1. New York State Is Huge, Make Sure You Explore
It’s not enough to just separate
New York by Upstate and Downstate. It’s true that Downstate is an entirely different world from Upstate but the many areas around Upstate are unique and each have their own culture, traditions, and colloquialisms. Northern New York is not the same as Western New York and so on. So definitely explore, online and in person.
2. Don’t Judge The Whole State By Its Numbers
If you do your research into New York State, you’ll find plenty of statistics. But those numbers don’t always accurately reflect many of the areas around the state because
New York City and Downstate are so highly populated, they pull the averages higher or lower than they are most other places.
3. Upstate Will Cost You Much Less Than Downstate
The median cost of a home on Long Island will run you over $499,000. That will get you a three bedroom, two bathroom home in
Southampton, nothing fancy and with little to no land. But take that same wad of cash and travel up to, say,
Rochester where the median cost of homes is $75,000 and you can score a 6 bedroom, 4 full bath home on 1.5 acres of land.
4. Where To Go For The Jobs
There’s great news if you’re worried about getting a job in New York. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, as of June 2015, New York’s unemployment rate is down to 5.5 percent, its lowest since June 2008. New York City has dropped to 6.1 percent, the lowest the City has seen since September 2008. Obviously, the closer you are to any of New York’s major cities, the better your options will be.
5. Let’s Talk About The Food
New York State has, hands down, the best food in the entire country. Maybe even the world. Red hots, white hots, and conies replace what everyone else knows as hot dogs. Garbage plates, salt potatoes, Utica greens, spiedies, chicken riggies, beef on weck, tomato pies, Manhattan pizza, Long Island bagels, mozzarella sauce with raspberry sauce, and the Northeast’s best barbeque. And let’s not forget everyone’s favorite Super Bowl food, the Buffalo wing (better known here as just wings.) I could go on, but then the list would never end.
6. Now Let’s Talk About The Sweets
Black and white cookies, anyone? How about some pumpkin donuts? Or cider donuts? Don’t forget to grab some ice cream from Stewart’s next time you’re getting gas. And with all those orchards filled with fresh fruit for picking, the pies in New York State are better than your grandma could ever make.
7. And What You Wash It All Down With
As if the food here wasn’t good enough, New York also has its own tradition of beverages. Of course you’ll find the ever-famous Long Island iced teas but they’re also famous for their egg creams. You’ll also find some of the best cider of your life around Upstate. And let’s not forget the New York craft beer scene which, according to USA Today, had a meteoric 59 percent increase from 2013 to 2014 thanks to loosened regulations.
8. Crime Rates
If you’re set on living in an area with the lowest crime rates, you’re going to have to do some searching and here’s a tip: the farther north you go, the more you’ll find. Downstate’s crime rate isn’t breaking any records, that’s for sure, but neither is
Schenectady which is 132 percent higher than the state of New York and 66 percent higher than the national average. Just remember, if you really love an area but it doesn’t have the most appealing crime rate, research the neighborhoods. There are great places to live everywhere, sometimes you just have to do a little digging.
9. New York Has More Sports Teams Than It Know What To Do With
New York has so many sports teams that as an outsider, you might find it hard to pick. Baseball has the Yankees and the Mets. (General rule: If you want to be liked, cheer for the Mets. If you want to win, cheer for the Yankees.)
The Giants, Jets, and the
Buffalo Bills rule New York football, although some will argue that the Bills are the only true New York team. NHL teams include the Sabres, the Rangers, and the Islanders. And then, of course, there are the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets for basketball. So, take your pick.
10. Empire State Education Has A SUNY Side
The State University of New York is quite impressive. With 64 campuses across the state, it’s one of the most comprehensive systems of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the country. So you can worry less about sending your kids to college, especially thanks to in-state tuition rates.
11. New York Is Proud To Have All Four Seasons
Spring, summer, fall, winter—you’ll experience the best of each season in New York. And there’s always somewhere to go or something to do during each, which is one of New York’s best qualities. Summers can get pretty warm, with high temperatures averaging 84 degrees. But it’s the humidity that does you in. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to keep cool.
12. There’s A Landscape For Every Season In New York
New York State is extremely outdoorsy. Summers are for trips to the beaches and camping out under the stars and fishing with your dad, spring is for hiking and rock climbing the mountains, fall is for pumpkin picking the many orchards and roasting marshmallows at bon fires, and winter was made for pond hockey and sledding fun. If none of that sounds appealing, New York might not be the state for you.
13. Hope You Like Snow
New York doesn’t just get snow. It get SNOW. In fact, data supports Rochester as the snowiest city in the entire country, average 100 inches every year. Now that’s much higher than Manhattan, which only saw 25 inches of snow in 2014, but still makes for a significant total. Look into each area’s snow totals before buying and remember, the closer you are to the lakes, the higher your totals can get!
14. Got Lakes? New York Does.
Speaking of New York lakes, they’re another one of the fabulous parts of New York nature. The Finger Lakes are a prime destination for vacationing or living but you’ll find them all over the state and probably find that you spend quite a bit of time at them.
15. The Adirondacks Will Be Your Backyard
No list of New York could be complete without a special nod to one of the best parks in the country: The Adirondacks. With 6.1 million acres of protected land, visitors flock here from all over to hike, run, bike, camp, kayak, explore, or just relax. And once you live here, you can basically call it your own backyard.
16. You Don’t Have To Go To Canada To See Niagara Falls
You didn’t think I’d forget to mention Niagara, did you? Of course not. It’s
Niagara Falls, and now they’re yours, too. Noticing a pattern of backyard awesomeness yet?
17. Living In New York Makes You Almost Canadian
While we’re on the subject, Canada is just a sneeze away if you do want to visit. And here’s the good news, you don’t need a passport like you do when you’re from almost every other state. Since New York is a state that borders Canada, you can get an Enhanced Driver’s License which gets you in and out of Canada by car or on foot.
18. Thousand Island Isn’t Just Something That Goes On Your Salad
Although, the salad dressing is from here, too. But Thousand Island is one of New York State’s best kept secrets and much what you’d imagine a real life Hogwarts would be like if Harry Potter were from New York.
19. New York’s State Fair Is Better Than Your State Fair
Most states have pretty great state fairs. But how many of them can claim to showcase the best of everything their state has to offer, from food and drinks to entertainment and people, for an entire 12 days straight? New York, that’s who.
20. It’s Where Everything Happens
New York City is one of the biggest cities in the world. And even though Upstate is a much different vibe than NYC and the surrounding areas, New York as a whole is truly one of the best states to live with a close proximity to literally anything and everything you could want. From history, culture, and museums to authentic people, gorgeous scenery, and an endless amount of fun, there’s something for everyone in New York State.
21. New York Is A Great Place To Raise A Family
For all of the above reasons and many more, New York State is an amazing place for families. Anyone who has ever grown up here has endless memories of boat rides on the lakes, hayrides in the fall, and sitting by the radio or television in the winter waiting to hear if school was cancelled (probably not) so that they could spend the day sledding with their friends. Who wouldn’t want their kids to share those memories, too?
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