New York
5
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.