The meaning of Upstate, New York:
Residents of northern
New York State - the true Upstate region - know that the state consists of several regions. Namely, upstate, downstate, western (Buffalo and Rochester), central (Syracuse and Utica), and the city. (I like to think of Long Island as an orbiting moon, but it is better classified as a different planet all together.)
Albany is barely on the edge of Upstate, Poughkeepsie is NOT Upstate, and Newburgh is definitely NOT Upstate. It may be hard to fathom, but not everything in
the state of New York revolves around the city, so therefore, everything above the city/Westchester is not Upstate.
Admittedly, Upstate may be "different" than
New York City and other regions, but it is a term of pride, not a term of derision. Many
ignorant downstaters (who probably don't recycle and drive Hummers) may not realize that Upstate is home to the Adirondack Mountains and the most beautiful natural areas of New York state. Always remember, not only does New York State have the largest, most culturally diverse, most amazing city on the east coast, it also has the largest tracts of pristine, protected wilderness lands east of the Mississippi in the northern, Upstate regions.
New York State is amazing, from top to bottom!
