YouTube Creators Claim Nobody Lives in Upstate New York

If you're from Upstate New York and happen to go onto YouTube to search for what others are saying about this area you're probably not going to be so happy. You're immediately met with videos that are pretty harsh on our part of the state.

I will point out that Upstate happens to be the biggest part of New York State, but when it comes to population NYC has us beat by a lot. Does that mean that our area is "bad?" No. Does that make our area "empty" or undesirable? Absolutely not. So what gives, YouTube?

I found not one, but two different videos focused on why this area has a lower population. While some of the reasons were valid a lot of it is from looking at it from the outside.

In the Capital Region we've got a booming population and while we have seen some economic hardships, we've also seen quite a few local businesses open up in the area. The Capital Region isn't the only area on Upstate that we can defend.

The Hudson Valley is also booming. It's our neighbor to the south and we share an awful lot of the population. Great small businesses, schools, and people have made living in our two areas such a great experience for most anyone who grew up here.

A few of the reasons they said people "don't" live here in these videos is the harsh winters. Sure, we get a lot more snow than New York City, but have you ever heard of skiing? Ice fishing? Tubing? Even snowshoeing is a big activity that many of us here in Upstate like to do, and people travel here to do so.

They also hit on cost of living being a big factor for why many people have left the rural areas in favor of the city, but I'd argue we have more people coming here than leaving. Upstate is an escape from all of that noise in NYC. Even if you live in one of the Capital Region's smaller cities like Albany, Troy, or Saratoga, you're not going to experience that "big city" feel. It just feels like home.