Upstate New York Explained…Again

  |  February 17, 2014

new york

It’s a debate seemingly as old as time itself: Where is upstate New York? Did the FYI column in the NYT finally put this question to bed, once and for all? Here’s how the column breaks it down, using Gov. Cuomo’s regional council on economic development’s maps:

1) North Country: Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton, Essex, Hamilton and Lewis Counties.

2) Southern Tier: Steuben, Schuyler, Chemung, Tompkins, Tioga, Broome, Chenango and Delaware Counties.

3) Using Albany’s definition, “upstate NY” is anywhere beyond MTA’s commuter rail service. So by those standards, anything north of Dutchess County east of Hudson and Orange County west of Hudson is “upstate” NY.

Western NY is generally considered anything west of the Finger Lakes.

In spite of the NYT’s helpful clarification, we’re sure the argument about where upstate begins will rage on amongst those who live in the Hudson Valley, Catskills, and downstate NY. For us here at Upstater, we prefer to define it for ourselves: North of the ‘burbs, south of the Adirondacks, east of the Finger Lakes, and west of the Connecticut border. That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it.

About Kandy Harris

Kandy is a writer and musician/music teacher living in Saugerties, NY.

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