Drawing the Line on "Upstate" New York

Where exactly does "upstate" New York begin?

If you're in Manhattan, you may well consider Westchester upstate. After all, it is north of you. 

But if you're anywhere else in New York--Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo, heck, even Kingston--you'd never consider Westchester upstate. It is, after all, a suburb of NYC, quite close to the southernmost edge of the state. 

I did a story on the topic for Westchester Magazine. I checked in with Mark Monmonier, distinguished professor emeritus of geography at Syracuse University, on the topic, and some other map experts. He mentions late-night host Stephen Colbert, who invented the concept of “truthiness,” suggesting different levels of being factual.

“Stephen might say something like ‘upstatedness,’” says Monmonier. “Westchester County has a relatively low degree of upstatedness. Dutchess has more upstatedness. Albany has a considerably high level of upstatedness.”