Yeah I'm from Upstate. I went to Binghamton for school. Worst town ever. On the other hand, I love the finger lakes, Ithaca and Watkins Glen. I also love the Adirondacks, and I had a camp there. The state is beautiful most of the year. But because of the governance or lack thereof, the state has fallen on hard times, going on decades now. The upstaters have no voice in Albany and their towns are a mess - crime, poverty, drugs, and urban decay are in every corner of upstate. Sad. The government they need is not the same as the downstate epicenter. Industry and farming are dead and dying and there is no such thing down here so no one cares. I would retire in upstate if it were governed properly but it can never be, so away we go. I've always said Upstate is wasted in New York. Shameful.