7.5 million people is not “nobody” or “empty”

Upstate isn’t “empty” it’s just that NYC is SO populated

You can see this when flying over NY in a commercial plane. The land and Finger Lakes look mystical from the air, like you're entering another dimension.

Syracuse Binghamton and Buffalo are pretty big. Maybe not classified as major but still big ass cities

As someone who lives in upstate, don't feel bad if you forget there's more to our state than the city, our state government does too

On behalf of the empty part of the state we like it that way. We invite the crowds in NYC to stay where they are.

I moved to Upstate New York from Idaho, and there are a lot of things that feel similar about the people and towns...just a lot less distance between places. (I previously lived in SoCal, where there is so much traffic and sprawling suburbia suburban. Upstate NY seems empty compared to that, but it's far from empty.)

as an introvert in upstate ny, I see this as an absolute win

I married a western New Yorker, but we lived in another state for many years, just coming back a couple times a year to visit family. Every time I said we were “going to NY,” everyone assumed I meant NYC, so I learned to say “western NY” and mostly got blank looks. We moved to the Finger Lakes region several years ago and it is absolutely gorgeous! All of “upstate” N.Y. is, with beautiful trees, mountains, valleys, an abundance of waterfalls, rivers, and lakes. I’ve lived in a lot of states, and this is truly the most beautiful, in spite of cold winters!

Born and raised and still live in Rochester, I have never felt that upstate NY is "empty."

As a nobody who lives in upstate NY, I can confirm that this is 100% true

As someone who lives Upstate it would be great to have the 5 counties of New York City and Long Island form their own State. Most of us are tired of paying for the mess that is New York City.

As somebody who lives in Buffalo and has my entire life, I think the single biggest reason why people don't relocate to upstate New York is the weather. The three largest cities outside of NYC (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse) all get an unfathomable amount of snow that dominates the months of December - March. If you're looking to relocate, why would you intentionally move to an area where you have to wake up an hour early every single day in the winter to shovel a significant amount of snow out of your driveway before you can leave for work? Of course, if you have lived here awhile you really do just get accustomed to it, but if I was relocating from an area that doesn't get much snow, this would be a huge deal breaker to me personally. For the first time in 70 years, Buffalo's population increased which honestly isn't too surprising. The city has a lot to offer, is relatively safe, and is extremely affordable. My first house I bought in 2020 was 1600 sq ft., in move-in ready condition, and cost less than 150K. The small village of Gowanda has houses even larger and cheaper than this. So when much of the country is facing an affordability crisis, Buffalo and WNY in particular seem to be relatively unphased. if you can brave the snow and cold in the winter, you'll be awarded with some of the most beautiful summer weather in the country. It rarely gets too warm (proximity to the lake), rarely gets severe weather, and there are always a plethora of sunny days to enjoy. In the fall we have amazing foliage, and many local farms that boast the regions many locally grown apples and grapes. Not to mention regular farmers markets selling fresh beans, peas, and corn as the majority of this region is still agricultural (albeit on a smaller scale than the midwest). I personally would have probably moved to a warmer climate if my family lived elsewhere, but the older I get the more I appreciate the area. And honestly, I would rather have a blizzard than a hurricane or tornado.

As a Brit,I have travelled the length and breadth of New York State, and it is absolutely beautiful.

What a great presentation! Very informative, well paced, good look at history (the maps helped), beautiful photos. Thank you for this excellent look at the state of New York.

As a person from upstate NY just the beginning of this video makes me mad, it is FAR from empty.

“Nobody” being 7.5 million people would be the 13th largest state in terms of population still.

I'm an Irishman, and I visited Upstate New York last summer. Lake George is simply stunning. Cant wait to go back some day

Thank you for sharing this informative video! Loved the historical aspect involving population distribution over the centuries.

My sibling lives in Brooklyn. She lives with rats and cockroaches for three times my mortgage. I’ll take being nobody over that any day of the week. Thank you very much.

I recently moved to upstate NY and love it! It’s affordable, has 4 beautiful and distinct seasons, lakes everywhere. Best decision I made.

As a person born and raised in Elmira, NY, upstate population has been very much impacted by the loss of manufacturing jobs during the 1970's and 1980's. Elmira had 10 major factories in 1970; by 1980, they were all closed. While upstate New York was never as populated as New York City, many more people lived there (proportionally) during the 1950's and 1960's when good jobs were available.

I love our waterfalls in NY. The Finger Lakes are now a respected wine region and Taughannock Falls has been in so much media. There's a wonder of the natural world an hour from me. People know "15 miles on the Erie Canal" where I grew up. The Adirondacks are not only forever wild, but have a chair design named after them. Apples are named after different NY places and things. Car guys know Rochester carborators, and helical gears were invented in Rochester which are in every car. NY even made the iconic steam engines still in operation. There's so much history in my state.

My mother was from Mineville New York. Grandma left with mom and her siblings after grandpa died in 1947. Mom always talked about how beautiful the fall season was with all the colors of the trees. RIP MOM

Upstate New York, has a large and varied landscape. Some of the most beautiful parts of the country are there

As a 18 year old, I met the nicest ,kindest, most wonderful people when I went to college in Upstate New York. The population may lack in quantity but never in quality.

Enjoyed the video, thank you, Surprised you did not talk about the Seaway Project, and how it tied the great lakes to inner USA.

As someone who grew up in Albany, now lives in the Adirondacks, i am very happy that the rest of the New York population stays down South because we don't want them up here. but what sucks is the fact that New York City usually governs the entire State's regulations and laws so we get screwed because of the idiots down there. cities have nothing to do with Upstate more rural areas where I live. wé get stuck with idiotic laws effecting us.

I think it's extremely important to note that the massive jump in population from 1890 to 1900 is largely due to the absorption of Queens, Brooklyn and Staten island into the city.

Syracuse native here! Whenever I tell someone that I’m from New York, they automatically assume I’m from New York City. So I always say upstate New York. I actually prefer upstate to NYC because of all the rolling hills, the lakes and the weather. Aside from the salt on the roads.

Glad i revisited the vid geoff as ill be checking out the podcast

Born and raised in the city/Long Island and living outside Syracuse…upstate NY is def a unique land and it’s much bigger than you’d think!!! I’ve driven to just about every nook and cranny of NYS and it always surprises me just how big the state really is. Many beautiful spots to explore, in some parts you’d swear you were in Vermont somewhere. From its most northern point in Champlain, NY to its most southern point in Staten Island, it’s a 6.5 hour drive!

Tell people In Buffalo And Niagara Falls "upstate", you'll get schooled. It is 'Western New York'

The Finger Lake region is absolutely stunning, extremely beautiful

Great video. Please make a future video about Long Island. You talked about the state, but barely discussed this area. It's history, it's geography and the desire to become their own state. Thanks!

I'm a 1st time watcher yet am digging it so far🤙🏼 I gave ya a like and a comment so far😉😁 So far so good and I'm only 1/2 way through 👏🏼

Born and raised in Saratoga Springs (actual ‘upstate NY’) and have always felt exponentially lucky. We have every season, abundant land, beautiful views, quaint towns, things to do, delicious food, tourist attractions and NYC is just a quick train ride away. Taxes are high but otherwise life here is pretty sweet

As a truck driver, going thru upstate New York was always a treat...

Very informative love this channel

I live in the GTA, basically the suburbs outside of Toronto. I can walk to Lake Ontario I about 15 minutes. On clear days you can see all the way across the lake into New York. Some spots you can see Rochester and the buildings on shore near Buffalo.

I live in upstate NY. It is far from empty. We choose not to live on top each other. Why anyone would choose to live in such tight conditions as NYC is completely beyond me.

As someone who grew up in upstate NY I can tell you with 100% certainty that it has more to do with geopolitical reasons than geographical reasons. Geography certainly plays a role, but the real problem is that upstate NY is a vast farm filled wilderness entirely governed by a small densely populated island off of its southern tip.

My family was from north of Gouverneur NY - farm bordered what is now Fort Drum - now THAT AREA is empty!

VERY GOOD VIDEO THANKS...GOD BLESS.

Upstate NY is drop dead gorgeous. The only negative I can come up with is that in the winter it feels more like the Yukon. The other three seasons (Spring, Summer and Fall) you can't beat Upstate NY.

7.5 million people isnt exactly nobody. Thats still more than countries like New Zealand, Singapore and Mongolia

Yeah, I moved from Rochester to Saint Lawrence County 2 years ago. Much rather be here. These communities are small and everyone takes care of one another. Also, if you love the outdoors, it is beautiful!!

I live in Buffal, have been to Adirondack’s, and Lake George. It is the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Not too far of a drive for all of this vast space, with plenty to do and see.

The beauty of upstate NY is so underrated

Upstate NY has also been losing population, not. just NYC in recent years. The people upstate are treated like the red headed stepchildren in NYS. They pay high taxes to support NYC and get little in return. It is beautiful but economically unfeasible to live in.

I was born in Upstate NY and lived there till I was 6. I still have a love of farms as a result (there were lots of farms near Rome at the time- not sure how it is now). I moved to CT and people told me I had an accent, which offended me as a little kid, not knowing what an accent was.

I grew up in Syracuse in the 60s &70s, I now live in Monterey Calif. It's the weather. Brutal winters and relatively few sunny days. Left in 1982 & never looked back.

I live 30 minute from Canada in Upstate NY and let me tell you of a magical place called "Stewarts"... the local gas station, convenient store and Ice cream shop... Also POUTINE which I recommend everyone try, Friesland and Gravy with Cheescurds 😇

It’s awesome to see so many fellow upstate NYers taking pride in growing up here or just the beauty of it. So many people either hate NY or talk trash about it (mostly the city) but I’ve always loved it up here. Besides the winters but the Summer and Fall are both wonderful

Big AFB up there once too. Plattsburgh AFB was a Stratigic Air Command base. I grew up there & miss the people of upstate NY so much, thinking about moving back. 💙☮️

Born and raised in Massena.. all the big attractions were in Canada.. shopping . concerts, dining.. heck the only rock stations I could get as a kid came from CHEZ 106 in Ottawa n CHOM FM in Montreal.. First time I saw a middle turn lane was 18 when I went to college in Rochester

The worst thing about NY is its govt.

As a person who moved from Iowa to Ithaca and now living in Cortland, I assure you it’s far from empty. Trust me I’ve seen empty and vast miles of nothing where you don’t see anybody, this is far from it.

I live in NYC and I love visiting upstate. I think it absolutely stunning with the mountains and lakes (Lake Placid/Lake George/Saratoga) and even closer to home (the Catskills/Bear Mountain region/West Point). Even the bluffs on the Jersey side near the GWB are very scenic. We also can't forget Niagara Falls and the beautiful beaches on LI. New York is undoubtedly one of the prettiest states in the country, right up there with the best of them!

great information thank u!

Buffalo, NY: 278k Rochester, NY: 211k Providence, RI: 190k Syracuse, NY: 146k Manchester, NH: 110k Albany, NY: 98k Portland, ME: 68k Schenectady, NY: 67k Utica, NY: 64k Burlington, VT: 44k Maybe you should do a video on why New England is so “empty” outside of Boston and the part of Connecticut that’s adjacent to NYC.

As a life long upstate NY resident, another unfortunate factor of NYC having that population density is all the votes upstate have zero effect towards any election we have.

Very educational. Thank you for creating. However, please be careful using past tense for the Haudenosaunee (“Iroquois”). They are still very much here - though with much diminished land base as a result of colonization.

I lived in Hudson Valley for 2 yrs. Loved it there. Such a massive and beautiful state.

I am German but used to live in upstate NY, in -West Oneonta for a number of years. I loved it! Beautiful countryside, really friendly people, great canoeing on the Susquehana, good soil for growing veggies. Just my home sickness for my country of birth, Germany, made me return. I still regret it at times. If I ever went back to the US, it would be to upstate, snow or no snow.

I feel like Geoff lives in another State and knows only what he has Googled. I grew up in Upstate NY. It was a wonderful childhood. We didn’t have big city problems. You could leave your house unlocked and leave your keys in your cars ignition overnight. I’ve got lifelong friends and a great work ethic. Fresh air, lots of room to roam/explore. Still love going back and so do my wife and kids. I’d take Upstate over NYC any day anytime.

Being a native New Yorker from a little village ( Endicott) in what's called the Southern tier part of New York you could actually walk to Pennsylvania from where I grew up it's a beautiful area. It is a very historic area during the great depression it was one of the only places in the country where you could find work there was a factory there that produced shoes for the soldiers called the Endicott Johnson. The founder of the company built a medical clinic there for all his employees to get their health care for free, he subsidized their mortgages, built homes, built all the carousels in the area for free under the condition that they could never be charged admission $$ to ride. After EJ started going downhill Endicott became the home of IBM where they started their original factories making time clocks they also had their school there for IBM. Muggy in Summer and 8 months of brutal Winters plus an average of 163 days of sunshine got to be a little too much for me as I aged so I moved to Colorado. The saying proves to be true if you can "make it there you can make it anywhere."

The cloudy weather upstate experiences is a major drag. If you live in the Hudson Valley it's a bit better, but the more north you go the more clouds you experience every day. Most of the time it is colder, snowier, and cloudier for longer. The economy isn't that great either and distances are far. Nature is spectacular up here and you can often times find hikes with nobody on them even on weekends. The scenery is very pretty, with mostly farmland or mountains if you live in the Catkills mountain region

I live in "upstate" NY outside of Rochester. Yeah, the weather is rough in the winter but it's a great place to raise a family, get an education, and live affordably. The people are hard-working, but they don't have the edgy, tense personalities you see in NYC. Plus, it's really beautiful up here with the Finger Lakes, the Great Lakes, Niagara Falls, and the Thousand Islands. It's pretty amazing (except for January and February).

I was raised Upstate and our family camp is in the Adirondacks. I left in '04. The winter was too much for me as I got older. If I had my way, I would be there every Summer though. You can't beat a New York summer.

We live waa-ay upstate, and love it. NY state is like a small country- easy access to NYC, Montréal or Burlington, VT. The Adirondack Region, well protected, is magnificent, plenty of history and plenty to do. Easy to get down to NYC and enjoy all its magic, then return to the calm and beauty of our region. Not to mention all the waters in NY- the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, the ocean, finger lakes. And over the past few years there has been a real renaissance in local craft beers and all manner of organic farming. Very cool place to live.

I live up in the Adirondacks and it's a beautiful area all year round. People I work with from other states and even countries always comment on how beautiful it is.

Hi Geoff! I was born in Massena, NY and raised in the Albany area. Your video is very well done. But, you did leave out one important factor discussing the St. Lawrence river. The river had significant rapids along the US-Canada border, not navigable by boats, until the St. Lawrence Seaway was completed in the 1950s. The dominance of the Erie canal for 120 years previous to that lead to the growth in the state and it's population growth we see today. Rochester and Buffalo were actually considered the first two major cities to grow in the USA's "Western Expansion". The Erie canal was the only easy way east to west through the Appalachian Mountains until the railroads across Pennsylvania were built, crating a faster, more direct route to cities like Detroit and Chicago. Buffalo was actually the 6th largest city in America in the late 1800s. Also, nearly 1/4 of the land Upstate is protected "forever wild" land, and is protected in the NYS constitution, and will forever be very rural. Keep up the great content. Geography nerds like me, really appreciate it. LOL

Fun fact: The Akwesasne reservation on the southern bank of the St. Lawrence River lies at the tripoint of New York, Ontario, and Québec, and has land in all three. You can cross the border there without going through customs, since the Canadian portion of the reservation is hard to get to from the rest of Canada (you need to either boat across the river or drive through US territory). And Mohawk tribe members are exempt from border checkpoints due to a 200 year old treaty.

Very Interesting 👍🏽

I enjoyed this 🎉

I Live there, I'll save ya'll 20 minutes. It gets down to -20 in the winter and we can get up to 3 ft of snow overnight.

Hello, central upstate NY resident here, just want to say that I like this video and would like people to know that we upstate New Yorkers are just as proud of our home as those are in NYC! Upstate New York is beautiful and offers a unique lifestyle, anyone with a chance to visit should do so!

Just moved upstate from the Nyc metro area and couldn't be happier.

Right next door to upstate NY 7.5 million is Vermont which only has less than 0.7 million.

"Go west young man", which I did in 1963. "Your from New York? You don't have an accent". Learned real quick to say"Up State". Born in an old farmhouse in the winter of March 1940 outside of Victor, N.Y.

I live in upstate NY and am glad for the sparse population. I like my solitude and hate cities. The ADK mountains are my back yard and my playground. I miss the really snowy winters. (Climate change) We used to get snow by Halloween, and it would stay until May. Sometimes so deep that you had to tunnel from your front door to the driveway/road. I like to say that our winters keep the riff raff out. lol Sadly things have changed a bit. It is nice however to find someone who acknowledges our existence up here.

I grew up in the Southerntier area of NY state. The good food, friendly people and great bars are the best kept secret. It's not far from Buffalo and a smooth drive over the border if you want to visit the beautiful city of Toronto. Toronto is clean and offers so much. The beautiful parks and rivers in NY state are so beautiful. I miss it so much.

It definitely is interesting that the weather is different between NYC, Albany, and the North Country. When I went to school in the North Country (Potsdam) it regularly got to -30F and -40F in the winter. Those temps would never happen here in Albany. Also good job saying our cities. I know it's weird.

Northern New York native. There is a community and grace to living in the seasons many cannot comprehend. People here have different priorities and values not shared with many in the city.

I'm three minutes from the US/Quebec border on 220 acres I recently purchased for a bit more than my new Prius. I can be in Burlington VT in about an hour, Montreal suburbs in 20 minutes, and I do my weekly Albany trip in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Cedars, sugar maples, and Amish neighbors and, most conspicuously, 0 noise. No man-made sound at all. No cars, no neighbors, just the occasional gunshot or aircraft.

I've lived in various places all around the globe and traveled to and through many others. I've spent significant time in nearly 40 of these United States. With less than a dozen exceptions I found those travels and stays entertaining and enlightening. I raised my family in the western suburbs of Philadelphia in Delaware and Chester counties. Had a great and rewarding life there. HOWEVER I now spend most of my time in a small home in an Upstate NY village with a population of 600 in the Finger Lakes. This is where I've been the happiest and most content - except that I always go back to my home in Chester County, Pa in mid October because of the cold raw chill, and don't return until April. I think I understand that Upstate and Downstate is simply a seasonal thing.

In my Navy days aboard ship, a couple New Yorker shipmates asked me if my state Florida had anything besides sand and palm trees? Stupid question. So I asked them, "Does New York have any trees?" 😅

I grew up in NYC, and now live "upstate" about 60 miles north of the city. Upstate is not "empty" but compared to NYC the population is spread out mostly in single-family homes. Where I am in the Hudson Valley, the temperatures are about 5-10 degrees cooler year-round than the city. The winters here used to be brutal, but have been getting milder over the last ten years. Lots of towns in the Hudson Valley have become boomtowns recently because they offer a lower cost of living than the city, yet you can still get to the city daily if you need to.

These "empty' videos have gotten out of hand. The "empty" land is about as densely populated as Michigan, South Carolina, or Tennessee.

As someone from upstate New York I unironically have to go against my troll instincts to say that it is in fact NOT empty up here, for those curious I live in Watkins Glen 🔥 (an hour and a half from Rochester, yk, the town with the big nascar racetrack)

The fact that we get free videos on KZfaq by Geoff is truly a gift.., keeping the education and knowledge alive 👏👏👏

Point of interest. The Erie Canal became THE feeder and connector between the East Coast United States and the inland territories. The dangers of the British on Lake Ontario and the difficulties of crossing the Appalachians was the impetus for the Erie Canal. The Canal facilitated the First Great Westward Movement onto inland America. It brought settlers to the new farmlands and brought back grain and other produce back to be shipped across the oceans to all parts of the world. Which, in turn, turned NY City into the world leading port it is today. All of this was accomplished out of reach of post War Of 1812 British, who felt entitled to any American ship along with and pirating vessels. The US wouldn't be The US and NYC wouldn't be NYC as quickly as they were without the Erie canal. "Why nobody lives..." is because the Nation moved THROUGH to go on to build the rest of our country. Yet Upstate has contributed to our nation in many more ways. Rochester was the birthplace of Bausch and Lomb, Xerox, Kodak, Western Union and many other advanced technologies. Frederick Douglas and Susan B Anthony fought their battles for equality and right from Upstate NY as well as large terminals for the Underground Railroad with Harriett Tubman living in Auburn NY. Upstate is amazing.

Born and raised in Rochester, but lived elsewhere for work after college. I've travelled to just about every city in the Northeast et al, but moved back to Rochester because it is just a great city. Yes, the climate is difficult as times during winter, but I've noticed it is getting less so. However, the geography is awesome here. Hills, the Genesee River, the Erie Canal, the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario are all within a five to 30-minute drive. The Adirondacks are four hours away. All of these places are diverse and beautiful. This is a great place for outdoors people. Also, my commute to work is less than 10 minutes although about 6 miles away. We have great restaurants and venues, full of entrepreneurs that probably got tired of the NYC grind. We have several theaters for the Symphony, musicals, Broadway plays and art house productions. Great school systems for families. Wouldn't want to be anywhere else. OK, enough on the soap box.

I was born and raised in Buffalo. Other than the winters with the lake effect snow, it’s a beautiful place. The area is one of the most affordable places to live in the country. In the last 10-15 years downtown Buffalo has improved with more businesses and a developed canal side. And is centered to some major cities to visit. Pittsburgh, Toronto, Cleveland and you got Niagara Falls just 20 minutes away.

Very interesting👍☺️

A few notes, as someone who lives in NY state. Iroquois is actually not the actual name for these indigenous people- but a slang word used by the Algonquin people since they were enemies. It stuck. Their actual name is Haundenosaunee. "Adirondack" actually refers to another type of native American that were called "bark eaters' by the Algonquin. That side note aside , NY state is far from empty! Global warming is also making this area a lot less cold then people think. We barely saw any snow this year and it's been unseasonably warm. Buffalo does get a lot of snow though, not really where I would want to be. (Lake effect) . I am tired of people thinking that when I say NY they think of just the city, so I have to distinguish I'm from upstate. If folks want to stay in NYC though, that's cool. More of this open (but not empty) land which is even more beautiful (Imho) than the city. I like visiting the city, but in the end I like where I live . You also forgot to mention maple syrup and cheese. NY actually rivals VT with it's yummy cheese production as well, since there are a lot of dairy farms around. As someone else mentioned, you also forgot to talk about the Southern Tier, which is also beautiful. It has a nice highway which runs parallel to 1-90 that is just so much more scenic than the major highway. Needless to say, I disagree with your statement that this state is 'empty' other than the city. Hope everyone reading this has a good day.

I was born in Syracuse, New York, and I grew up in Binghamton New York. I also have family way up on the border with Canada. The reason that no one lives in upstate New York anymore is because all of the industry moved away in the 1900s. every town in upstate New York is full of beat up old factories from 100 years ago. Businesses realized that they can make the same things overseas using slave labor rather than paying Americans. And that is why no one lives in upstate New York anymore. It’s the same story in other states too.

We visited upstate New York last summer. I was floored by the unmatched beauty and surprised to learn there are no national parks there. I think the entire state should be designated a national park because it is incredibly beautiful. It is a very special place.

Good video. I live in the western part of the Fingerlakes Region surrounded by farm land and wonderful nature. NYC can keep the people. I like my quite part of the NYS.