Upstate New York: State Profile

An overview of the geography of the Upstate of New York, or more specifically, the state outside of New York City metro. I discuss the cities, natural areas, climate, economy, taxes, agriculture, food, and more.

Album displayed: Rick James - "Street Songs" (1981)

[susanarchivist]

I live in Albany. I think "Albany really isn't that bad" is our motto.

[thetwopointslow]

“Well, I’m from Utica and I never heard anyone use the phrase, ‘steamed hams’”

[michaelderose]

SARATOGA SPRINGS needed to be mentioned. The food, the racetrack, and SPAC.

[EmpHonorable]

I go to school in Syracuse and I gotta say this city is growing on me. It is a good sized city with surprisingly one of the largest malls in the country. Also, the Finger Lakes region and the Adirondacks are some of the most beautiful and underrated parts of the East Coast. So many state parks, ski areas, apple orchards, wineries, trails, lakes, rivers, glacial features, even beaches!

[toddtaylor]

About ten years ago I was out for a walk and alongside the road a car was parked, the driver was leaning against the fender just staring up at a tree covered hill alongside the road We got to talking and turned out he was from Texas just out on a national road trip and he said he was just stunned that what he was looking at was New York .... like many people his picture of New York was always that of New York City.

[perro]

You really are opening my eyes to usa . As a european all i see from New York is the metropolitan area. Happy New year to you. Hope to visit some of the place you talk about when the corona is over.

[frigginjerk]

Hey, I'm from Buffalo. Some rapid-fire fun facts:

1. Buffalo was the 8th largest city in the country at one time, and at its height had 580, 000 people in it (the city itself, not the metro area).
2. Niagara Falls is running at only about a quarter of it's natural volume. Both the US and Canada divert a lot of water from above the Falls for hydro power.
3. Niagara Falls froze solid once.
4. In the 1800s, the Canalside area, where the Erie Canal and Lake Erie meet, was estimated to contain 50 percent of all the murders in the entire world.
5. That song "Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight" is about prostitutes, who were a favorite diversion for the workers who'd travel the Canal. There was even an incident where some New York City prostitutes came to town to try to cut in on the Buffalo Gals' business, with a small riot breaking out. The Buffalo prostitutes won.
6. Because large bodies of water moderate air temperatures, Buffalo has never officially recorded a triple-digit temperature at its National Weather Service station (another city that can claim that is Honolulu, believe it or not). And yet modern air conditioning was invented here.
7. Buffalo's City Hall is kinda shaped like a middle finger, aimed right at Canada. That's why we made it so big. (I kid 'cause I love.)

[BillyLapTop]

I'm old enough to remember when Upstate NY was an industrial powerhouse. All the cities you mentioned, including some small ones like Ithaca, had massive industrial infrastructures. I found your presentation spot on. For someone who lived in California, you really got your information correct. If one lives outside of the cities, in the countryside, politics aside, it is a literal paradise. I like it here.

[jedidiah]

im from the Rochester finger lakes area and i wanted to say this was a good video! You said Irondequoit correctly btw. Im a farmer so i can tell you that ag is a very big part of what goes on in western new york. Also locals call it western new york. one big thing you missed was letchworth state park. its one of our states gems. and yes garbage plates, we love em

[benbigham]

Letchworth State Park is often considered one of the best state parks in the country, located between Rochester and Buffalo, and to the south a bit.

[kevinward]

I've lived in Buffalo for 15 years now (ori8from Yonkers) and Buffalo has really thrived in the last 10 years, especially the downtown/ canalside area. It's really special and one of the only eastern cities where you get to see the sun set over the water. And the food is out of this world!

[thetoxbloxer]

As someone from NYC with family in the Binghamton area and friends in the finger lakes, I always found upstate to have some of the most underrated places in the east

[John-tegy]

I live 1 hour away from Buffalo on the Canadian side. My dad and I and my son are huge Bills and Sabres fans. My son and I love going to Buffalo. Many Canadians like to go to Buffalo on weekend shopping trips especially during black Friday sales. My parents went to Letchworth for their honeymoon and went there sometimes after. It was one of my dads favourite places to visit. I hope to go sometime. I travel through upstate NY to go to my sisters in PA. The Erie canal is interesting along with its history. I love upstate NY. Thanks for posting this video.

[desertrose]

I'm from Rochester and I wanted to say that this is mostly accurate (although as someone else mentioned, locals distinguish between Western NY and Upstate/Northern NY). Also, while Kodak and Xerox are no longer headquartered here, they do still have manufacturing facilities here. Kodak, especially, is much diminished from what it used to be, though. Yes, the Rochester metro is a bit rough, but there is much to be said for the area as a whole. There are plenty of outdoor activities in both summer and winter. Letchworth is just amazing. There are a number of good universities and hospitals here (U of R and RIT). There are a lot of fun festivals in the summer months. And if you have kids, the Museum of Play is world renowned. I'm not a native Rochesterian. I came here for college and ended up staying and putting down roots and the area has grown on me.

[reeceqbaskin]

Rochester, NY. I love my city. There's a lot of things you could have mentioned but I'm assuming you aren't aware of them. We have an amazing museum and gallery culture. Also a great music scene.

[LanaMaria]

Proud Upstate (Mohawk Valley) New Yorker here! I wish more people from out of state knew just how much the state has to offer outside of NYC. So many beautiful landscapes and some of the best food. Thank you for this video!

[jamessotherden]

You did a pretty good job. But being from Syracuse, You forgot salt potatoes. A staple for back yard BBQ's here.

[adamnorton]

Your three minute explanation of lake effect snow was fantastic! Growing up in the Rochester media market those three minutes on the local news were effectively the first Christmas special of the year.
I can all but smell the mittens drying by my parents’ back door, long ago.

[andkucz]

I just want to say thank you for doing upstate NY. I am a newer subscriber and suburb resident of Buffalo. I got giddy when I saw that you knew of the bubble man! I loved your review. I have been impressed thoroughly by your videos and your honesty is accurate.

[emu]

Yes! I'm so happy you made this! I grew up in Albany for 20 years, went to college in Buffalo for 5, and then grad school in Rochester for 2. I love upstate NY and am excited to watch this!! The cities are unique and interesting. They have a shared industrial (with the Erie Canal and its branches and the railroads) and geographic heritage. As cool as the cities are, the landscape of upstate is what I truly miss! Adirondacks, finger lakes, waterfalls, picturesque towns and valleys... all gorgeous. If anyone has any questions I'd love to discuss it, but I'm sure you did a great job Geography King!