Where Does Upstate New York Begin? No Matter What You Say, You Are Wrong

When you refer to Upstate New York, which region are you referring to? The Capital Region? Hudson Valley? Maybe Upstate New York begins with Syracuse and Central New York? It seems like the answer is different with each person you ask. Let's see if we can settle this once and for all.

The Discover Upstate New York site must be able to give us an indication, right? A quick glance at the regions that they consider Upstate and you will see it's the entire State from the Hudson Valley up to Canada, basically anything North of Manhattan. Global Viewpoint lists the top 10 places to visit in Upstate New York and their range is the same as Discover Upstate New York. Have we solved the debate? Hardly.

Get our free mobile app

One thing to consider about "tourist websites" is that they want to cover more territory so they have more to share with readers. That doesn't make their dividing line of Upstate vs. Downstate accurate. What about Wikipedia? Wikipedia defines Upstate New York as a geographic region consisting of the portion of New York State lying north of the New York City metropolitan area.

You know who the real Upstate New York experts are? YOU, the residents of the Empire State know best. Here are the responses to the questions, "Where does Upstate New York begin? Albany?"

Here is a sample result of a recent Facebook poll. Does Upstate New York begin in Albany? I am not certain that this clears it up completely but here goes.