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15 Comments

  1. Sara Morey
    January 27, 2019 @ 9:05 am

    Thanks for all the upstate love! I love living here and it’s great to read about all the positive things and gives me great ideas for places to explore with my boys.

  2. Mike Costello
    January 27, 2019 @ 11:26 am

    Great article. You hit on so many pluses of living in our area. And we do tend to take things for granted.
    I was 20 before I saw Niagara Falls and over 30 seeing Letchworth for the first time. We don’t have any hurricanes that leave people without power for days or weeks. And we do have the garbage plate. Thank you for writing this. Thank you for your desire to travel around the state and tell us lazy ones what’s out there.

  3. Cathy
    January 27, 2019 @ 9:23 pm

    Hi Chris,
    Thank you for this post! I am one of the people who left many years ago. I left to attend a great graduate school program in Texas, and I didn’t go back, because I got a good job here a long time ago. Upstate New York has always been home, though, and I talk about it frequently.

    I LOVE your sentence, “If you’re from Upstate, spend some time thinking about what “cozy” means to you. Would it mean the same if you grew up in Dallas, Texas?” No, it definitely wouldn’t mean the same. Here in Texas, the summers are like the winters in Upstate, because it’s very hot here, and people stay indoors in the air conditioning as much as possible. Air conditioning is wonderful, but cozy is MUCH better.

    I remember a time when I lived in Upstate and the population was growing. I was concerned about the growing number of people, houses, businesses, and roads then, because it seemed like important and beautiful farm land was being paved over. The same thing is happening here in Texas now. Beautiful land is being taken over by housing developments, highways, and businesses, and traffic is horrendous. Fewer people isn’t a bad thing.

    You also said, “The politics isn’t always easy to deal with.” That is so true all over the world, especially in Texas right now.

    Thank you, Chris, for sharing Upstate with those of us who miss it, and can’t get there easily. When I think of the history and the culture of Upstate New York, it makes me very proud to be from there.

  4. Melissa Hart
    January 27, 2019 @ 10:48 pm

    Great post! I agree completely and share your NYS pride 🙂

  5. Marcia K.
    January 27, 2019 @ 11:08 pm

    Thank you for this blog, and others, that you have written about the qualities of Upstate New York. So many New Yorkers think that the “grass is greener” elsewhere, when in fact, it is greenest right here. Your point that out with very compelling writing and photography. Please keep it up!

  6. Noreen Bell
    January 28, 2019 @ 4:55 pm

    Another terrific read! You inspire me to explore more places I’ve never seen in New York State and I too have lived here my whole life! Thanks Chris, keep up the great writing!!

  7. Vanessa
    February 23, 2019 @ 7:48 pm

    Love reading your post. I love upstate NY. Born, raised and 5 generations of my family relatives. I have lived in NC and SD. And After 10 years away, I came back home to NY. This is home. I spend my weekends doing exactly what you do, finding a new place to explore. It’s smaller and not traveled by the public. Mostly the woods and locally owned property. There is nothing compared to growing up in a small town and being able to trace family members in the same place after generations. Knowing who is realated to who. And not having to worry about any violent crime. And to be able to take a walk i the summer at 2am and worry about nothing. It’s amazing to watch childhood friend marry and have kids and watch them grow. Its amazing to just know, that guy next door is an old class mate. Or to know that the whole town is actually a large family.
    This, is why I am home in NY. Fresh air, long drives on dirt roads. Knowing nothing but space and quiet with only the sound of nature.

  8. Joe
    April 7, 2019 @ 3:34 pm

    Thank you so much for your comments on upstate NY. I love upstate NY. A beautiful place to live and raise family. Four seasons weather, mountains, streams, forests and wonderful little cities and towns.
    I am moving my family to our new home and farm in Sterling NY, from manhattan and a little one bedroom.
    I love upstate with my heart and soul.

  9. Kevin
    April 9, 2019 @ 11:27 am

    I left upstate NY because of family reasons. That being said, I moved to western Virginia. Property tax on my house here in VA is half of what I was paying for in NY. My house in VA is also worth twice as much as the one in NY. Sales tax is currently 5% in VA while NY was 8.5% when I left. A gallon of gas is always 20 to 25 cents less in VA as NY. Sometimes I miss the winters and summers of upstate NY but enjoy not buying new studded snow tires every year. I do miss the summers and fall up there.

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  14. Vincent
    August 23, 2019 @ 11:21 am

    I enjoyed reading this, on what is great about living in upstate NY. I am a native of upstate NY, but I have been living in Virginia for about 13 years. I have been thinking about moving back, and your blog post has made me think about that even more seriously.

    By the way, I use to live near the FDR estate. Great place to visit! I also recommend people visit the Locust Grove Estate, Ogden Mills and Lake lake Minnewaska State Parks.

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