What is “upstate New York”? What is the “North Country”?
To those from the metropolitan area of New York, “upstate” can be a few miles north of the city, like Poughkeepsie. For those of us living north of Albany, upstate is the “North Country.” There is, however, considerable disagreement about boundaries. Some insist that only the counties along the northern border are “North Country,” and that the “Adirondacks” are not included. For TAUNY’S purposes, we accept the definition of the region as north of the Mohawk River, since most of us in these 14 counties have common experiences with long and cold winters with plenty of rugged weather, short growing seasons, difficult terrain, a stable population and economy, and no major urban centers. We all feel remote from the rest of New York and, quite often, remote from each other. Sharing all of these characteristics has helped to shape an identifiable regional culture.
