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4 Comments

  1. D.Brooks
    February 7, 2019 @ 9:13 am

    Great article Nolan! Wonderful perspective

  2. Some Upstate New York Tattoo Ideas | Exploring Upstate
    September 29, 2020 @ 5:42 pm

    […] thing has changed in Upstate this past decade, it’s that people seem prouder than ever of our heritage. I don’t remember seeing people don Upstate sweatshirts, or search for home decor celebrating […]

  3. Peter Kirby
    December 31, 2020 @ 7:24 pm

    Why is every place “Upstate”? I grew up in central New York in the Finger Lakes (Seneca Lake) My mother was born in the Southern Tier (Corning). To say everything is “Upstate” is terribly misleading.

    • Chris Clemens
      December 31, 2020 @ 8:19 pm

      Hey Peter. No doubt that it is confusing, but I’d defend against using the word “misleading”. There are, indeed, some people who use the term “Upstate” to delineate from other regions in New York, but most people the last couple decades have used “Upstate” to refer to “New York State that does not include the City or Long Island”. It’s common to refer to most of the state as “Upstate” and then break down Upstate into smaller regions like “Central” and “Western”.

      Ironically, many would say that the Central New York and Finger Lakes regions are two different places. Historically, the lakes were often described as being in Central New York. Now, the region has kind of become its own. This piece about defining regions in New York might shed some light on the topic, too.

      The short story is, there is no definition for Upstate New York, but most use it to mean “not the City”. Hope that helps!