112-679: The North Country of Upstate New York is the northernmost region of the U.S. state of New York . It is bordered by Lake Champlain to the east and further east to the adjacent state of Vermont and the New England region; the Adirondack Mountains / Adirondack Park and the Upper Capital District with the state capital of Albany to the south; the Mohawk Valley region of New York to
224-470: A 15,000-acre (61 km ) biological field station the college has operated in Newcomb since 1932, and also home to the college's Adirondack Ecological Center. It opened in 1990. Located on 236 acres (0.96 km2) at the outlet of Rich Lake, the center has approximately three and a half miles of interpretive trails. Habitats include lakeshore, wetlands, old growth forest, and mixed northern forest. Throughout
336-469: A consensus. In a 2016 poll of New York voters in which respondents were asked to choose among four definitions of where upstate begins, three were about equally common, selected by between 25% and 30% of respondents each: north of New York City, north of Westchester County, and north of Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County . (The fourth, which also started north of Poughkeepsie but excluded Buffalo as
448-729: A family in the United States. Five of the six Iroquois nations have filed land claims against New York State (or have sought settlement of pending claims), based on late 18th-century treaties following the American Revolutionary War with the State of New York (which did not have constitutional authority to treat with American Indian nations) and the United States. The headwaters of the Delaware , Susquehanna , Mohawk , Hudson, and Allegheny rivers are located in
560-488: A large influx of immigrants seeking jobs at factories across the region. Since the mid-20th century, American deindustrialization has contributed to economic and population decline , and the region is largely considered part of the Rust Belt . There are a wide variety of land uses in the region, including urban, suburban, forested preserve, and rural landscapes. Due to its vast areas of rural land, upstate also supports
672-669: A large tract of land in Upper Canada to their Haudenosaunee allies, who established the Grand River settlement. In the federal Treaty of Canandaigua , the new United States recognized the title of the remaining Haudenosaunee to the land north and west of the Proclamation Line of 1763. Nevertheless, New York state officials and private land agents sought through the early 19th century to extinguish Indian title to these lands via non-Federally-sanctioned treaties, such as
784-654: A major center of radical abolitionist activity and was an important nexus of the Underground Railroad . Resistance to the Fugitive Slave Act was particularly heated in the region, as evidenced by such events as the Jerry Rescue . The American women's rights movement was also born in upstate New York at this time. The Seneca Falls Convention , the first women's rights convention, was held at Seneca Falls in 1848. The Rochester Convention ,
896-652: A mile south of the surveyed line, putting the fort, which became known as "Fort Blunder", in Canada. This was not resolved until 1842 with the Webster–Ashburton Treaty , in which Great Britain and the United States decided to leave the border on the meandering line as surveyed. Slavery existed in New Netherland and the Province of New York . New York was in the 1690s the largest importer of slaves among
1008-545: A result, the region is a significant source of hydroelectric power (going back to the creation of the world's first hydroelectric dam by Nikola Tesla at Niagara Falls ) and drinking water (with multiple reservoirs serving New York City). Upstate New York is home to numerous popular tourist and recreational destinations, including Niagara Falls , the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains , the Thousand Islands ,
1120-588: A strong agricultural industry, and is notable for its dairy , maple syrup , and fruit production (especially apples ), as well as winemaking . Upstate New York includes a number of notable waterways, with the Susquehanna , Delaware , and Hudson Rivers all originating in the region, and is bordered on its northern and western edges by the Saint Lawrence River and the Great Lakes . As
1232-416: A timber-harvesting industry. The park has a population of 130,000 permanent and 200,000 seasonal residents, and sees over 12.4 million annual visitors. The inclusion of human communities makes the park one of the most successful experiments in conserving previously developed lands in the industrialized world. The Adirondack Forest Preserve was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963. Before
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#17327718072821344-519: A treaty with the powerful Mohawk. Benjamin Franklin , a Pennsylvania delegate, proposed a plan for uniting the seven colonies that greatly exceeded the scope of the congress. The delegates spent most of their time debating this Albany Plan of union, one of the first attempts to form a union of the colonies "under one government as far as might be necessary for defense and other general important purposes". The delegates approved an amended version, but
1456-686: A unique region neither upstate nor downstate, drew only 7%.) An informal 2018 poll found the Hudson Valley region is the most heavily disputed area regarding whether it is upstate or downstate. A number of businesses and institutions in the area have "upstate" as part of their name. Examples of this include the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse , the Upstate New York Chapter of
1568-452: Is a park in northeastern New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains . The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At 6.1 million acres (2.5 × 10 ^ ha), it is the largest park in the contiguous United States . Notable among parks in the United States, about 52 percent of the land is privately owned inholdings . The remaining 48 percent
1680-466: Is designed to channel much of the future growth in the Park around existing communities, where roads, utilities, services, and supplies already exist. In 2008 The Nature Conservancy purchased Follensby Pond – about 14,600 acres (5,900 ha) of private land inside the park boundary – for $ 16 million. The group plans to sell the land to the state, which will add it to the forest preserve once
1792-403: Is designed to direct and cluster development to minimize impact. Areas rounded to the nearest per cent. 49% of the park is privately owned, 45% state owned, and 6% is water. State wilderness areas account for 46% of the area of the park which is not private property. They are managed like federal wilderness areas . These areas are far more affected by nature than humanity, to the extent that
1904-474: Is especially true for the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Oswego and Syracuse, and is largely due to lake-effect snow from Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The villages of Old Forge and Saranac Lake , both in the Adirondacks, often vie on winter nights with places like International Falls, Minnesota , and Fargo, North Dakota , for the coldest spot in the nation. Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park
2016-750: Is now the northeastern United States. The Guswhenta (Two Row Wampum Treaty) , made with the Dutch government in 1613, codified relations between the Haudenosaunee and European colonizers, and formed the basis of subsequent treaties. In the mid-17th century, during the Beaver Wars , the Iroquois were victorious and dominated the tribes of Neutral Indians , Wenrohronon and the Erie Indians in western New York. Survivors were mostly assimilated into
2128-572: Is publicly owned by the state as part of the Forest Preserve . Use of public and private lands in the park is regulated by the Adirondack Park Agency. The Adirondack Park contains 46 High Peaks , 2,800 lakes and ponds, 30,000 miles (48,000 km) of rivers and streams, and an estimated 200,000 acres (81,000 ha) of old-growth forests. It is home to 105 towns and villages, as well as numerous farms, businesses, and
2240-485: Is the site of the Adirondack Canoe Classic . Flatwater and whitewater canoeing and kayaking are very popular. Hundreds of lakes, ponds, and slow-moving streams link to provide routes ranging from under one mile (1.6 km) to weeklong treks. Whitewater kayaking and canoeing are popular on many free-flowing rivers in the Adirondacks, particularly in the spring. Whitewater rafting trips are run in
2352-574: Is used by the Department of Environmental Conservation . A cheeky joke among Manhattanites is that anything north of 14th Street is "upstate". Another usage locates the upstate/downstate boundary farther north, at the point where New York City's suburbs segue into its exurbs , as the exurbs do not generally fall within the Census Bureau-defined New York–Newark Urban Area . This latter boundary places most of
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#17327718072822464-651: The Adirondack Mountains , which are sometimes mistaken as part of the Appalachians but are in fact a southern extension of the Canadian Shield . In the more mountainous eastern parts of upstate New York, along the valleys of the Hudson River and the Mohawk River , have been historically important travel corridors and remain so today. Western New York in the vicinity of Buffalo is very flat, as it
2576-554: The Adirondack North Country Association , the North Country consists of a larger designated area of 14 counties; with those listed above and also the following further south and west: These are all counties in which part of Adirondack State Park resides. Herb Hallas summarizes both views: The state-sanctioned North Country extends from the eastern shore of Lake Ontario eastward across
2688-927: The Arthritis Foundation serving 31 of New York's 62 counties , and the VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York, which includes all of New York State northward and westward from Kingston in Ulster County . Other organizations in New York with "upstate" in their name include the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (now known as the Liberty League ), the Upstate Correctional Facility ,
2800-664: The Battle of Plattsburgh ; in the St. Lawrence Valley ; and on Lake Ontario , including the Battle of Sackets Harbor . The city of Buffalo was razed by the British as well. After the war, the US government began to construct Fort Montgomery just south of the border at Rouses Point on Lake Champlain. Subsequently, it was discovered that at that point, the actual 45th parallel was three-quarters of
2912-496: The Civil War , Reconstruction Era economic expansion led to an increase in logging and deforestation , especially in the southern Adirondacks . In 1870 Verplanck Colvin made the first recorded ascent of Seward Mountain during which he saw the extensive damage done by lumbermen . He wrote a report which was read at the Albany Institute and printed by the New York State Museum of Natural History . In 1872 he
3024-734: The Mohawk Valley region , Central New York , the Southern Tier , the Finger Lakes region, Western New York , and the North Country . Major cities across upstate New York from east to west include the state capital of Albany , Utica , Binghamton , Syracuse , Rochester , and Buffalo . Before the European colonization of the United States , upstate New York was populated by several Native American tribes. It
3136-500: The National Baseball Hall of Fame , and the Finger Lakes . There is no clear official boundary between upstate New York and downstate New York . The most expansive definition of the upstate New York region excludes only New York City and Long Island , which are always considered to be part of downstate New York; this usage is common among New York City residents and significantly less farther north. This definition
3248-612: The National Public Radio ( NPR ) system). 44°28′16″N 74°50′24″W / 44.471°N 74.840°W / 44.471; -74.840 Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York . Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley , the Capital District ,
3360-805: The New York State Regional Development Council , and the Empire State Development Agency serve people who live in the state-sanctioned and designated North Country. The contemporary North Country takes in the largest area of all the North Countries. It extends from the Canadian-American border on the north to the Erie Canal on the south, and from the shores of Lake Ontario in the west to the edge of Lake Champlain to
3472-709: The Pennsylvania Colony claimed much of the Southern Tier until 1774, while the Massachusetts Bay Colony claimed all of the region west of Massachusetts to the Great Lakes. The Province of New York also claimed jurisdiction east to the Connecticut River . To pursue this claim north of Connecticut and Massachusetts, New York granted lands to settlers in what is now Vermont at the same time that New Hampshire made grants of
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3584-592: The Seneca people of the Iroquois; some are believed to have escaped to South Carolina , where they merged with other Indian tribes. The region was important from the first days of both French and Dutch colonization in the seventeenth century. The New Netherland colony encompassed the Hudson Valley from Manhattan island north to the confluence of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, where Fort Orange (later Albany)
3696-626: The St. Regis Lakes . Although the climate during the winter months can be severe, with temperatures falling below −30 °F (−34.4 °C), a number of sanatoriums were located there in the early twentieth century because of the positive effect the air had on tuberculosis patients. Golf courses within the park border include the Ausable Club , the Lake Placid Club , and the Ticonderoga Country Club. Many of
3808-537: The Treaty of Big Tree . The Treaties of Buffalo Creek were designed to finally remove the last of the native claims in Western New York as part of the federal Indian Removal program, but the purchaser failed to buy most of the land in time, and some of the tribes objected to their exclusion. Three of the four reservations remain in the region to this day; one of the reservations leased out their land to form
3920-731: The Upstate New York Club Hockey League , the Upstate New York Synod , and the Upstate Citizens for Equality . Before the arrival of Europeans, the area was long inhabited by Iroquoian -speaking people, mainly west of the Hudson River and around the Great Lakes and Algonquian -speaking people, mainly east of the Hudson River. The conflict between the two peoples continued through the period of early European colonization, and
4032-468: The Wesleyan Church and Free Methodist Church (both offshoots of Methodism that originated in political disputes with the mainline Methodist church ), also survive. In the 19th century, extractive industries changed the landscape. Potash was manufactured as the land was cleared for farming. Logging was rampant in the Adirondacks. Iron was mined in the Adirondacks and the North Country. By
4144-454: The semiconductor industry , moved its headquarters from Silicon Valley, California to its semiconductor chip manufacturing facility in Malta, New York . Since the late 20th century, with the decline of manufacturing and its jobs, the area has generally suffered a net population loss, most heavily in Western New York. By contrast, many Amish and Mennonite families are recent arrivals to
4256-596: The 1870s, business leaders, concerned about the effect of deforestation on the water supply necessary to the Erie Canal, advocated for the creation of forest preserves in the Adirondacks and the Catskills. The Adirondack Park and Catskill Park were created and strengthened by a series of legislation between 1885 and 1894, when the " forever wild " provision of the New York State Constitution
4368-486: The 1905–1907 Mills Commission , charged with investigating the origins of baseball , named Cooperstown as the place where baseball was invented in the 1830s or 1840s by Abner Doubleday . Cooperstown is the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum . (Modern research suggests that the game was actually developed in its modern form in New York City.) In the pre–Civil War era, upstate New York became
4480-546: The 19th century, the wilderness was viewed as desolate and forbidding. As Romanticism developed in the United States, the view of wilderness became more positive, as seen in the writings of James Fenimore Cooper , John Muir , Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson . The 1849 publication of Joel Tyler Headley 's Adirondack; or, Life in the Woods triggered the development of hotels and stage coach lines. William Henry Harrison Murray 's 1869 wilderness guidebook depicted
4592-624: The 62 in New York state. Fort Drum , a United States Army base, is also located in the North Country region in Jefferson County , near Watertown , as is the adjacent Adirondack Park of 6.1 million acres, established 1892 as the oldest state park in the nation, and preserved / operated by the Adirondack Park Agency and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation . As of 2024,
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4704-426: The Adirondack Mountains, such as Whiteface Mountain (Wilmington), Mt. Pisgah (Saranac Lake), Gore Mountain (North Creek), West Mountain (Glen's falls), Hickory (Luzerne), and Mt. Morris (Tupper Lake) have been developed as ski areas. Hunting and fishing are allowed in the Adirondack Park, although in many places there are strict regulations. Because of these regulations, the large tourist population has not overfished
4816-404: The Adirondacks and Catskills as Forest Preserve to be forever kept as wild forest lands. This forestry law also established a Forest Commission which was charged with care, custody, control and superintendence of the Forest Preserve. In 1894, Article VII, Section 7, (renumbered in 1938 as Article XIV, Section 1) of the New York State Constitution was adopted, which reads in part: The lands of
4928-464: The Adirondacks, a species that is unclear to have ever previously occupied the region, would continue after the late-19th century. After two previously failed attempts to introduce elk, in 1903, over 150 elk were reported by the State of New York Forest, Fish, and Game Commission to have been released and surviving in the park. The elk population increased for several years, only to decline and ultimately disappear due to poaching. To protect and maintain
5040-431: The American Revolution, the Treaty of Paris established the border between New York and British North America . The 45th Parallel became the border with Quebec or Lower Canada . The St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, the Niagara River and Lake Erie became the border with Upper Canada . Great Britain continued to occupy military installations along the American shores of the Great Lakes until 1794, including Fort Niagara at
5152-602: The American colonies. Slavery did not end with the American Revolution , although John Jay introduced an emancipation bill into the State Assembly as early as 1777. Sojourner Truth was held as a slave in the Hudson Valley from the time she was born in 1797 until she escaped in 1826. Through efforts of the New York Manumission Society and others, New York began to adopt a policy of gradual emancipation in 1799. The law passed in 1817 that would finally emancipate slaves did not take effect for ten years, giving slaveowners an entire decade to sell their slaves away to other states. When
5264-456: The CCC coming to the Park was their trapping and killing of "vermin", which were animals such as hawks, owls, fox, and weasels that preyed on other species sought after by hunters and fishermen. This proved to have unanticipated ecological consequences (most notably the overpopulation of deer) which were reported by the New York State Conservation Department in 1945. Ongoing efforts have been made to reintroduce native fauna that had been lost in
5376-470: The French, Dutch and English tended to ally with their trading partners among the indigenous peoples. The Haudenosaunee or Iroquois confederacy of the Five (later Six) Nations was a powerful force in its home territory. The Five Nations' territory extended from the Mohawk River Valley through the western part of the state and into current Pennsylvania. From this home base they also controlled at various times large swaths of additional territory throughout what
5488-450: The Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River, including west of the Appalachian Mountains, was to be the " Indian Reserve ." Between 1774 and 1783, deeply divided colonists waged civil war on each other directly and by proxy, through attacks such as the Seneca-led Cherry Valley and the Mohawk-led Cobleskill massacre. In 1779, the Sullivan Expedition , a campaign by the Continental Army ordered by General George Washington , drove thousands of
5600-410: The Haudenosaunee from their villages, farms and lands in the region in an effort to both avenge and prevent such attacks. The region was strategically important to the war plans of both the British and the Continental forces. British efforts to divide the New England colonies from the rest led to battles including the Battle of Valcour Island and the Battle of Saratoga , a significant turning point in
5712-410: The Haudenosaunee, as Samuel de Champlain had alienated the Haudenosaunee during military forays from New France . In the 1640s, three French Jesuit missionaries to New France—St. René Goupil , St. Isaac Jogues , and St. Jean de Lalande —were killed near the Mohawk village of Ossernenon, which was located at the confluence of the Schoharie and Mohawk rivers, where the modern hamlet of Auriesville
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#17327718072825824-399: The Iroquois split between supporters of the loyalists and supporters of the revolutionaries. After the war ended, the 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix kicked off a series of treaties and purchases that saw the Iroquois cede the vast majority of their land in upstate New York to the newly formed United States. The 1825 opening of the Erie Canal across upstate New York transformed the economy of
5936-409: The Lower Hudson Valley, or Westchester and Rockland counties and about one-third of Putnam County , downstate, while putting the northwestern edge of Rockland County as well as the northernmost quarter of Westchester County (including Peekskill ) upstate. Conversely, area residents often use Interstate 84 to delineate a boundary between upstate and downstate New York. Yet another usage follows
6048-448: The Mohawk Valley, living among the Mohawk, learning their language, and forging an alliance with them. He was appointed as the British Indian agent to the Iroquois. The British also encouraged settlement in the Mohawk Valley by other Europeans, including German Palatines beginning in the 1720s. In what became known as the Albany Congress in 1754, delegates from seven of the thirteen British North American colonies met at Albany to pursue
6160-425: The New York metropolitan market. A Greek-style yogurt, Chobani , is being produced upstate by a recent immigrant, who has expanded his operation nationally. Additionally, upstate New York continues to boast low crime rates, high educational prospects, and readily affordable daily essentials, earning Syracuse, Rochester, Albany, Schenectady , and Buffalo spots in the Forbes magazine list of top ten places to raise
6272-476: The New York state land survey. In 1873, he recommended the creation of a state forest preserve covering the entire Adirondack region. In 1884, a state legislative commission chaired by botanist Charles Sprague Sargent recommended establishment of a forest preserve, to be "forever kept as wild forest lands." The New York State Legislature subsequently passed a law in 1885 for the preservation of forests which designated all state lands within certain counties in
6384-460: The Northern District of New York places Sullivan County and Dutchess County in the Southern District, and Ulster and Columbia counties in the Northern District. Residents of upstate New York typically prefer to identify with subregions , such as the Hudson Valley (Middle and Upper), the Capital District , the Mohawk Valley , the North Country , Western New York or Central New York . Within New York, surveys have had difficulty determining
6496-399: The PSC VIC hosts the Great Adirondack Birding Festival. Throughout the year visitors can partake of guided interpretive walks, regular outdoor activities, naturalist-led canoe paddles on Barnum Pond, and assorted workshops and programs. In the winter the trails are open for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The Adirondack Interpretive Center is situated on ESF's Huntington Wildlife Forest,
6608-500: The Park. A number of non-governmental organizations work for the park: The fur trade led to the near-extirpation of the beaver in the park by 1893. Other species, such as the moose , elk , wolf , and cougar were hunted either for their meat, for sport, or because they were seen as a threat to livestock. The historical presence in the area of animals such as the Canada lynx , wolverine , and caribou are unclear. Reintroduction efforts for beaver began around 1904 by introducing
6720-401: The Paul Smith's College VIC, owned and operated by Paul Smith's College. Located on approximately 2,700 acres (11 km2) in Paul Smiths, New York , near Paul Smith's College , the Paul Smith's College Visitor Interpretive Center has approximately 25 miles of maintained trails. Throughout the property visitors will encounter every habitat type found in the Adirondack Park except alpine. Each spring
6832-469: The U.S. Census definition of the New York metropolitan area prior to 2010, which includes all of included Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam counties. This definition was used by the plaintiffs in the federal redistricting case Rodriguez v. Pataki . In New York state law, the definition of the upstate boundary also varies: while Westchester is seemingly always considered downstate under state law, some definitions include Rockland and Putnam counties in
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#17327718072826944-401: The aftermath of the Lower Canada Rebellion , some Québécois rebels escaped south to the North Country, while on the Niagara Frontier , events of the Upper Canada Rebellion , also known as the Patriot War , took place. In the late 1860s, some of the Fenian raids were launched across the Niagara Frontier; Fenians also assembled in Malone . Although now largely discredited, the report of
7056-512: The area and have helped revive agriculture as part of the economy. Beginning in 1974, many Mennonite families moved to the Penn Yan area of Yates County from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania , seeking cheaper farmland. Amish communities have also been established in St. Lawrence, Montgomery , Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, and are making farming profitable. Artisans are reviving traditional specialty cheeses and developing growing markets for their products, including shipping some items to
7168-422: The area as a place of relaxation and pleasure rather than a natural obstacle. Financier and railroad promoter Thomas Clark Durant acquired a large tract of central Adirondack land and built a railroad from Saratoga Springs to North Creek . By 1875, there were more than two hundred hotels in the Adirondacks including Paul Smith's Hotel . About this time, the Great Camps were developed. Following
7280-456: The area, and as such, the brooks, rivers, ponds and lakes are home to large trout and black bass populations. Although restricted from much of the park, snowmobile enthusiasts can ride on a large network of trails. The Adirondack Park Agency visitor interpretive centers are designed to help orient visitors to the park via educational programs, exhibits, and interpretive trails. Educational programs are available for school groups as well as
7392-405: The building of Interstate 87 in the 1960s, private lands came under great pressure for development. This growing crisis led to the 1971 creation of the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) to develop long-range land-use plans for both the public and private lands within the Blue Line . In consultation with the DEC, the APA formulated the State Land Master Plan which was adopted into law in 1973. The plan
7504-424: The century the New York Central Railroad followed the "water-level route" from New York City to the Great Lakes, contributing to the industrialization of cities along its route. Several times in the nineteenth century, upstate New York served as a staging area and refuge for Canadian rebels against Great Britain, as well as Irish-American invaders of Canada, straining British–American relations. In 1837 and 1838, in
7616-428: The city of Salamanca , and the coexistence of the predominantly white city and the reservation has been a source of contention since the 1990s. Both before and after the Revolution, boundary disputes with other colonies and their successor states also complicated American settlement. In conflict with the New York Colony 's claims west of the Hudson Valley, which placed the entire region in the sprawling Albany County ,
7728-401: The colonies rejected it. To counter the French militarily, the British established forts along Lake Ontario and at portages between the Mohawk Valley and the adjacent Lake Champlain and Lake Ontario watersheds. The region became the area for many conflicts of the French and Indian War , such as the Battle of Fort Oswego (1756) and the Siege of Fort William Henry (which was later depicted in
7840-430: The commission that recommend the creation of the APA. This system of management is distinctly different from New York's state park system , which is managed by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation . According to the State Land Master Plan, state lands are classified. The Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan (APLUDP) applies to private land use and development. It defines APA jurisdiction and
7952-439: The comparative isolation of the region, many of the sects were Nonconformist , and because of their non-traditional tenets they had numerous difficulties with government and other local people. The region is considered to be the cradle of Mormonism . The Mormons , Seventh-day Adventists and Spiritualists are the only 21st century survivors of the hundreds of sects created during this time; some more mainstream churches, such as
8064-528: The conflux of New York, Québec and Ontario lies the Mohawk Nation of Iroquois. To the east, across the remainder of the North Country region, New York shares a land border with the province of Québec . Upstate counties and towns are generally larger in area and smaller in population, compared with those downstate, although there are exceptions. The state's smallest county in population ( Hamilton County ) and largest county in area ( St. Lawrence County on
8176-559: The downstate region, and others also include Orange and Dutchess counties; all of these counties are served by Metro-North Railroad lines. Ulster County , and, in the largest state-defined extent of downstate, Columbia County , are also sometimes included. The division line between the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and the United States District Court for
8288-428: The east. The contemporary North Country includes all of the famous Adirondack Park , with 14 surrounding counties, 14 cities, 255 towns and almost 40 percent of the state’s geographic area. The Adirondack North Country Association , an economic development organization that also promotes tourism, serves people living in the contemporary North Country, as does North Country Public Radio local network of stations (part of
8400-805: The elk population in the future, the DeBar Mountain Game Refuge was established within the Forest Preserve. This act of preserving the species was motivated for hunting purposes rather than an ecological or natural aspect. The Game Refuge was defined by a wire fence, numerous postings, and caretakers employed by the State. This effort to control nature was also observed in the actions of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), work crews who established access roads and water-supply expansion. A negative result of
8512-485: The foundation for the U.S. National Wilderness Act of 1964 . As a result of the legal protections, many pieces of the original forest of the Adirondacks have never been logged and are old-growth forest . Early in the 1900s, recreational use increased dramatically. The State Conservation Department (now the DEC) responded by building more facilities: boat docks, tent platforms, lean-tos, and telephone and electrical lines. With
8624-629: The general public. The Wild Center in Tupper Lake offers extensive exhibits about the natural history of the region, including a 1,000-foot-long series of elevated bridges that rise up over the forest on the center's campus. Many of the exhibits are live and include native turtles, otter, birds, fish and porcupines. The center, which is open year-round, has trails to a river and pond on its campus. The Adirondack Experience in Blue Mountain Lake contains an extensive collection about
8736-798: The human settlement of the Park. The Six Nation Indian Museum in Franklin has as a mission to provide education about Iroquois (also known as Haudenosaunee) culture, particularly environmental ethics, and to reinforce traditional values and philosophies. This is done via artifacts, presentations, and hosted visits. The 46 highest mountains in the park, known as Adirondack High Peaks , were thought to be over 4,000 feet (1,219 m) when climbed by brothers Robert and George Marshall between 1918 and 1924. Surveys have since shown that four of these peaks — Blake Peak , Cliff Mountain , Nye Mountain and Couchsachraga Peak — are in fact just slightly under 4,000 feet (1,219 m). Some hikers try to climb all of
8848-480: The latter is practically unnoticeable, for example virgin forest. No powered vehicles are allowed in wilderness areas. The 19,000-acre (77 km ) Saint Regis Canoe Area , presently the only Canoe Area in the park, operates under essentially the same conditions as the Wilderness Areas. Private organizations are buying land in order to sell it back to New York State to be added to the public portion of
8960-527: The law finally took effect, the last 2,800 slaves in New York State were emancipated on July 4, 1827. Although routes for travel on foot and by canoe had existed across the region for hundreds of years, transportation of agricultural goods to market was expensive and slow. Influenced by the canals being built in Britain, leading citizens of New York began to press for the construction of a canal across
9072-501: The legislature further clarified that the park included the privately owned lands within it as well as the public holdings. The restrictions on development and lumbering embodied in Article XIV have withstood many challenges from timber interests, hydropower projects and large-scale tourism development interests. Further, the language of the article, and decades of legal experience in its defense, are widely recognized as having laid
9184-476: The mid-1950s gave the region superior access to other eastern markets. This regional advantage faded as many local firms relocated certain operations to other states, or downsized in the face of foreign competition, similar to events in other areas in the American Rust Belt . There have, however, been recent efforts at economic revitalization. In April 2021, GlobalFoundries , a company specializing in
9296-561: The mouth of the Niagara River and Fort Ontario at the mouth of the Oswego River . The government of the new State of New York seized the property of New Yorkers who had remained loyal to the British crown. Thousands emigrated to colonies that remained under British rule, such as Nova Scotia and the newly established Upper Canada (now Ontario ). Haudenosaunee who had fought with the British also fled. The British Crown granted
9408-415: The original 46 peaks, and there is a Forty Sixers club for those who have done so. Cliffs with rock climbing and ice climbing routes are scattered throughout the park boundaries. The surface of many of the lakes lies at an elevation above 1,500 ft (457 m); their shores are usually rocky and irregular, and the wild scenery within their vicinity has made them very attractive to tourists. It
9520-439: The park are devoid of settlements and distant from usable roads. The park includes over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of hiking trails; these trails comprise the largest trail system in the nation. An estimated 7–10 million tourists visit the park annually. There are numerous accommodations, including cabins, hunting lodges, villas and hotels, in and around Lake Placid , Lake George , Saranac Lake , Old Forge , Schroon Lake and
9632-770: The park during earlier exploitation. There are 53 known species of mammals that live in the park, including raccoons , moose , black bears , coyotes , opossums , beavers , porcupines , fishers , martens , river otters , and bobcats . Notable birds of prey that breed in the park include the red-tailed hawk , broad-winged hawk , peregrine falcon , osprey , great horned owl , barred owl , northern saw-whet owl , and turkey vulture . Other notable breeding birds include northern forest specialists like Canada jays , black-backed woodpeckers , boreal chickadees , spruce grouse , palm warblers , and yellow-bellied flycatchers . There are more than 3,000 lakes and 30,000 miles (48,000 km) of streams and rivers. Many areas within
9744-461: The park via educational programs, exhibits, and interpretive trails. Educational programs were available for school groups as well as the general public. Due to state fiscal and budgetary constraints, Governor David Paterson marked the VICs for closure on December 31, 2010, and in 2011, New York State sold both visitor centers to nearby colleges. The Paul Smith's VIC opened in 1989 and in 2011 became
9856-537: The population of the region was 420,311 (revised figure from the last 2020 United States census ). The term "North Country" was first widely popularized within New York by the 1900 novel Eben Holden by Irving Bacheller . According to the Empire State Development Corporation in the state capital of Albany, New York , the North Country encompasses the following seven counties: However, according to another interest group of
9968-504: The region and the state. The canal greatly eased the movement of goods from across the upper Midwest and the cities along the Great Lakes through upstate New York and to the port of New York City. As a result, upstate New York became a hotbed for manufacturing during the Second Industrial Revolution , giving birth to such firms as General Electric , IBM , Kodak , and Xerox . The rapid industrialization led to
10080-619: The region. Several regions upstate are characterized by major mountain ranges, large lakes, and extensive forests. The Allegheny Plateau extends into west and central New York from the south. The Catskill Mountains lie within Lower New York in the southeastern part of the state, closer to New York City. The Catskills and the Allegheny Plateau are part of the Appalachian chain . By contrast, Northern New York contains
10192-455: The remaining beaver in the Adirondacks to imported Canadian ones, and later, from Yellowstone . The population quickly grew to around 2000 in roughly ten years, and around 20,000 in 1921, with the addition of beavers in different areas of the park. Although the reintroduction was marked as an ecological success, the elevated beaver population was found to have negative economic impacts on waterways and timber sources. The introduction of elk to
10304-674: The remaining leases for recreational hunting and fishing on the property expire. Data compiled by the Adirondack Experience , Blue Mountain Lake, New York The park is managed by two state agencies; the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation , created in 1970 and headquartered in Albany ; and the Adirondack Park Agency, created in 1971 and headquartered in Ray Brook . Noted forest ranger Clarence Petty sat on
10416-650: The rights to the land. The treaty granted sovereignty to the State of New York, but granted to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the "pre-emptive" right to seek title to the land from the Haudenosaunee. The eastern boundary of the Massachusetts lands was thus known as the Preemption Line . This line runs from the Pennsylvania line due north to Lake Ontario, passing through Seneca Lake . The line
10528-554: The same lands. When Vermont declared independence in 1777, the new Republic of Vermont recognized the New Hampshire grants over those of New York. New Yorkers who lost land in Vermont came to be known as the "Vermont Sufferers" and were granted new lands in 1788 in the town of Bainbridge, New York . The dispute with Massachusetts over lands to the west of Massachusetts was settled in the 1786 Treaty of Hartford by dividing
10640-583: The second such convention, was held two weeks later in Rochester . Through the nineteenth century, upstate New York was a hotbed of religious revivalism. A number of sects, such as the Shakers and the Oneida Community , established themselves in upstate New York during that time. This led evangelist Charles Grandison Finney to coin the term the " Burned-Over District " for the region. Because of
10752-555: The southwest; the Canadian-American international border (with the Province of Ontario in the Dominion of Canada ) to the north; and Lake Ontario , (the eastern-most of the Great Lakes ) and the Saint Lawrence River / Saint Lawrence Seaway , and beyond the waters again to Ontario / Canada to the west. A mostly rural forested area, the North Country includes seven counties (or 14, according to another group) of
10864-510: The spring on the Moose River near Old Forge. Raft trips are possible on the Hudson River near North River from April to October, due to dam releases provided by the Town of Indian Lake. Motorboating is formally restricted on only a few bodies of water. The Adirondack Park Agency visitor interpretive centers (or VICs) were established in 1989 and 1990. The centers helped orient visitors to
10976-437: The state's northern border) are both in upstate New York, within the North Country and Thousand Islands regions of northern New York. The counties with the largest in population ( Kings County ) and smallest in area ( New York County ) are both parts of New York City. Upstate New York is well known for its cold and snowy winters, particularly in comparison to the more temperate climate of downstate New York. The snowy reputation
11088-514: The state, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting the forest preserve as now fixed by law, shall be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall the timber thereon be sold, removed or destroyed. In 1902, the legislature passed a bill defining the Adirondack Park for the first time in terms of the counties and towns within it. In 1912
11200-455: The state. Governor DeWitt Clinton prevailed upon the legislature to charter and fund construction of a canal from Albany to Buffalo. Construction of the Erie Canal began in 1817 and was completed in 1825. The canal allowed the area to become an important component of the 19th century industrial expansion in the United States. The canal also promoted trade with British North America and settlement of newer states in western territories. Later in
11312-480: The top tier of the state to the western edge of Lake Champlain . and from the Canadian-American international border on the north to the southern boundary of Hamilton County. As such, it is much larger and more stable than either of the traditionalist North Countries. The state-sanctioned North Country consists of 7 counties of northern New York state: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis Counties. The New York State Department of Labor ,
11424-724: The war. While New York City remained in the hands of the British during most of the war, the upstate region was eventually dominated by the Colonial forces. At the end of the war, the Continental Army was headquartered in Newburgh . Uncertain that the Continental Congress would pay back wages, some Continental officers threatened an uprising in what became known as the Newburgh Conspiracy . After
11536-659: The work of James Fenimore Cooper ), during the Seven Years' War . The British conquered New France by 1760 with the fall of Quebec . France formally ceded New France to the British in the Treaty of Paris of 1763 . The same year, King George III issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763 , which established the western and northern boundary of the Province of New York at the limits of the Hudson, Mohawk and Delaware River watersheds. The area between that boundary and
11648-603: The year staff conduct naturalist-led trail walks, guided paddles on Rich Lake, and assorted workshops and lectures. All trails are open in the winter for snowshoeing; cross-country skiing is permitted, and requires varying degrees of skill depending on trails and conditions. Management and ownership of the Newcomb center was assumed by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) on July 1, 2010, with program responsibility beginning January 1, 2011. While
11760-484: Was added. During the era immediately following World War II, upstate reached what was probably its peak influence in the national economy. Major local corporations such as IBM , General Electric , Kodak , Xerox and Carrier had national success, producing cutting-edge products for business, government and consumers, and leadership in corporate culture. The opening of the New York State Thruway in
11872-575: Was established in 1624. The fort at Schenectady was built in 1661. The upper Hudson Valley was the center of much of the colony's fur trade , which was highly lucrative, serving a demand for furs in Europe. North and west of New Netherland, the French established trading posts along the St. Lawrence River and as far south as the shores of Onondaga Lake . They found both trading and proselytizing difficult among
11984-762: Was established to grant land to Revolutionary War veterans. Some of Northern New York was founded by the hundreds of Canadian exiles who had fought in the First and Second Canadian Regiments of the Continental Army , who were banished from Canada due to their rebellion against the Crown. Battles of the War of 1812 (1812–1815) were fought on the Niagara Frontier ; in the Champlain Valley , including
12096-585: Was home to the Iroquois Confederacy , an indigenous confederation of six tribes, known as the Six Nations. Henry Hudson made the first recorded European exploration of the region in 1609, and the Dutch erected Fort Orange (present-day Albany) in 1624, which was the first permanent European settlement in New York. The region saw many battles during the American Revolutionary War , with
12208-409: Was later developed. They are considered to be the first three U.S. saints . England seized New Netherland by force in 1664, renaming it New York. The Dutch recaptured the colony nine years later, but ceded it to England under the Treaty of Westminster of 1674 . In the eighteenth century, the British consolidated their hold on the region. William Johnson , a Scottish trader, established an estate in
12320-572: Was named to the newly created post of Superintendent of the Adirondack Survey and given a $ 1000 budget by the state legislature to institute a survey of the Adirondacks. In 1873 he wrote a report arguing that if the Adirondack ;watershed was allowed to deteriorate, it would threaten the viability of the Erie Canal , which was then vital to New York 's economy. He was subsequently appointed superintendent of
12432-706: Was once the bottom of a glacial lake. The only "hills" in Niagara County are the Niagara Escarpment , which formed the Falls . Upstate New York has a long shared border with the Canadian province of Ontario stretching from Western New York across Northern New York. It is primarily divided by water boundaries along Lake Erie , the Niagara River , Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River . At
12544-621: Was surveyed a second time due to initial errors. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts sold this land in large tracts, including the Phelps and Gorham Purchase and the Holland Purchase . Many of the settlers of what then became Central and Western New York came from the New England states. The Central New York Military Tract , where many of the townships were given the names of classical military and literary figures by Robert Harpur ,
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