The Vibe: New York State Is A Wonderland Of Rolling Hills, Foliage, Lakes, And Hidden Treasures
New York state is a little bit of everything that makes the U.S. great. It has amazing layers and jagged horizons, rolling hills and endless horizons. The Adirondacks’ nearly 19,000 square miles turn from a bright green play land in the summer to a crisp, palette of colors that bounce of the famous lakes to create a backdrop that can be too picturesque to seem real at times.
Places like Niagara Falls are so breathtaking, they will have you bragging to anyone who will listen. And hidden treasures like Thousand Islands is so magnificent, you will keep it as much of a secret as possible to ensure that outsiders never come ruin its perfection. New York is where Mark Twain came for summer vacations for 20 years and where families live to enjoy the benefits of such a gorgeous state year-round.
Local Flavor: Buffalo Goes Wild For Wings
Perhaps no food is more synonymous with a city than that of Buffalo wings, everyone’s favorite Super Bowl snack. Better known as just “wings” in New York, there’s nowhere on Earth that can make chicken sing the way
Buffalo can a chicken wing, which is what makes the National Buffalo Wing Festival such a signature New York event. The winners make national headlines every year as people around the country tune in to see just how many wings one person can stuff in their face, a skill that blew everyone away when it was trumped by the petit Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas who seemed like she was the approximate size of 3 wings from head to toe.
Cuisine: New York’s Food List Goes Way Beyond The Wings
Every corner of New York has a food that it’s famous for.
New York City claims pizza and bagels.
Syracuse is known for their salt potatoes and Hoffman’s hot dogs.
Binghamton does spiedies. West New York knows how to cook a mean beef on weck.
Utica has the greens, chicken riggies, and tomato pies.
And who could ever forget the garbage that comes out of
Rochester? Garbage plates, that is. And while you’re in Rochester, you don’t ask for a hot dog. You either get a white hot or a red hot and they’re made by Zweigle’s. Half moon cookies keep Upstate sweet while
Brooklyn mixes the egg creams and Long Island keeps the world buzzed on their famous iced teas.
The list goes on but I think it’s safe to conclude that when it comes to the crown for state with the best and most uniquely local food, New York is king.
Nightlife: Local Bars Are The Place To Be
Obviously, nowhere in Upstate New York is going to be able to compare to the nightlife of New York City. It’s literally called The City That Never Sleeps, so by default, they win on nightlife. But, Upstaters definitely aren’t looking to compete with NYC and they're happy with the nightlife of their own areas.
Generally speaking, people in cities throughout New York spend their evenings out in local bars and taverns. Of course, each area has other things to do if you’re hoping for something different. Rochester has a killer theater scene and the
Saratoga Performing Arts Center was named the best outdoor music venue in the country by USA Today.
Weather: New York Winters Aren’t For The Weak At Heart
Spring and fall in New York are both glorious times of the year. Summers only average a high of 84 in July, but the humidity is so thick and so high, that it often feels much hotter. But nothing quite compares to the brutal winters that New York experiences. Of course, where you live in New York will determine just how brutal that winter gets, but expect it to be extreme no matter what.
New York City in January averages a high of 39 degrees with a winter that can bring up to three feet of snow annually. That’s already pretty rough. But compare that to Syracuse where the average January high is below freezing at 31 degrees and the winter brings an estimated 10 feet of snow annually, and it sounds downright tropical. Lake effect snow is no joke. If you can’t handle cold temperatures and shoveling, then New York isn’t for you.
Crime: New York State Is Paving The Way For Safer Streets
In April 2015, the New York Post reported that New York State is leading the way among states for reducing crime and incarceration rates around the country in the past 20 years, with a crime rate that dropped an astounding 62 percent from 1990 through 2012. In that same time, NYC saw a drastic drop of crime by 73 percent, all according to research conducted by PEW Charitable Trusts.
But as with most areas, if you’re looking for a place to live with the lowest crime rates, you’ll want to stay on the outskirts of the major cities. For example,
Orchard Park is only 10 miles outside of the city of Buffalo. But
AreaVibes rates Buffalo with a crime grade of F but gives Orchard Park a crime grade of A+.
Commute: New York Is The Best Of Roads And The Worst Of Roads
If you don’t want to spend a good chunk of your day commuting to work, the farther you steer from NYC, the better. USA Today reports that the average U.S. commute is 25.5 minutes each way. But in New York City where residents are faced with the worst commute times in the country, commuters reportedly spend an average of 48 minutes getting to work each way, every day. At nearly double the national average, it’s no wonder that so many people prefer to use NYC’s public transportation, but that comes with issues of its own, too.
The good news is that there are places that won’t drain your time with your gas tank. RochesterBiz.com reports that the city of Rochester has an average commute time of 21.1 minutes. And Buffalo is reported to have the fifth-best commute time by Kiplinger with an average commute of 20.8 minutes.
Cost of Living: New York’s Cost Of Living Is All About Location, Location, Location
On a national index of 100, New York’s cost of living is 21 points higher at an index of 121. But that can go up and down drastically depending on where you live. For example, New York City is notorious for being expensive, but it has an index of 168. Meanwhile, the nearby town of Kensington has a cost of living index of 268 and Buffalo has a super low index of 79.
New Yorkers Are All About Loyalty
It doesn’t matter if it’s your town, region, or neighborhood. People are unwaveringly loyal to their corner of New York and every other town and city pales in comparison. Those who are from Buffalo insist on being referred to from Western New York, not Upstate, and never, under any circumstances, Central New York. But the loyalty doesn’t stop there.
People in New York have fierce brand loyalty. Although there is no formal study to prove it, wagering that the people in New York State have the biggest obsession with their favorite supermarkets would be a pretty safe bet to make. Wegman’s loyalty might as well be a religion, but there are others who worship their Price Grabber or HEB. And then, of course, there’s Stewart’s, which has the best coffee and ice cream on the planet. Zweigle’s or Hoffman’s only for hot dogs.
Upstate New York Is Better Than New York City And That’s All Anyone Ever Needs To Know
Upstate New York might prefer to be differentiated by their regions from each other due to having distinct differences but there is one thing that they all share in common: They’re not from NYC. And NYC basically includes the surrounding suburbs and Long Island in that mentality.
People from New York state frequently have to clarify that they’re from New York, “no, not the city.” And they never refer to themselves as “New Yorkers” for that very reason. The disdain Upstate New Yorkers have for Downstate isn’t hidden, which is why they recently and once again filed a petition to secede from NYC as their own state. That’s because New York State is a unique blend of amazing food, deep-rooted traditions, classic beauty, and an unparalleled loyalty that doesn’t deserve to be overshadowed by the bottom five percent of the state.
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