NYC is a blast and awesome. The rest: nothing special and actually quite a dump, like the rest of the northeast. NYC and Long Island are cool and genuinely fast-paced, not wannabe trying fakers like dallas, boston, and atlanta. Don't let Westchester and the rest of upstate claim NYC. Except for NYC, this state doesn't have much.

Great state in terms of geography and things to do all around, but all the jobs have left so it has been turned into the 'Welfare State'.

I miss NY. Born and raised in New York, I got tired of it and moved a few years ago. Now I realize, NY is the best state. Even though upstate continues to decline, I hope it can pick back up. I'll be moving back soon or close at least :) I wrote a review back in 05 bashing it....was really long, and I apologize.

The NYC subway system has electronic message boards in stations, presumably so a central office can communicate service interruptions to passengers. The boards run generic messages that seldom change. News about outages are hand written with magic markers and taped to the walls. This is so typically New York, a city run by amateurs, where systems don't work, where inefficiency is the norm.

Anywhere else you buy food in a supermarket; there are no supermarkets in NYC. There are no Wal-Marts either. Instead they have small boutique stores with poor selection and high prices.  Anywhere else you can rent a one bedroom apartment for $600-800; in NYC it costs $2,500, and you have to pay a broker one month's rent to set up the deal (assure the owner  you're not low class), pay first and last month plus two months as deposit. You need $12,500 up front to move in. (I'm not exaggeraging, I've done it.) Anywhere else you park your car in the lot for free; in NYC you lease a parking spot for $400/mo. In most cities you take a train to the airport; NYC has no trains to two of its airports, they recently built one to the third,  JFK.

You're paying for proximity to high paying jobs, right? Wrong. NYC jobs used to pay more than elsewhere; now they pay about the same. If you don't like it, you can live in Jersey for cheap and sit on the train for an hour, twice a day, same as your co-workers.

In 1955, NYC was headquarters to 31% of the Fortune 500. It is now down to 10% and falling. The only big industries left are finance (stocks) and publishing/media. Big Pharma is in NJ; computers are in the SF Bay area; defense contractors are in DC; telecom is all over the country; manufacturing moved to Asia.

Long Island is worse than NYC because it has none of the positives -- culture, things to do -- and the same negatives -- inefficiency, incompetence, people with a know-it-all attitude, high prices, the worst traffic congestion in the US and sky high property taxes.

NY is so expensive that it is an insult to my intelligence! Dirty & mean-spirited, arrogant people litter the place.

What a shame the Beautiful Statue of Liberty is stuck there.

New York City is such a great city. There is so much to do and see. I probably wouldn't live anywhere except Manhattan though, as I don't really care for Brooklyn, Bronx, or Queens that much. The attitude factor is way too extreme in all of New York though. The attitudes of the people really bring it down. Upstate has a lot of attitude problems as well, and very bad weather. Long island is not that interesting to me, the only fun place is fire island. What is the big deal about the Hamptons?

I've lived on Long Island and upstate...spent weekends in NYC. There is some beautiful country in the state but, I don't really care for NY. It's overpriced in every way, shape and/or form...and there are way too many local politicians stirring the pot. You just don't get the "bang for your buck" and the weather is near suicidal at times.

I live in western ny and it sucks to death the weather sucks but i got to represent my home state

Nothing against anybody that lives in New York,  but it's just not my style.

I love New York!

new york is the harrdest place to live if ur a small business owner there always trying to find a way to screw u over. also its just gay because everyone has to be so politically correct. so what if someone is called gay they are so deal with it.

NYC is the greatest city in the world. You can always find something to do whether its 2pm or 2am. I live in upstate New York, Albany area, I have no complaints except the weather. Past couple years the winters have been very cold with little snow.

city of dreams...men allover the world see this great city as the deram destination to live and work and minkle its multi cultared society.

Pretty much all aspects of American life are represented by this important state. . .NYC is an international (if highly self-absorbed) city that is culturally counterbalanced by small towns that spot the landscape outside of the hustle-and-bustle of the city. . .upstate New York is pretty. . .the only real drawback to this state is (like all of the Northeast corridor states) is cost-of-living. . .I hear one day they will tax the oxygen. . .but for culture, universities, philosophical diversity, and history, it's hard to rate New York (as a state) low. . .

Upstate is rural, with fine resorts in the Lake Placid and Lake George region. The Finger lakes are a wine region with nice views. The cost of housing in upstate New York is very cheap. New York City is a great place to visit and live (if you have the income or money) Housing is very expensive- with an average 1000 square foot apartment nearly 1 million bucks. NYC is fantastic- but the costs are not.

Funny how so many states in the Washington to Portland (Me) corridor are rated so highly here- I guess those 'liberal' regions have something going for them.

New York is the media capital, business capital,dining capital, and entertainment capital of the world. The A-List of any industry, excluding farming, makes it in New York. The worst aspect of New York is parking and pigeons. There is no city even close to it and what it has to offer. New Yorkers are fearless, driven and accomplished.

too many people yuk! and it s not on the west coast! weird fast people with non-west accents

It's alarming to have read some of the ignorant remarks in this category. I'm not sure what kind of person can say that NYC could "fall off the face of the earth for all I care." This is a city that is very important to our country in many ways. The fact is, without NYC, our country would be a very different place. As for the rest of the state seems to be like most places. Has some beautiful sights and has some that are not so beautiful.

New York is one of the most culturally and politically forward and diverse states in the nation, period. It of course has New York City, Upstate New York, and Long Island. Long Island has beautiful beaches and advanced industries, and there is no city like NYC. Upstate New York state has some of the most beautiful countryside in the whole U.S., with gorgeous rolling hills, valleys, and quaint, mirror-like lakes. New York's history is vast as well. If I could choose one state to live in for diversity, culture, and interesting people, it would be New York, hands down! I cringe at being stuck in ass-backwards Ohio at the moment, so if you are living in New York State, consider yourselves VERY lucky!!!

The Good: Finger Lakes (stunning in places), 1000 Islands (still rustic and spectacular), Adirondacks, Saratoga, Montauk fishing, Lake Ontario, parts of Brooklyn. The Bad: Rochester, Utica, Syracuse, and Buffalo are losing people and dying a slow death. NYC is pricing the creative set out of the city. High property taxes. Upstate winter weather can be brutal.

Like most of the states, New York has pretty countryside and scenery. But like every other place here it is hugely segregated. The divide between the have and have nots is evident here and is a huge social problem. New York City is overpriced and the fact that it is overpriced has made the major attractions more clean (Chinatown,SoHO,Times Square,west side,etc.). However, outside of these neighborhoods the same social problems persist. Head over the bridge to Brooklyn or to the dirty and decayed Coney Island and you will see what I mean. Also, at night you will see the desperados come out and infest the subways at night with drug dealing and prostitution. New York metropolitan museum is nice though and has free admission on certain days.

dirty, overrated, expensive, hard to make it, crime infested, snotty state with too many people! hell a 1 bedroom apartment can cost as much as 3,000 dollars!! since when does the avearge person even make that! hell you have to make 6k/mo to survive in NYC!

I'm amazed to see New York rated so high on this list. Is this because of New York City? Because the rest of the state is average, and even NYC is not what it used to be. The weather upstate is harsh. I spent two winters in Syracuse and I think the sun shined for one day in five months. Some great scenery around the Finger Lakes but the cities need help (and I'm not talking NYC here). Rochester has potential but its anchor companies (Kodak, Xerox) have seen better days.

Upstate New York is cool; NYC can disappear off the face of the earth for all I care.

NYC is tremendous and the upstate is full of beautiful lakes, rivers, mountains, and some of the nicest farmland you'll find anywhere. You look and you'll see Norman Rockwell's America all over upstate New York. One of our best vacations ever was in Saratoga and the Adirondacks. Still, it seems so many here wish to ignore harsh reality. The North is fading. Some places worse than others, and few are are in as bad a shape as upstate New York. Politicians make things worse. Nowhere is this more evident than in New York. Higher and higher taxes only exacerbate the situation. The old boy network of assigning contracts to businesses and political plums to friends makes it near impossible for a state like New York to overcome a half century of economic decline. NYC, while still great has overtaxed and overregulated itself. It is now prohibitively expensive for all except the wealthiest. Buffalo along with Pittsburgh emobodies the worst of rust belt urban decay. The rest of the upstate shrinks a little more each year. New York is dying, and nobody really seems to care.

I have lived in this state all my life (I have visited tons of others in almost every other region) and I believe its diversity deserves a 5. On the one hand you have the city, which although a bit dirty, is really wonderful in its efficiency and convenience. It is slightly expensive, but if you know where to go then you can be as frugal as you want. Crime really is not that bad as its cracked up to be (statistics rank it along the lines of San Fran). Upstate New York on the other hand is gorgeous (in certain areas of course). The mountains are rather feeble compared to other regions of the country, but are very beautiful in there own right (and provide excellent skiing in the winter). Niagra Falls is also pretty nice. Some of the smaller cities are nice, but others are miserable. All in all, New York caters to many different requirements.

its got the city, but its too crowded. you cant drive anywhere cause theres nowhere to park. everything's too expensive. people are uptight. waste of time.

I would love to visit this place because I love high buildings/sky scrapers. Plus I've heard, their Botanical Gardens is absolutely beautiful. Lots of entertainment but the fact that things sound expensive and the fact it has a high crime rate/gang population (or from what I've heard), I'm not sure whether I'd like to live there.

I have lived in upstate New York all my life and I am very happy here. Beautiful countryside, mountains, rivers, farms, and friendly people. Upstate New York is very different than New York City. I have many people tell me they never knew there was this much to the state, and despite it's stereotypical image, it has much more to offer. I have heard it all. Yankees are always rushing, we're rude, we don't have values, we're all materialistic but I would like to point out that is an unfortunate misconception. I'm sure if they visited the state they would realize it is not true, and how it's very diverse in it's landscape. Some excellent places to visit (but not limited to) are the Adirondacks, the Catskill moutains, West Point, The Finger Lakes, New York City, Niagara falls and the Shawangunk Ridge.

I know it would surprise many, but there is a lot more to this state than Manhattan. In fact, this is probably one of the most scenic states in the country. Lots of rolling hills and pristine lakes. The Adirondacks in the North afford great recreational opportunities like hiking and skiing. And of course, NYC is the primer urban destination in the US. Somewhat expensive though.

Great place to go to see US culture and history. Manhattan alone requires at least a week in order to see everything. I'm glad I saw the WTC in 1997, something I will always remember. I found that there were friendly and unfriendly people just like in any other city. You would have to develop a thick skin in order to live there so it's understandable that not everyone is going to have a howdy neighbor attitude. The Winter season in NYC is truly amazing, the Rockefeller center, the Macy's parade and Broadway at night. Bring lots of $$$.

Attention to all rating this fine state.... New York City, is a dot on the southeasternmost narrow tip of New York State, Long Island is a thin strip of land perpendicular to that dot sticking out into the ocean. Once you get about 50 miles north of that dot, the rest of the state is free of the stereotype. Breathtaking rolling green hills, and an uncountable number of cristal clear blue lakes, scenic trails, charming towns and SOME charming cities. Rochester and Buffalo are great cities on, Great Lakes (Ontario and Erie respectively) with tons of history, culture, very friendly people, and loads of charecter. Syracuse and Albany, on the other hand, are pretty crappy, no real culture, not as historical, and while the people deffinetly aren't mean, they aren't as friendly as those in the other two cities. Ithaca is a great little city with a very young and educated population. It is where Cornell University is located and is also very charming. I don't hate the NYC/Long Island region, but i am just sick of people thinking that that is all there is to the STATE of New York! (See also the Myths/Stereotypes of New York and its citizens weblist to rate other misconseptions of the state and Upstate New York Regions and Metro areas)....... ADD, Yes FingerLakes, the capital area is better off economic wise than the other cities. I don't know what you are talking about with Syracuse, they have one of the most depressed populations, and the area is losing population, vx. the Rochester area growing. Buffalo probably has the most culture, and Rochester probably has the most history. That is what I was basing it on, not just the economy, because economy always changes. Chalky. I live in Rochester, EVEN WITH THE RECENT ANNOUNCMENT OF KODAK CUTBACKS, the Rochester economy is seeing growth and espansion. The ONLY upstate ny metro area whose economy isn't on the rise is Buffalo, but I'd be willing to bet that it will turn around soon enough too. Ithaca is considered the best emerging area of the United states. It's called the economic cycle, it goes around and around. I think you said that you moved to Colorado, eventually, the economy there will be the pits and the economy will be booming in places that its horible now. Upstate Ny is on the rebound..............That being said, I am actually starting to buy into the whole New York should split into two states issue. I think that it would be very beneficial for upstate. I think that the new state should consist of everything from Binghamton, up to Syracuse (yeah, I guess we'll take Syracuse, all the way up to St. Lawrence county where Watertown is, and all points west of that line. Note; that EXCLUDES Albany! Albany is run by people from the NYC metro anyways, so they can keep it and it can still be their capitol, also, They can keep the Adriondacks. The Adirondacks are beautiful, but not many people live there and most of the people who vacation there are from the NYC metro as well. In the new state, the then centrally located Rochester should become the capitol. This could likely benefit Upstate by lowering its sky high taxes, and would bring many businiess (many who are already atracted to the very educated workforce of Rochester and Syracuse) to the area, boosting up the economy. The economies of the three major upstate cities are now showing signs of improvement, but it's still shakey. New York City likes to think that Upstate depends on it, they can say that all they want, but I think that the success of the new state, could prove them wrong. Don't get me wrong, I think that Upstate New York and the New York city area are both great, they complement eachother while they contrast eachother at the same time. They would just do a better job at it, as two seperate states.

Okay, we all get it...NEW YORK IS NOT JUST A CITY. Well thank you very much, but I believe we have that one figured out by now and your redundancy (not to mention overbearing and condescending) is more annoying than any misconception anyone has about this state or any other. That said, New York is great -a mini nation in one state -the ocean, mountans, huge lakes, beautiful countryside, hustle and bustle, or a smoother quieter way of life. Best shopping and entertainment in the world...and Christmas in New York...well, it's what they make movies about. I'll give it a five.

New Yuck is infested with trashy rude people. The people there are very backward and too many hillbilly hicks.

To Inmyopinion, Ra-cha-cha (Rochester metro) isn't the only metro Upstate gaining population. The Syracuse metro and the Albany area are also growing recently(2000-2005). Meanwhile, the Buffalo metro, Utica metro, Binghamton metro are all declining in population. So Inmyopinion I don't know what you are talking about. The Rochester area lost 11,000 jobs since 1998, while the Syracuse area gained 7,000 jobs. Rochester also has a crime problem way worse than Syracuse or Buffalo. Rochester has nothing like Armory Square in Syracuse(a place downtown with restaurants, shops, museums, and clubs all cluster together) and Rochester has no real sport teams that the rest of the country ever even heard about, let alone cares about.

I'm a Southern girl and have lived in Tennessee all my life, but I've traveled enough to add my ratings with confidence, and can easily say that New York is the most divese, beautiful, and magical state I've visited. NYC is a dream in itself, but it only scratches the surface of this magnificent state. The sheer majesty of the Adirondacks and Catskills is incredible. Niagra Falls and the Finger Lake Regions are equally beautiful in their own rite. The Hudson Valley is a backdrop for a Currier and Ives Christmas Card. The Lake Erie region that borders one of the most breathtaking and intimidating bodies of water next to the Great Atlantic Ocean is an unforgettable experience, and Long Island Sound offers a fun place to visit even though I may never afford to live there (I can still appreciate it.) The entertainment, culture, shopping, arts, history in New York City is second to none. The people -fast paced and clipped accents - are a bit guarded, but in a city of this size, this is to be expected. Get to know them and you'll find some of the nicest and most down to earth people anywhere. Travel north for an hour or so and you'll find the hometown USA experience many of us grew up with and wish we still had. From a southern girl who hails from a region unfairly labeled as yankee haters -you'll see by this post -that mindset is not as true as one might think.

The Finger Lakes area of Syracuse and Ithaca are great! Some people may complain about the weather between November and March, but if it wasn't for the winters, the area would become over-crowded. As more people discover the quality of life and the low cost of housing in the Finger Lakes, I'm sure the economy will get better. IMO, the eastern half of Upstate NY has a brighter future because Albany and Syracuse have culture, sports, hills and are closer to the East Coast cities. Therefore when the price of housing goes up in Washington DC or Boston, you will start to see people move to the Fingers Lakes region around Syracuse and the Saratoga region near Albany.

Im not very familiar with New York the state but Im all about New York the city.

Upstate is nice--NYC unlivable for the average person--great place to visit if you have a deep pocket

Biased as I am New York is a great state- accolades could be endless. NYC is fabuolus- and the worlds greatest city.

About New York State 1) needs better leadership at both the state and local level 2) Very divided State, downstate vs. Upstate ~~About the Buffalo region 1) has a lot Polish people 2) has been losing population for over 30 years, about 200,000 since 1970 3) the people there are very proud of their area 4) the girls are nice, but the guys can be annoying with their tough guy act. 5) Buffalo likes to be associated with Rochester because it is actually a growing region~~About the Rochester region 1) Don't always believe everything a Rochester person says about their region. They tend to stretch the truth. For example,the Coldrush magazine that Rochester puts out every year says: Rochester is the 38th largest urban area in the country. Sorry, 51st largest is more like it. 2) Rochester tends to look down on other Upstate cities and thus they can become annoying with the hype of their own city 3) a lot of young guys in Rochester seem like clones of each other. So it makes it easy for me to tell if a guy is from Rochester or not. ~~About the Syracuse region 1) a lot of bad leadership. You know like small thinkers, focused being re-elected rather than creating a better community. 2) the focus on the natural environment is a little extreme. 3) the 90s were a bad decade to live there, but the Syracuse region is starting to grow again 4) has a lot of summer fesivals and year around sporting events for a metro of only 735,000 ~~About the Albany area 1) Saratoga County attracts a lot of east coast transplants, therefore it is the fastest growing county in Upstate 2) Since the Albany area attracts more people from downstate and other east coast locations, it tends to be less friendly than Syracuse or Rochester. 3)Albany is a government town, (where in Buffalo and Syracuse are sports towns) 4) Due to the better economy, Housing prices are higher than the other Upstate metros. Outside of those metros, the rest of Upstate is rather isolated and small townish. ~~About downstate, it speaks for itself. Most people know about the largest city in the country.

I'm not that type of person who likes the big cities and all the action and noise. I'm sure not all of New York is like this. There are some very nice people that I know that are from New York though.

Love the city but it gets such a bad rating because of the New Yorkers! New Jersey is a lot beter!

As a southerner whose visited New York quite often, I'll give it a five because the state offers everything a person could want. However, the poster (666whatever) whose slam against the south (southern wife beaters, inbreeding Nascar lovers...) reflects a small minded viewpoint that makes about as much sense as the idealology that all New Yorkers are wealthy cosmopolitans who would rather die than strike anyone, least of all their spouse. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence would know better...about both regions.

I don't see how it's possible to not like New York.

I love the city but it gets such a poor rating because of the people from there (New yorkers)

New York City gets 5-stars... the rest of the state- eh. Not much different that middle America- but maybe that's your thing. You'll find more Bush/Cheney bumper stickers up there so that says alot about the views, culture and intelligence. There is a reason 8 million people live in NYC and why countless move here from all around the world. It is simply the best city in the country. If all you northern NY-ers are so sick of hearing about NYC then maybe you should think about how we generate a gross majority of the state's revenue while you reap the benefits. I don't mean to be sour but let's get real here...

I'm basing this rating on New York STATE as NY City seems to cast a shadow and I have a rating on the city as well. New York is a great state. The Adirondacks are by far the most impressive region in the whole Eastern US for Outdoor actvities. It is an amazingly huge wilderness area with tons of lakes, tranquil mountain scenery, outstanding ski areas with inviting resort areas. Long Island offers great beaches on par with the New England coastline. The Hudson River Valley is gorgeous with lots of hills, quaint little towns and history. Niagara Falls is such a wonderous site to see. Between Buffalo and the Hudson is really boring with not much to offer and a number of depressing cities. But this state covers a lot of different territory and offers a wonderful diversity that is hard to match elsewhere.

Best food in the world.Don't miss the cold though.Whenever I say I am from New York people jump to the assumption I am from nyc, but I am from Orange County, where they have milking cows, Onion fields,rolling country side (slowly being taken over from City people looking to sprawl out- another reason I haven't given it a 5} Lots and Lots to do, from Rock Concerts, to camping,to dancing, New York state has it all.

This state isn't much different from any other NE state in this country, NYC is VERY different from the rest of this state. Lots to see, but, overrated.