bro this comment has me cackling at 8 am 😂
gotta maintain the century-old traditions
State government ignoring our needs IS a problem.
Considering the city generates the vast majority of your states wealth, not sure what you're complaining about. The city subsidizes your infrastructure through the taxes its residents pay to the state.
Upstate isn’t “empty” it’s just that NYC is SO populated
I understand what you are saying. But when you consider how many of New York citizens there are both in and around New York City, calling the rest of the state empty is an accurate statement.
😂😝🤣 It’s very pretty up there, but way too cold. I lived there for 2 yrs.
you know what he means dont be like that lol.
@@cindybogart6062 I lived there for 5 years and New York City for 20+. Upstate NY has its own charms and its a great place to get away from the city for a bit... but it's just so god damn gray during the winter and spring.
NY state without the NYC metro is roughly the size and population of Wisconsin, which has a middling population for US states. So no not empty, but also not especially populated.
You can see this when flying over NY in a commercial plane. The land and Finger Lakes look mystical from the air, like you're entering another dimension.
the finger lakes are magical - really a different vibration going on there - all for the good
One of the most beautiful areas in the country. Every village is tidy and very pretty. I'm moving back.
I love the Finger lakes they are very beautiful been to them many times.
I moved to Upstate New York from Idaho, and there are a lot of things that feel similar about the people and towns...just a lot less distance between places.
(I previously lived in SoCal, where there is so much traffic and sprawling suburbia suburban. Upstate NY seems empty compared to that, but it's far from empty.)
I did the opposite. Born in Ogdensburg NY moved to CDA Idaho. I agree it is similar but more opportunity in Idaho. NY is failing.
“Nobody” being 7.5 million people would be the 13th largest state in terms of population still.
most live in NYC and Buffalo
And only 1/2 the size of Alaska to accumulate such 👏👏👐
@@ohusky271 you didn't watch the video
@@ohusky271 found the NYCidiot. There are 7.5 million people. Well over half the population of NYC that lived elsewhere in the state. The guy you replied to was commenting on how that population is called "nobody" while simultaneously being a large number of people. Try some reading comprehension classes before trying to be that guy
@@ohusky271 and long island
Born and raised and still live in Rochester, I have never felt that upstate NY is "empty."
Rochester aint bad. The Red Lobster there is great
Don't drive a Kia or Hyundai, or go out at night in Rochester.
They are meaning more so in between like roc, su, buff, and albany not a whole lot other than the bing ithaca and watertown for upstate
@@superegghead13 yeah that’s like… every state in the US though
A garbage plate is mandatory to eat before you leave Rochester
Well-made video. Thank you. I live in upstate New York near Lake Ontario and it is a beautiful area. In my humble opinion, Upstate New York is one of the most beautiful areas in the country.
Best 4 years of my life so far were in Oswego!
Cicero here. I agree. I went to school on Long Island and went into NYC a lot. Give me Upstate every time. Worried about Micron
@@-Cece I don't live too far from there (about an hour west of you). Oswego rated #1 or #2 for the best sunsets in the world.
@@SuperBoppy you are correct about the sunsets. I am a water sign and that's why I love the freshwaters of NY. Currently living near both Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake! Previously spent my summers on Canandaigua Lake and Silver Lake.
@@christineherrmann205 Yeah, I'm concerned about the traffic that Micron will bring to that part of Rt. 31. Also don't like the idea of potential housing growth there. I like the nature of northern Onondaga county.
I'm glad I live one mile from a nature preserve, even though I live in a planned community. The community requires that each house retain a certain percentage of the natural trees on the lot. Am glad for that.
What a great presentation! Very informative, well paced, good look at history (the maps helped), beautiful photos. Thank you for this excellent look at the state of New York.
I married a western New Yorker, but we lived in another state for many years, just coming back a couple times a year to visit family. Every time I said we were “going to NY,” everyone assumed I meant NYC, so I learned to say “western NY” and mostly got blank looks. We moved to the Finger Lakes region several years ago and it is absolutely gorgeous! All of “upstate” N.Y. is, with beautiful trees, mountains, valleys, an abundance of waterfalls, rivers, and lakes. I’ve lived in a lot of states, and this is truly the most beautiful, in spite of cold winters!
Travel in middle school should be mandatory. Some sort of exchange program. I was fortunate to be able to travel and experience other countries, and many states, growing up. So many Americans are colloquial and un-cosmopolitan. And geographically bereft of knowledge.
I live in the finger lakes region , love it , but hate the taxes .
I always say upstate New York. It's a laugh how many people reply, "you mean white plains?" I have to laugh.
Grew up in the Finger Lakes. It is beautiful I just couldn’t take the tyranny and taxes. I fled twenty years ago to the SW. I miss the summers & fall, you can have those winters though.
@@daisygage7557 I fled those taxes twenty years ago.
Tell people In Buffalo And Niagara Falls "upstate", you'll get schooled. It is 'Western New York'
Western NY is part of Upstate. Everything above NYC is Upstate.
@@tomfields3682 ; totally didnt understand what i meant, but...okay
@@tkbuffalogaminghe doesn’t get it.
@@tomfields3682nah that’s not how it works here. You got upstate, western, and the north country.
@@kingchuckfinley North Country, or simply Northern New York. But yes, people in upstate NY don’t call it upstate. We break it down by region.
I love our waterfalls in NY. The Finger Lakes are now a respected wine region and Taughannock Falls has been in so much media. There's a wonder of the natural world an hour from me. People know "15 miles on the Erie Canal" where I grew up. The Adirondacks are not only forever wild, but have a chair design named after them. Apples are named after different NY places and things. Car guys know Rochester carborators, and helical gears were invented in Rochester which are in every car. NY even made the iconic steam engines still in operation. There's so much history in my state.
And don't forget the best Macintosh apples. There's nothing like a Mac.
As a person from upstate NY just the beginning of this video makes me mad, it is FAR from empty.
As somebody who lives in Buffalo and has my entire life, I think the single biggest reason why people don't relocate to upstate New York is the weather. The three largest cities outside of NYC (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse) all get an unfathomable amount of snow that dominates the months of December - March. If you're looking to relocate, why would you intentionally move to an area where you have to wake up an hour early every single day in the winter to shovel a significant amount of snow out of your driveway before you can leave for work? Of course, if you have lived here awhile you really do just get accustomed to it, but if I was relocating from an area that doesn't get much snow, this would be a huge deal breaker to me personally.
For the first time in 70 years, Buffalo's population increased which honestly isn't too surprising. The city has a lot to offer, is relatively safe, and is extremely affordable. My first house I bought in 2020 was 1600 sq ft., in move-in ready condition, and cost less than 150K. The small village of Gowanda has houses even larger and cheaper than this. So when much of the country is facing an affordability crisis, Buffalo and WNY in particular seem to be relatively unphased.
if you can brave the snow and cold in the winter, you'll be awarded with some of the most beautiful summer weather in the country. It rarely gets too warm (proximity to the lake), rarely gets severe weather, and there are always a plethora of sunny days to enjoy. In the fall we have amazing foliage, and many local farms that boast the regions many locally grown apples and grapes. Not to mention regular farmers markets selling fresh beans, peas, and corn as the majority of this region is still agricultural (albeit on a smaller scale than the midwest).
I personally would have probably moved to a warmer climate if my family lived elsewhere, but the older I get the more I appreciate the area. And honestly, I would rather have a blizzard than a hurricane or tornado.
Agree, i was from buffalo
I just read all that and those are great points honestly, now I don’t need to watch the video 😂😂
Move to Rochester from Georgia. The snow is nothing compared to the summer heat back home. Plus climate change is (unfortunately) making the winters milder. Rochester has a pretty mild winter compared to Buffalo and Syracuse. We’ve barely gotten any snow this winter. I love it here.
Shovel a foot of snow EVERY DAY IN WINTER? In Buffalo, where I lived on and off since the 1960's, never gets that much snow. It's February, and we arent' supposed to get one single inch of snow the wholevweek next week. Not one inch. 😂
Upstate has been empytying out.
Downstate has been emptying out even faster.
NY was consistently the 3rd most populous state for a long time until it lost that slot to FL in 2014
The weather hasn't changed much in 70 years between NY and southern states.
*The reality is* : People are moving to better governed states.
With annual DMV harrassment inspections that even NJ doesn't have even for new cars.
With 12% state income tax
With the least amount of freedom of any state rated 50/50
With terribly maintained roads (riddled with deep potholes and even worse repairs)
And cost of homes plus property taxes being sky high
Most ordinary middle class NYers have had it and packing their bags no matter what the region
Even if they don't believe in the governance ideas of new york city, the entire state suffers
I'm an Irishman, and I visited Upstate New York last summer. Lake George is simply stunning. Cant wait to go back some day
Make sure you check out Saratoga Springs next time you visit.
True. It's one of the most beautiful lakes in all the U.S. in my opinion.
thats where im from
im from that area as well! @@thenewyorkcitizen
It’s ok, not all that. I like Saratoga better.
As a nobody who lives in upstate NY, I can confirm that this is 100% true
as an introvert in upstate ny, I see this as an absolute win
As a Brit,I have travelled the length and breadth of New York State, and it is absolutely beautiful.
Does any part of New York resemble its namesake of York in England, in your opinion?
Mate that's a seriously dumb question. Most Brits have never seen York, I myself only visited it once like 30 years back. Secondly, in the time it took to type your question, you could have pulled up a video here of York and seen it for yourself. @@carultch
I went to work in Upstate NY and as a southerner I had my preconceived notions of NYer's from NYer's I had met from the city. I was gladly shown I was wrong as the people I met from Upstate were some of the nicest and most welcoming people I had met. Just as must hospitality as southerners are generally known for. Loved Upstate, one of the most beautiful areas of the country also
@@christophermckenzie8486 We love Southerners.
Glad you enjoyed your time.
Hope you got to see our wonderful dairy farms.
@@rdred8693 Thanks. The people were wonderful and I truly did enjoy my time there. I was in New Paltz and did do some hiking and exploring in the mountains outside of town.
As a person born and raised in Elmira, NY, upstate population has been very much impacted by the loss of manufacturing jobs during the 1970's and 1980's. Elmira had 10 major factories in 1970; by 1980, they were all closed. While upstate New York was never as populated as New York City, many more people lived there (proportionally) during the 1950's and 1960's when good jobs were available.
You mentioned loss of jobs,does Elmira still have the prison? Visited the town many years ago and had friends back then that mentioned they had jobs there. Kind of lost track of them so was just wondering.
Jamestown had about 100K around 1900 but now barely has 30K. All the furniture factories are gone, as well as the furniture exposition, Crescent Tool, Sysco, and companies like SKF ball bearings and Valeo have but a shell of what they once had. Cummins Engine is about all that's left that's still big. There's no jobs there, I left there 25 years ago.
@@digitalfootballer9032 It's sad, eh? I work in municipal archives in Canada and I love looking at old staff photos of the various factories that existed in smaller cities and towns from the 60s back to the late 1800s. Quality craftsmanship that we've mostly given up on for mass-produced, likely to fall apart in a few years crap from overseas. I wonder if there's a shift coming in the future to more domestic production if either geo-politics or transportation/fuel costs makes it cost-effective to do it closer to home?
@@AP-yb8ji Elmira/Southport still has the prisons. I grew up in Elmira, and being a Corrections Officer was and still is one of the main sources of employment for the region. I left the area about 15 years ago. I still have roots and family there, but I don't know that I'll ever move back.
That is CENTRAL ny not upstate. Gosh you people
Thank you for sharing this informative video! Loved the historical aspect involving population distribution over the centuries.
As someone who lives Upstate it would be great to have the 5 counties of New York City and Long Island form their own State. Most of us are tired of paying for the mess that is New York City.
Do your research before you comment.
Nassau and Suffolk county residents pay dearly to help support NYS and NYC.
Including LI as part of NYC is lack of knowledge of NY state.
@@SKing1691 Nassua and Suffolk are the bedroom counties of NYC. Paying to support NYC makes complete sense.
The fact that you think upstate funds NYC and not the other way around is WILD. Upstate is incredibly unproductive compared to NYC, and has no major industry outside of Walmart, and a dying manufacturing base, what money do you think they're making that could possibly bankroll NYC?
We have among the largest tech, accounting and finance sectors in the world, two of the largest stock exchanges in the world, and one of the largest subways in the world.
If it weren't for the extreme amount of wealth our city brings in, upstate taxes would have to be massively increased to cover for the cost of your infrastructure, your schools and everything else.
Upstate NY is a Mississippi tier state with about the same quality of life.
@@darienmiller1032 Having lived in Western New York for almost 40 years I know exactly what is going on with the tax dollars that are collected from Upstate Communities. The reason for the decline in all of NY State is the ridiculous tax burden imposed on its citizens and businesses. As we all see with the Santuary City mess the money to pay for that is coming from State tax revenue since NY City is out of money.
I recently moved to upstate NY and love it! It’s affordable, has 4 beautiful and distinct seasons, lakes everywhere. Best decision I made.
Love it here too. Hidden gem
It's nice but expensive
And what is “upstate” to you?
@@lqdtrance the Hudson Valley
Welcome! It’s beautiful up here
As a truck driver, going thru upstate New York was always a treat...
I live in Berlin, NY. Truckers go up and down Rt 22 here all the way from Connecticut and NYC to all sorts of towns and businesses up here where it is SAFE.
OTR Alabama trucker here. I love traversing I-88 between Albany and Binghamton. Except when I have 45,000+ payload!
I was a student teacher in New Berlin in the early 90s. Loved it up there. Great people. Fond memories. Retiring soon from teaching. Enjoy visiting upstate from Long Island. Especially in the summer.
Lot lizards was hittin huh ?
I like driving I-87
My mother was from Mineville New York. Grandma left with mom and her siblings after grandpa died in 1947. Mom always talked about how beautiful the fall season was with all the colors of the trees. RIP MOM
My parents lived in Mineville after WW2 when my father worked in the mine for a while. I still have relatives across the valley in Witherbee.
Enjoyed the video, thank you, Surprised you did not talk about the Seaway Project, and how it tied the great lakes to inner USA.
As a 18 year old, I met the nicest ,kindest, most wonderful people when I went to college in Upstate New York. The population may lack in quantity but never in quality.
Whereabouts?
Grew up near the capital, went to college up in the north country where my family is from. I loved it up der bub!
Potsdam?
Potsdam, Canton, St Lawrence U, Clarkston.
*awwwws in Syracusan*
Upstate New York, has a large and varied landscape. Some of the most beautiful parts of the country are there
It reminds me of a children's book landscape, it's very beautiful .
Nothing can come in league with what's in western Washington and Oregon and Hawaii though.
@@AThimbleofHalloween
New York is much more beautiful than the overrated Oregon and Washington.
Only place beating New York is West Virginia
And the least diverse population in the country
@@AThimbleofHalloween My side of the mountain was one of my favorite books when I was around 12 years old.
California is way better, has everything including the Weather,
Great video. Please make a future video about Long Island. You talked about the state, but barely discussed this area. It's history, it's geography and the desire to become their own state. Thanks!
My family was from north of Gouverneur NY - farm bordered what is now Fort Drum - now THAT AREA is empty!
I have military relatives there! The towns there are so small, Gouverneur is even shrinking now! Crazy that area is only about an hour from Ottawa lol
The Finger Lake region is absolutely stunning, extremely beautiful
shout out to the "burn unit"! that's crow town, prison city, harriet's chosen home town
junky to live overall. visiting is ok.
Heroin addicts being everywhere might change your mind on that one.
@@BxIowaIrelandSwAgAnd where exactly *IS* *"EVERYWHERE?"* I live near the south eastern Finger Lakes region and aside from Binghamton, and Elmira, the heroin addicts are not overrunning the area.
@@BxIowaIrelandSwAg Better than rowdy teens of NYC
7.5 million people isnt exactly nobody. Thats still more than countries like New Zealand, Singapore and Mongolia
Even that is concentrated into about 5 or 6 metros. Huge swaths are vast wilderness.
Even more than Ireland ( the Republic not the island ) , Denmark, Norway or Finland.
Plus, that 7.5. million people alone, is larger than over the entire population of at least 20 states!
Absolutely! As a kiwi we have around 4M total, so the definition of empty is rather subjective
@@ianbedwell4871 New Zealands population is over 5 million
Very informative love this channel
Born and raised in the city/Long Island and living outside Syracuse…upstate NY is def a unique land and it’s much bigger than you’d think!!! I’ve driven to just about every nook and cranny of NYS and it always surprises me just how big the state really is. Many beautiful spots to explore, in some parts you’d swear you were in Vermont somewhere. From its most northern point in Champlain, NY to its most southern point in Staten Island, it’s a 6.5 hour drive!
As do I. I am originally from the lower Hudson Valley and I love CNY.... unfortunately the policies from people from NYC area are driving the state into the ground. It's time for an amicable divorce from Downstate.
Went from Connecticut to Akwesasne took 7 hours!
Born and raised in Saratoga Springs (actual ‘upstate NY’) and have always felt exponentially lucky. We have every season, abundant land, beautiful views, quaint towns, things to do, delicious food, tourist attractions and NYC is just a quick train ride away. Taxes are high but otherwise life here is pretty sweet
But… Yonkers IS upstate NY 😑😜 I’m also from actual upstate NY (Granville) and I couldn’t agree more. My hometown apparently used to be a social hub way back when, according to old photos. I would’ve loved to live there back then but also don’t mind the farms and having to drive a little to explore cities. It’s nice to come home to peace and quiet. Love a trip to NYC, but nothing beats the mountains and starry skies of upstate NY
@@kayleedalaba7094, Granville saw it’s decline back when they moved the county building there. Which brought in all the low income families and a decline.
It’s now picking itself back up.
Now Hudson Falls and Fort Edward are on that decline because the county building is there……
Born and raised around Massena Ogdensburg area, don't even wanna bother saying actual upstate New Yorker here cause we're more like northern New York up here. (never visit it sucks)
@@lqdtrance Im in Hudson falls and this is totally true! It’s sad to see potential here but nothing is being done.
Lots of unemployed residents is a big problem.
as a retiree in TX, I couldn't take the taxes and cold, lived in Ohio 15 yrs. that was enough, 2 blizzards, shoveling snow etc.
Syracuse native here! Whenever I tell someone that I’m from New York, they automatically assume I’m from New York City. So I always say upstate New York. I actually prefer upstate to NYC because of all the rolling hills, the lakes and the weather. Aside from the salt on the roads.
i also live in upstate ny. yonkers to be more specific
@@eddiew2325 funny joke
My wife and I visited upstate NY twice this year, and it's incredible. We were blown away by the magic of Watkins Glen, and the heights of Whiteface mountain, and ask the waterfalls around them. An incredible state that we haven't taken enough advantage of
As a Geneva resident I have to explain it all the time
@@CB.PUNISHER.1900 I'm almost certain it was a joke
I live in the GTA, basically the suburbs outside of Toronto. I can walk to Lake Ontario I about 15 minutes. On clear days you can see all the way across the lake into New York.
Some spots you can see Rochester and the buildings on shore near Buffalo.
I grew up in Syracuse in the 60s &70s, I now live in Monterey Calif. It's the weather. Brutal winters and relatively few sunny days. Left in 1982 & never looked back.
I was born and raised in Monterey. I moved to Spokane, WA for school few years ago and boy do I miss the coastal weather! Despite the high rent in Monterey I'll be moving back soon. It's worth not having to deal with sub zero cold snaps every winter.
I think it's extremely important to note that the massive jump in population from 1890 to 1900 is largely due to the absorption of Queens, Brooklyn and Staten island into the city.
I never knew they weren't part of the city. That's interesting.
Thank you ☺️
Brooklyn & Queens maybe - Staten Osland not so much. It was beautifully green until the Verazzano was built and a huge chunk of Brooklyn moved in along with the mob, and destroyed it with overcrowding and incredible psuedo rococco style. It was more a time of high immigration though.
And, Long Island (blue on your map)is not one of the 5 boroughs: Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.
A lot of immigration at that point too.
So the city of NY is made up of 5 counties !
Yes the other Boroughs were originally counties with many cities in them .
As someone who grew up in upstate NY I can tell you with 100% certainty that it has more to do with geopolitical reasons than geographical reasons. Geography certainly plays a role, but the real problem is that upstate NY is a vast farm filled wilderness entirely governed by a small densely populated island off of its southern tip.
So true!
Exactly! I'm 44, born and raised in NYS. In my entire 44 years, not ONE GOVERNOR until Hochul, came from anywhere OTHER than NYC!! And then people wonder why the state government is only interested in doing what NYC wants.
NYC is truly the downfall of NYS. The liberal minded fools who populate this major city, reflect most of the largest cities throughout the U.S., and have led to the downfall of our society. What was once a family oriented country, is now a Woke, small group catered governance. We were the envy of the entire world, but have now become the laughing stock of our allies, and our adversaries.
Yeah, hence the Empire State...🤷🏾♂️😄
I am a born Syracuse native, and I remember snow and ice storms lasting up to sometimes late April and/or early May! I'm elderly now, loved rollicking in the snow, sucking on icicles, and sledding when I was a kid though! I moved
away from my hometown before I got too old, because the winters were just too brutal, and I was no longer a child! Thankfully, I have close family relatives in the south where I moved!
Hi Geoff, i'm a Québec resident.Your podcast are really interesting because there is a lot of information you give.
I was born in Upstate NY and lived there till I was 6. I still have a love of farms as a result (there were lots of farms near Rome at the time- not sure how it is now). I moved to CT and people told me I had an accent, which offended me as a little kid, not knowing what an accent was.
I flaunt my "accent"
I live in upstate NY. It is far from empty. We choose not to live on top each other. Why anyone would choose to live in such tight conditions as NYC is completely beyond me.
Yup! Get out of the cities while you still can.
sometimes you're just born there and get used to it
community, diversity, culture, independence from cars to name a few
whereabout?
@@meladversity Crime, expensive rent, overcrowded streets, homeless people…
Upstate NY is drop dead gorgeous. The only negative I can come up with is that in the winter it feels more like the Yukon. The other three seasons (Spring, Summer and Fall) you can't beat Upstate NY.
We haven't had a winter this year (2023-24). El Nino and climate change. People are tapping maples, first week of February. Crazy!
Normally, if you like winter, there's plenty here. Snowmobile trails all over. Skiing. I go crosscountry skiing out my back door.
Upstate NY winters are definitely getting MUCH milder. Only thing 'bad" about upstate NY, and it's getting better. Our springs, summers and especially autumns are wonderful............
There are five seasons in upstate New York, Gonna be Winter, Winter, Still frickin' Winter, The Rainy, and finally Construction...
I live upstate and I have to agree. The nature really is second to none, it's a pity that more people don't know about the mountains here. The winters suck, but they definitely have been getting milder.
The upstate area also has a great wine economy around the Finger Lakes.
I'm a 1st time watcher yet am digging it so far🤙🏼 I gave ya a like and a comment so far😉😁
So far so good and I'm only 1/2 way through 👏🏼
I live in Buffal, have been to Adirondack’s, and Lake George. It is the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Not too far of a drive for all of this vast space, with plenty to do and see.
Upstate NY has also been losing population, not. just NYC in recent years. The people upstate are treated like the red headed stepchildren in NYS. They pay high taxes to support NYC and get little in return. It is beautiful but economically unfeasible to live in.
100% come dune south!!
That's very interesting. What sources did you use to find out about the taxes? I would like to learn about the tax situation supporting nyc.
Uhhh, you do realize that a huge factor to our population decline is that most of our population are Old Boomers from the Greatest Generation
And that we had a Governor who tried to kill them during Covid 👀
@@PocketWater0NYC gets a disproportionate portion of the state budget compared to the percentage of taces it contributes.
NYC relies on upstate power generation
It relies on upstate farming
These things combined puts NYC as a tax burden on upstate NY
I remember as kid In 1968 visiting dads MALONE NY,TWO beautiful hotels Franklin and Flannigan I'm thinking, deluxe rest with Marion's on main St Busy town get back up there by 1985 era gone was.population then in 2000 Industry all gone just Prisons my dad's relatives were all BRICKLAYERS TODAY 25% LIVE IN POVERTY INCOMES.
The beauty of upstate NY is so underrated
YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN!!
Shhhhhh....!
Indeed it is gorgeous
Too bad way up north is so cold in the winter.
#2 state for number of waterfalls (supposedly Michigan is #1). Why NY's waterfalls are not more marketed to tourists is beyond me.
great information thank u!
You forgot to mention the leatherstocking region, including Utica and Rome. The Erie Canal was started in Rome in 1817. Rome NY hosted Woodstock 99. Rome NY is also home to Fort Stanwix, where the American flag was first flown in battle during the Revolutionary War. Francis Bellamy, the author of the Pledge of Allegiance without the words 'under God', is buried here in Rome, NY. The first cheese factory in the United States was built in Rome, NY. I'm sure I'm missing something. We don't have much going on in Rome anymore, but we've got that.
Fun fact, the Hudson River begins atop Mount Marcy, the highest peak in NY.
I live 30 minute from Canada in Upstate NY and let me tell you of a magical place called "Stewarts"... the local gas station, convenient store and Ice cream shop... Also POUTINE which I recommend everyone try, Friesland and Gravy with Cheescurds 😇
Stewart’s Hotdogs and Soda are a must
omgosh I miss Stewart's breakfast sandwiches, another Upstate NY gem is breakfast pizza. So delicious .
Your Stewart's has poutine??? Not in the capital district 😡
Stewart's breakfast sandwiches and ice cream 🥰🥰🥰
Fuck yes dude, I’m from Canton and the midnight walk to Stewart’s was a staple activity for my friend group
It’s awesome to see so many fellow upstate NYers taking pride in growing up here or just the beauty of it. So many people either hate NY or talk trash about it (mostly the city) but I’ve always loved it up here. Besides the winters but the Summer and Fall are both wonderful
New Amsterdam is a lovely place isn’t it?
Very proud to be from upstate New York!
I'm one of the ones who talk trash about it. I was born and raised in upstate NY and lived there for 33 years. Best decision of my life was leaving there. Cold gloomy weather, cold gloomy people, ridiculous cost of living, ridiculous laws. I don't miss it at all.
@@Humble-Daniel🍻🍻 I am ashamed to say Syracuse is my hometown
@@Humble-Daniel I'm with you. I'm outta here in a few years. The best part of NY will be seeing it in the rear view mirror for the last time.
Big AFB up there once too. Plattsburgh AFB was a Stratigic Air Command base. I grew up there & miss the people of upstate NY so much, thinking about moving back. 💙☮️
I was in the Air Force as a tech on B-52s, Rome and Plattsburgh NY were to bases for the BUF…Have a great day!
I live in NYC and I love visiting upstate. I think it absolutely stunning with the mountains and lakes (Lake Placid/Lake George/Saratoga) and even closer to home (the Catskills/Bear Mountain region/West Point). Even the bluffs on the Jersey side near the GWB are very scenic. We also can't forget Niagara Falls and the beautiful beaches on LI. New York is undoubtedly one of the prettiest states in the country, right up there with the best of them!
As a person who moved from Iowa to Ithaca and now living in Cortland, I assure you it’s far from empty. Trust me I’ve seen empty and vast miles of nothing where you don’t see anybody, this is far from it.
You ain't kiddin...with exception of Des Moines, 4 hrs of flat from Davenport to Council Bluffs..
Nice bro I was born and raised in dryden. We don't like ithaca bc its NYC lite
Ithaca is a pretty town
I Live there, I'll save ya'll 20 minutes. It gets down to -20 in the winter and we can get up to 3 ft of snow overnight.
Hasn't gone below zero this winter, and our grass is green right now, Groundhog day. Go figure. the ski slopes are hurting and snow festivals have been canceled.
@@jamesvandamme7786 We've had weirdly warm weather this winter in the UK, too. It's been 12C more often than it should and has rarely dipped below 0C
In the snowbelt areas maybe, the rest of the region is getting very mild. I have not seen -20 in 10+ years.
Not to mention the high level of taxation
maybe that's what it used to be, but global warming is quickly changing that. I'm in Toronto and we have had barely any snow. It was 3degrees today when it should have been -30 already. It's very concerning
Born and raised in Massena.. all the big attractions were in Canada.. shopping . concerts, dining.. heck the only rock stations I could get as a kid came from CHEZ 106 in Ottawa n CHOM FM in Montreal.. First time I saw a middle turn lane was 18 when I went to college in Rochester
As someone who grew up in Albany, now lives in the Adirondacks, i am very happy that the rest of the New York population stays down South because we don't want them up here. but what sucks is the fact that New York City usually governs the entire State's regulations and laws so we get screwed because of the idiots down there. cities have nothing to do with Upstate more rural areas where I live. wé get stuck with idiotic laws effecting us.
I am German but used to live in upstate NY, in -West Oneonta for a number of years. I loved it! Beautiful countryside, really friendly people, great canoeing on the Susquehana, good soil for growing veggies. Just my home sickness for my country of birth, Germany, made me return. I still regret it at times. If I ever went back to the US, it would be to upstate, snow or no snow.
I am from a tiny town named Schenevus. 15 minutes from Oneonta. Exit 18 on I88. My brother lives in west Oneonta.
Just graduated from Oneonta!
You lived in upstate NY and returned to Germany? We immigrated to Canada about 13 years ago and I can't imagine ever going back there (I hope I never have to). Things have gotten kind of bad in Canada but its even worse in Germany (we are originally from around Munich and there is no way we could ever afford anything there).
My son also went to Suny! @@infam0us913
I'm from an even smaller town called Westford!🤣@@sethjory8356
Buffalo, NY: 278k
Rochester, NY: 211k
Providence, RI: 190k
Syracuse, NY: 146k
Manchester, NH: 110k
Albany, NY: 98k
Portland, ME: 68k
Schenectady, NY: 67k
Utica, NY: 64k
Burlington, VT: 44k
Maybe you should do a video on why New England is so “empty” outside of Boston and the part of Connecticut that’s adjacent to NYC.
Rochester NY has 211k add in the suburbs of Monroe County and it has over 750k. According to the 2022 census.
Why bother?
Weird that Buffalo, Rochester and Providence together are smaller than Winnipeg, MB.
@@wendull811k that makes more sense
All these NY cities are bigger than all but 5 PA cities and by a long shot. All upside New Yorkers have to do especially if they live on the Great Lakes is really move one state down to PA. Most of our state is far more rural and except for Erie, we get way less snow. PA is largely empty in its northern half and even in its southwest quadrant, there really is only Pittsburgh of real significance.
I lived in Hudson Valley for 2 yrs. Loved it there. Such a massive and beautiful state.
The cloudy weather upstate experiences is a major drag. If you live in the Hudson Valley it's a bit better, but the more north you go the more clouds you experience every day. Most of the time it is colder, snowier, and cloudier for longer. The economy isn't that great either and distances are far. Nature is spectacular up here and you can often times find hikes with nobody on them even on weekends. The scenery is very pretty, with mostly farmland or mountains if you live in the Catkills mountain region
As a life long upstate NY resident, another unfortunate factor of NYC having that population density is all the votes upstate have zero effect towards any election we have.
They are all trump voters anyway. booo
Well considering who most you upstate usually end up voting for in elections….not much of a surprise
Update New York still votes blue because of the cities
Yeah this is a weird analysis. NY is like solid blue, it's not a swing state.
Zero effect in _any_ election? If ONLY Congress had a House of Representatives, then that would not be true!
I was born in Syracuse, New York, and I grew up in Binghamton New York. I also have family way up on the border with Canada.
The reason that no one lives in upstate New York anymore is because all of the industry moved away in the 1900s.
every town in upstate New York is full of beat up old factories from 100 years ago.
Businesses realized that they can make the same things overseas using slave labor rather than paying Americans.
And that is why no one lives in upstate New York anymore. It’s the same story in other states too.
plus throw in the demise of the family farm after ww2. if you had a 50 to 500 acre farm, you couldn't make a living anymore. so they all shut down, and all the businesses like feed stores, hardware stores, creameries went out of business. no more jobs for farm hands. So by the 1980s most of the old farmers who stuck it out had died, and their children had already left town decades earlier for more prosperous careers.
IBM and EJ really caused to population to drop with deindustrialization in Binghamton, Endicott, and Johnson City and Erie Lackawanna discontinued all passenger services to these cities which is partly why Broome is the poorest county in upstate NY. It's quite unfortunate.
I enjoyed this 🎉
In my Navy days aboard ship, a couple New Yorker shipmates asked me if my state Florida had anything besides sand and palm trees? Stupid question. So I asked them, "Does New York have any trees?" 😅
I hear ya! When I was in the service had to explain to folks New York isn’t just steel and concrete! Hudson Valley offers a great lifestyle, Have a great day…
I feel like Geoff lives in another State and knows only what he has Googled. I grew up in Upstate NY. It was a wonderful childhood. We didn’t have big city problems. You could leave your house unlocked and leave your keys in your cars ignition overnight. I’ve got lifelong friends and a great work ethic. Fresh air, lots of room to roam/explore. Still love going back and so do my wife and kids. I’d take Upstate over NYC any day anytime.
Definitely. I grew up in Rochester and currently live in Syracuse. There's nothing to scoff about living in Syracuse with the moderate cost of living, and reasonable adjacency to many of the geographical benefits covered in this video, like Adirondack and Finger Lakes regions. However I do lock my doors... because... why not? I live close to the city? It's not a hard task to lock doors? But I get what you're saying. I'm fine here
Pfft... I NEVER got robbed or had my property vandalized when I lived in NYC or Long Island.
Been living in rural upstate for decades as well now, and had my truck vandalized, my house broken into and my yard set on fire.... BY NEIGHBORS bc they *"don't like people from NYC!"* And aside from the little bit of NY accent I still have, it's not like I stick out in behavior or any other way.
So yeah... I lock my doors AND got "protection." And this is in a 99% WHITE, small town!!! How's that for turning stereotypes on it's ass? 🤨
Good thing I have self control. 😎
It’s getting worse upstate since 2020. City scum moving north. Idiot governor bringing in illegal migrants and bussing them all over.
Taxes going higher every year and cost of living going up because people want $15/hr to ask if they want fries with their order……
@@Mike-bl9dv 👍 I’m just saying that’s what we did. It’s a very small town.
Syracuse area I definitely would lock up too.
Cant leave doors unlocked any more..upstate..having more crime..seeing many illegals working on farms here ..and they are not respectful..litter everycwhere
I was raised Upstate and our family camp is in the Adirondacks. I left in '04. The winter was too much for me as I got older. If I had my way, I would be there every Summer though. You can't beat a New York summer.
live about halfway between Syracuse and Rochester, still waiting for winter to start. seen snow once, gone the next day.
Those winters are a thing of the past. It's pretty much North Carolina
Adirondack Summers have always been my favorite. My grandma lives walking distance to Lake George Village but at the same time she’s up the road enough so she doesn’t have to deal with all the tourists in Summer.
@@adreanmarantz2103 auburn?
Let me tell ya, winters are basically over now, so you are safe to come back if you want to. Climate change has done a number on snowfall. There has not been 1 single snow day this winter. We used to have 6 to 10 snow days. That's over now.
Very Interesting 👍🏽
Being a native New Yorker from a little village ( Endicott) in what's called the Southern tier part of New York you could actually walk to Pennsylvania from where I grew up it's a beautiful area. It is a very historic area during the great depression it was one of the only places in the country where you could find work there was a factory there that produced shoes for the soldiers called the Endicott Johnson.
The founder of the company built a medical clinic there for all his employees to get their health care for free, he subsidized their mortgages, built homes, built all the carousels in the area for free under the condition that they could never be charged admission $$ to ride.
After EJ started going downhill Endicott became the home of IBM where they started their original factories making time clocks they also had their school there for IBM.
Muggy in Summer and 8 months of brutal Winters plus an average of 163 days of sunshine got to be a little too much for me as I aged so I moved to Colorado. The saying proves to be true if you can "make it there you can make it anywhere."
I live in "upstate" NY outside of Rochester. Yeah, the weather is rough in the winter but it's a great place to raise a family, get an education, and live affordably. The people are hard-working, but they don't have the edgy, tense personalities you see in NYC. Plus, it's really beautiful up here with the Finger Lakes, the Great Lakes, Niagara Falls, and the Thousand Islands. It's pretty amazing (except for January and February).
Zweigles, garbage plates and awesome haddock fish frys.
Things I could not come close to getting living in Seattle for 6 years.
Where abouts? My parents are living in Geneva, though originally we were from Elmira lol
Where abouts? My parents are living in Geneva, though originally we were from Elmira lol
This is why I still live here.
The winter isn’t so bad imo because there are several ski hills around. But yes upstate New York is absolutely beautiful
7.5 million isn’t empty to me. Nunavut is empty only 40,000 ppl.
There appear to be a large percentage of vacation homes that are not primary residences in the region. Just because some piece of paper from the last census says 7.5 people live in the region doesn't necessarily make it so.
The percentage of residential houses that are vacation homes in "the region" - by which you seem to mean ALL of Upstate NY - is insignificant. There are spots here and there that have clusters of vacation homes, but if the census says 7.5 million people live Upstate, then that's correct. Syracuse for example has almost 700k people and you can probably count the number of vacation homes in the Syracuse area on one hand.
The Adirondack Park, "forever wild", is about the size of the state of Connecticut. Big enough to really get lost in.
@@donaldclifford5763the park is 1/5 of the state's total land area. It is also one of the few areas in the eastern US that has 0 light pollution. (Not the entire thing, but near the 5 ponds wilderness area is a large blob of the darkest sky category on the light pollution map)
Funny enough the state also has the worst light pollution region in the country, NYC.
Not to mention the state has a bunch of other state parks and nature preserves.
I'm curious what percentage of the state is "intentionally left blank" and how that affects the population to land ratio of upstate to downstate. (Downstate still has the majority of the population, NYC is insane)
And the entire Yukon has only 27,000 people! I've been there & it's large!
Yeah, I moved from Rochester to Saint Lawrence County 2 years ago. Much rather be here. These communities are small and everyone takes care of one another. Also, if you love the outdoors, it is beautiful!!
I live up in the Adirondacks and it's a beautiful area all year round. People I work with from other states and even countries always comment on how beautiful it is.
Hi Geoff! I was born in Massena, NY and raised in the Albany area. Your video is very well done. But, you did leave out one important factor discussing the St. Lawrence river. The river had significant rapids along the US-Canada border, not navigable by boats, until the St. Lawrence Seaway was completed in the 1950s. The dominance of the Erie canal for 120 years previous to that lead to the growth in the state and it's population growth we see today. Rochester and Buffalo were actually considered the first two major cities to grow in the USA's "Western Expansion". The Erie canal was the only easy way east to west through the Appalachian Mountains until the railroads across Pennsylvania were built, crating a faster, more direct route to cities like Detroit and Chicago. Buffalo was actually the 6th largest city in America in the late 1800s. Also, nearly 1/4 of the land Upstate is protected "forever wild" land, and is protected in the NYS constitution, and will forever be very rural.
Keep up the great content. Geography nerds like me, really appreciate it. LOL
Yes, and the deindustrialization of the Rust Belt with factories that employed many people mainly moving away was also left out. Because of its location at the east end of the Great Lakes Buffalo for example was a great location for huge factories like Bethlehem Steel and Ford and GM assembly plants. They all left starting in the 1950's for many reasons. Factories and steel mills etc. get outmoded and need complete rebuilding eventually. Southern states offered all kinds of bribes of interstate exits and free land and no taxes plus lower wages, plus competition from lower wage countries facilitated by vastly lower containerized ocean/train/truck shipping and other factors all incentivized them to leave.
hello from massena, new york!
@@emjayay yep - I believe that Buffalo dropped about 50% of its population, and Rochester about 20-30% - I'm a Rochester ex-pat myself, moving out West for work. The decline of the Steel Belt to the Rust Belt is an important part of this story.
@@emjayay, yours was the smartest take on the issue that I've read.
1. What would we's all do without your brilliant, detailed knowledge of upper New York?!? 2. Amazing content !!
"Go west young man", which I did in 1963. "Your from New York? You don't have an accent". Learned real quick to say"Up State". Born in an old farmhouse in the winter of March 1940 outside of Victor, N.Y.
That’s where I’m headed!
I worked with a guy from Plattsburg, N.Y., which is 62 miles from Montreal, and 311 miles from NY City. He had the same task of explaining why he was not at all a "New Yorker" in the way people were defining that term.
There is an accent for upstate central NY, but it isn't as distinct as the NYC accents. (P.S. I grew up in a Syracuse suburb and I know how to pronounce Schenectady without hesitating.)
@@gblakev Right?!!!
How ya doin’? Low drawl from the southern tier area…moved from there at an early age, most of my relatives there still speak like that, nice folks !
Sloppy opening sentences, dominated by a single state? You mean city.
Very interesting👍☺️
Upstate NY is part of the Rust Belt and has suffered from economic depression. Jobs disappeared and people moved away. Years later, entrepreneurs show up to take advantage of depressed land values. They build new housing, open new businesses. The cycle starts over.
Sorta like how Buffalo Canal went from being some Chernobyl-esque industrial hellscape too now being full of trendy bars/art studios?
These "empty' videos have gotten out of hand. The "empty" land is about as densely populated as Michigan, South Carolina, or Tennessee.
The fact that we get free videos on RUclips by Geoff is truly a gift.., keeping the education and knowledge alive 👏👏👏
We live waa-ay upstate, and love it. NY state is like a small country- easy access to NYC, Montréal or Burlington, VT. The Adirondack Region, well protected, is magnificent, plenty of history and plenty to do. Easy to get down to NYC and enjoy all its magic, then return to the calm and beauty of our region. Not to mention all the waters in NY- the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, the ocean, finger lakes. And over the past few years there has been a real renaissance in local craft beers and all manner of organic farming. Very cool place to live.
Point of interest.
The Erie Canal became THE feeder and connector between the East Coast United States and the inland territories.
The dangers of the British on Lake Ontario and the difficulties of crossing the Appalachians was the impetus for the Erie Canal.
The Canal facilitated the First Great Westward Movement onto inland America.
It brought settlers to the new farmlands and brought back grain and other produce back to be shipped across the oceans to all parts of the world. Which, in turn, turned NY City into the world leading port it is today.
All of this was accomplished out of reach of post War Of 1812 British, who felt entitled to any American ship along with and pirating vessels.
The US wouldn't be The US and NYC wouldn't be NYC as quickly as they were without the Erie canal.
"Why nobody lives..." is because the Nation moved THROUGH to go on to build the rest of our country.
Yet Upstate has contributed to our nation in many more ways.
Rochester was the birthplace of Bausch and Lomb, Xerox, Kodak, Western Union and many other advanced technologies.
Frederick Douglas and Susan B Anthony fought their battles for equality and right from Upstate NY as well as large terminals for the Underground Railroad with Harriett Tubman living in Auburn NY.
Upstate is amazing.
Additionally the St. Lawrence was not naturally navigable beyond Montreal due to the rapids at Cornwall/Massena. Amd the detour south of the Appalachians was really freaking long, all the around Spanish Florida and back up the Mississippi, including a portage at Chicago if you wanted to get into the lakes.
And another couple fun facts about the canal:
80% of the population of NY lives within 30miles of the federally designated "Empire HSR corridor" which is the railroad tracks that replaced the canal.
The Adirondack Park exists today because excessive logging in the southern Adirondack was causing increased errosion, and all that sediment was filling in the canal. And what's more important than environmentalism? The bottom line of NYC's upper class being threatened. So they helped environmentalists get the park formed and protected, by the state's constitution making it functionally impossible to ever destroy the park because it would require another amendment to undo it.
Its basically impossible to undersell the impact that canal had on the history of the state.
Fun fact: The Akwesasne reservation on the southern bank of the St. Lawrence River lies at the tripoint of New York, Ontario, and Québec, and has land in all three. You can cross the border there without going through customs, since the Canadian portion of the reservation is hard to get to from the rest of Canada (you need to either boat across the river or drive through US territory). And Mohawk tribe members are exempt from border checkpoints due to a 200 year old treaty.
Yes you can...but if you get caught you DO get in trouble (they tell you that NON NATIVES are NOT supposed to do that...oddly enough they sold weed there for years and people DID cross to Canada...those that got caught lost cars!!!)
@@timothymartin2137 Yeah, you're supposed to check in at a Canadian port of entry even if you're not crossing into the rest of Canada, otherwise you are considered to be there illegally. And it's a hotbed of smuggling so they do take it seriously. Don't cross the border with anything that you shouldn't. At this point you can buy weed on the American side so there's no need to.
@@timothymartin2137 & AtomikNY - were either of you up there for Akwesasne revolution? (both sides) Summer of 89 I think. They shut down northern NY Rt 30 near Massena and the south bridge into Montreal on the Canada side. The tribes within the Rez were at war + they kept the National guard and the State Police out. 1 Huey shot down. Wild Times, and the Reservation was a major smuggling point for sure. We crossed on a gravel road into canada to a camp a few times and by river while fishing. Wasn't hard back then.
Nope...I was in NC then..but I had been on the other side of the state when the Natives in Jericho went wild (cannot remember what tribe)...they did the same thing...blockaded roads and shot it out....no helicopters downed then though....we dont treat them right....look at the land they were given...(the swampiest shithole on the border here)....so yeah...they get PISSED when we fuck with them....they are right though!!!@@mobile-to6rz
I go there weekly
Right next door to upstate NY 7.5 million is Vermont which only has less than 0.7 million.
My ancestors the Lancto's moved to upstate New York at one point, lots of them are still there but lots have left. The first Lancto in my line in America/ Canada was killed by an Iroquois native.
I live in upstate NY and am glad for the sparse population.
I like my solitude and hate cities.
The ADK mountains are my back yard and my playground.
I miss the really snowy winters. (Climate change) We used to get snow by Halloween, and it would stay until May. Sometimes so deep that you had to tunnel from your front door to the driveway/road. I like to say that our winters keep the riff raff out. lol Sadly things have changed a bit.
It is nice however to find someone who acknowledges our existence up here.
Were supposed to get some tonight
@@FDDLERSGREEN
Fond memories of youth. 😌
Born and raised in Syracuse. I left 20 years ago when I graduated HS. Upstate cities are very much rust belt cities. Crappy winter weather aside - it’s really a true blessing if the Sun comes out - Syracuse is a depressing place to call home. Some of the worst poverty levels in the country. The rural areas and smaller towns may be beautiful places to call home if that’s your thing.
Agreed. Relocated from CO to Syracuse and now Utica and it’s the w saddest state of affairs/way of living I’ve ever been exposed to in my life. And no one seems to notice or care how bad it really is.
im from a small rural town not far from syracuse, now i live in the city (of syracuse) and man... it blows here. We have the mall and a zoo. thats it.
A very honest assessment. Yes, if one has seen and lived in other states - many other states - they wouldn't swear by upstage NY. An area I couldn't wait to get out of after my undergraduate years. I have great memories of those four years, but not due to being "held prisoner" in upstate NY. The winter weather is for Eskimos and idiots, with much of the population being small minded. Those who are singing its praises have no idea how much life they're missing by living in that frigid climate. And I think most of them are likely stuck there.
Syracuse is far from being in a sad.
@@Tenobii I don't see the same I guess, I graduated from Oswego highchool and now live in downtown. Sure it's hard to get to know people but I will never cease to be amazed at the beauty and coming growth of the city due to micron. Oswego was miserable because all they have is 9 mile, the college and some parks. Here I see something and it might not be clear but some day yk? I see at least a place that has more potential then a state like TN at least.
Western New Yorker here. Grew up on lake Erie South of Buffalo. Incredible nature. I'm close to zoar valley, an hour drive to the Allegheny mountains and similar drives to upstate locations. Kayaking all around the lake and tributaries like the cattaraugus and 18 mile creeks. Nothing like NYC here. Buffalo isn't to bad. Especially the passed decade or so it's been cleaned up and some development. Especially downtown on the lake.
I went and visited some friends on Long Island. The ocean side has incredibly cold water. My other friend lives on the other side and maybe the waves aren't as interesting, but the water is warm enough to go into.
I grew up in NYC, and now live "upstate" about 60 miles north of the city. Upstate is not "empty" but compared to NYC the population is spread out mostly in single-family homes. Where I am in the Hudson Valley, the temperatures are about 5-10 degrees cooler year-round than the city. The winters here used to be brutal, but have been getting milder over the last ten years. Lots of towns in the Hudson Valley have become boomtowns recently because they offer a lower cost of living than the city, yet you can still get to the city daily if you need to.
60 miles from the city is not calling it upstate. 4 hours away from the city is upstate
that makes no sense, than what do you call the hudson valley region? Because it's not the city that's for sure.@@abetteryou2025
The winters aren't getting milder. I been here since the 1960s, so i know that's nonsense. I'm guessing you're one of those global warming weirdos trying to shoehorn your politics into everything you say. BTW, the Hudson Valley is notorious for attracting NYC leftists; they definitely do not represent the morals and values of upstate NY.
@@abetteryou2025correct. 60 miles is only the NYC suburbs.
Facts it's booming bc most the ppl from the city are buying out all the property. I don't fully consider myself an upstate NYker. Bronx born lived 17 yrs of my life NYC and 15 yrs in Hudson Valley (Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, Beacon, Marlboro, currently Wappingers area). Which is all downstate metropolitan area still as it's only 1 hr & 15 minutes roughly from the Bronx of course. I say that to say this when ppl ik assume or have a misconception about territories outside of NYC I always tell them. I've been all over and there is nowhere as beautiful as the Hudson Valley area of NY. Yea life is more settled, less entertaining depending on what you consider entertaining but for total peace & gratitude on a daily basis I would never recommend NYC over upstate. The outdoors, the tranquility, the views, the quality & preservation of life is nothing short of amazing. I tell ppl all the time that's why countless amounts of high profile wealthy ppl, from celebs, politicians, athletes all buy homes upstate NY and you'll bump into them more often than not. Over the yrs bumped into Jimmy Kimmel, Justin Beiber, George Clooney, Robert Deniro, Amari Stoudamire, 50 cent. Heard of Jay Z and Beyonce being spotted in Amenia, NY few yrs back buying a mansion out there. Was just in midtown Manhattan over the weekend. Took the subway for the first time in yrs and couldn't believe the amount of mentally ill individuals that were roaming around. Usually it's strictly homeless & drug addicts but it seems to have gotten far worse than it's ever been. It's sad seriously smh
As someone from Iowa, where the population is 3.5 million, a population of over 7 million is hardly 'empty' statistics. I think too many people are from sardine packed cities and don't have a realistic view of what constitutes empty.
True story
I’m from Montana. For us, Iowa would be too populated lol.
I've lived in various places all around the globe and traveled to and through many others. I've spent significant time in nearly 40 of these United States. With less than a dozen exceptions I found those travels and stays entertaining and enlightening. I raised my family in the western suburbs of Philadelphia in Delaware and Chester counties. Had a great and rewarding life there. HOWEVER I now spend most of my time in a small home in an Upstate NY village with a population of 600 in the Finger Lakes. This is where I've been the happiest and most content - except that I always go back to my home in Chester County, Pa in mid October because of the cold raw chill, and don't return until April. I think I understand that Upstate and Downstate is simply a seasonal thing.
I was born and raised in Buffalo. Other than the winters with the lake effect snow, it’s a beautiful place. The area is one of the most affordable places to live in the country. In the last 10-15 years downtown Buffalo has improved with more businesses and a developed canal side. And is centered to some major cities to visit. Pittsburgh, Toronto, Cleveland and you got Niagara Falls just 20 minutes away.
Hello, central upstate NY resident here, just want to say that I like this video and would like people to know that we upstate New Yorkers are just as proud of our home as those are in NYC! Upstate New York is beautiful and offers a unique lifestyle, anyone with a chance to visit should do so!
It is very beautiful. I took a train from Buffalo to NYC for a instate vacation, and I was blown away at the beauty of central NY. It must be gorgeous in the fall with the changing color of the leaves on the trees.
Been living in Albany and Syracuse the better part of the last year and you guys are all super nice and it still has that mixing pot vibe where lots of different cultures get along and work together. I love it so far
@@FOX007-um1wr it's spectacular - never gets old
NYS is absolutely gorgeous-from a New Jerseyan.💕
Ive been all over the world. Also born and rasied in NYC so it might sound bias but im serious when i say Upstate has some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. Very underrated. Great for skiing in the winters, fruit picking and wine tours in the spring and fall, and great for hiking, water rafting and camping in the summer. Some of the best universities in the world including some fun party schools.All just hours from the greatest city in the world
😮My niece from Florida would like to move to upstate New York. I've never been there, so after reading all these comments I think I would really love to come visit. ❤️
I bet. I've never been to New York or anywhere in that part of the country. The upstate area does look so pretty, I'd love to visit there one day.
Nice in the Summer, then....not so much@@sherryberry2394
You are so right! If you drive from NYC to Montreal and exclude the first and last 30-45 minutes of travel, you basically drive through pure nature, with almost nobody in sight, and absolutely beautiful scenery. I also find it funny that tourists from all over the world flock to NYC, but almost none of them ever ventures into the Hudson Valley, the Catskill, the Adirondacks. Boy, most of them don't even visit Long Island!
yeah skiing is great if you like ice. better off going to Vermont
There is so much history in this area. Especially with native Americans. A lot of our county names are named after the nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. A lot of local school districts also had Native Americans as mascots until Hochul forced them to come up with new mascots and names.
I grew up in rural New York, beautiful childhood, a gift.