Geography and Climate: NYC and Everything Else

Understanding New York:

Size and landscape:

• 27th largest state:
  • 54,555 square miles (30th in land—water area inflates total)
  • Population: 19.5 million (4th—behind California, Texas, Florida, lost 3rd to Florida 2014)
  • Density: 421 people/square mile (but 95% NYC metro/Long Island/Hudson Valley—Upstate sparse)
• Five distinct regions:
  • New York City metro: 8.3 million city, 20 million metro (5 boroughs Manhattan/Brooklyn/Queens/Bronx/Staten Island, plus Westchester/Nassau/Suffolk suburbs—cultural/economic capital)
  • Hudson Valley: Poughkeepsie, Newburgh (Catskill Mountains, West Point, estates, Metro-North commuters)
  • Capital Region: Albany, Schenectady, Troy (900,000—state government, Adirondack gateway)
  • Central New York: Syracuse, Utica, Binghamton (Finger Lakes, agriculture, declining manufacturing)
  • Western New York: Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls (Great Lakes, Erie Canal legacy, Rust Belt)
  • Long Island: Nassau/Suffolk counties (2.9 million—suburbs, beaches, wealthy North Shore/working South Shore)
  • North Country: Adirondacks (wilderness, sparse—ski resorts Lake Placid 1980 Olympics)
• Highest point: Mount Marcy 5,344 feet (Adirondacks—46 High Peaks)
• Rivers: Hudson (historic—Erie Canal connected Great Lakes NYC 1825 made New York), Mohawk, St. Lawrence (Canadian border)

NYC metro (dominant):

• Manhattan: 1.6 million (financial district Wall Street, Midtown theaters/business, Upper East/West wealthy, Harlem historic Black neighborhood gentrifying)
• Brooklyn: 2.7 million (most populous—Williamsburg hipster, Park Slope brownstones, Flatbush Caribbean, gentrification displacement)
• Queens: 2.4 million (most diverse county U.S.—Flushing Chinese, Jackson Heights South Asian, Astoria Greek, Corona Latin)
• Bronx: 1.5 million (poorest borough—30% poverty, Yankee Stadium, Hip-hop birthplace 1970s Kool Herc)
• Staten Island: 500,000 (forgotten borough—suburban, conservative Trump +12% only borough, Verrazzano Bridge connection)
• Economy: Finance (Wall Street, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, BlackRock—global capital markets), media (Times, Wall Street Journal, TV networks), fashion (Garment District legacy, Fashion Week), tech (Google Hudson Square, Facebook, Amazon HQ2 Queens canceled)
• Cost: Median home $1.4 million Manhattan, $900,000 Brooklyn, rent $3,500+ 1-bedroom Manhattan, $2,800+ Brooklyn
• Transit: Subway 472 stations (5 million daily riders—signals 1930s, delays constant, rats legendary)

Upstate (everything north NYC):

Buffalo:

• Population: 280,000 city, 1.1 million metro (peak 580,000 1950—lost 50% population, Rust Belt decline)
• Economy: Steel gone, manufacturing decline (Bethlehem Steel closed 1983—40,000 jobs lost), medical (Buffalo General, Roswell Park Cancer), education (SUNY Buffalo 30,000 students)
• Lake effect: 95 inches snow annually (November-March buried, infrastructure handles but oppressive)
• Revitalization: Modest (Canalside waterfront, medical corridor—but population still declining)

Rochester:

• Population: 210,000 city, 1.1 million metro (peak 330,000 1950—Kodak collapse, Xerox layoffs devastating)
• Kodak: Bankrupt 2012 (peak 60,000 Rochester employees 1980s, now 4,000—film to digital transition missed, city never recovered)
• Current: Optics/imaging legacy (University of Rochester, strong engineering—but shadow former glory)

Syracuse:

• Population: 150,000 city, 650,000 metro
• Snow: 124 inches annually (snowiest major U.S. city—lake effect Ontario, winter October-April)
• Poverty: 30% (among highest major cities—manufacturing gone, limited opportunities)
• Syracuse University: 22,000 students (Orange basketball, but brain drain graduates leave)

Albany:

• Population: 100,000 city, 900,000 metro
• Economy: State government (Empire State Plaza brutalist complex, legislature, agencies—stable recession-proof)
• SUNY System: Headquarters (64 campuses statewide—largest public university)

Climate (extreme seasons):

NYC:

• Summer: 80-85°F (humid—oppressive subway 100°F+)
• Winter: 30-40°F (snow 28 inches—occasional blizzards paralyze)

Upstate:

• Summer: 75-80°F (comfortable—lake breeze)
• Winter: 15-30°F (Buffalo/Syracuse 95-124 inches snow—brutal lake effect)

Severe weather:

• Hurricanes: NYC vulnerable (Sandy 2012 $65 billion—flooded subways, power outages 8 million)
• Blizzards: Regular (Buffalo Blizzard 2022 killed 47—Christmas storm, Upstate infrastructure tested)
• Lake effect: Paralyzes (Buffalo 2014 7 feet 3 days—trapped, roofs collapsed)

NYC: Global Capital, Unmatched Everything

Understanding New York City dominance:

Finance (Wall Street):

• Stock exchanges: NYSE ($26 trillion market cap—largest globally), Nasdaq
• Banks: JPMorgan Chase ($3.9 trillion assets largest U.S.), Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup
• Hedge funds: Concentrated (Manhattan Midtown—Bridgewater, Citadel offices, billions managed)
• Employment: 500,000+ finance jobs ($150,000-millions salaries—but 80-hour weeks standard)

Media/entertainment:

• Broadway: 41 theaters (Hamilton, Wicked, Lion King—$1.8 billion annual revenue, tourism magnet)
• TV: NBC, ABC, CBS headquarters (Tonight Show, SNL—Rockefeller Center)
• Publishing: Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster (book capital—agents, editors, authors concentrate)
• Fashion: Fashion Week (Garment District legacy—designers, models, Vogue headquarters)

Culture (museums/arts):

• Metropolitan Museum: 7 million visitors (largest U.S.—encyclopedic, suggested donation now mandatory $30)
• MoMA: Modern art (Van Gogh Starry Night, Picasso—$25 admission)
• Natural History: Dinosaurs, planetarium (Night at the Museum—families, $23 admission)
• Lincoln Center: Met Opera, Philharmonic (high culture—wealthy patrons subsidize)

Immigration gateway:

• Ellis Island: 12 million immigrants 1892-1954 (40% Americans descended—Statue of Liberty symbolism)
• Current: 37% foreign-born (Queens most diverse county U.S.—160+ languages spoken)

Food:

• Pizza: $1 slice (99¢ Pizza, 2 Bros—iconic, NYC water makes dough better claim debated)
• Bagels: $2-3 (Russ & Daughters, Ess-a-Bagel—boiled then baked, NYC water theory)
• Halal: Carts everywhere ($7 chicken over rice—Halal Guys originated, ubiquitous)

Challenges:

• Homelessness: 90,000+ (subways encampments—mental health crisis, compassion fatigue)
• Crime: Improved 1990s-2010s, spiked COVID (subway safety perception—statistically safe but high-profile incidents)
• Affordability: Impossible ($3,500+ rent—teachers, nurses, service workers can't afford, hour+ commutes)

Upstate vs NYC: Resentment, Subsidies, Two States

Understanding the divide:

Financial reality:

• NYC pays: 60% state tax revenue ($100+ billion—Wall Street bonuses, high earners)
• Upstate receives: Infrastructure, Medicaid, education (subsidized—but resents NYC dominance)

Political reality:

• NYC delivers: Democrats statewide (Biden +23% 2020—NYC metro 60% state population votes 70% blue)
• Upstate: Trump territory (rural +15-20%—but insufficient, powerless statewide)

Cultural resentment:

Upstate complaints:

• "NYC isn't New York" (rest of state ignored—media covers only city, tourists think NYC = NY)
• "We subsidize NYC" (agriculture feeds—false, NYC pays taxes)
• Gun laws: SAFE Act 2013 (assault weapon ban—Upstate hunting culture, NYC crime focus)

NYC perspective:

• "Upstate welfare" (tax money flows north—Medicaid, roads, schools funded NYC)
• "Provincial" (Upstate conservative boring—NYC sophistication unmatched)

Reality:

• Interdependent: NYC needs Upstate (water supply Catskills, food, space—symbiotic)
• Power imbalance: NYC controls Albany (legislature, governor—Upstate politically irrelevant)

Secession jokes:

• "New Amsterdam": NYC separate state (floated periodically—economically viable, politically impossible)

Taxes: Highest Income, NYC Adds More

Understanding New York tax burden:

State income tax: 4%-10.9% (progressive):

• Top bracket: $25 million+ (10.9%—among highest state)

NYC income tax: 3.078%-3.876% (residents only):

• Combined: 14.8% total (millionaire pays—plus 37% federal, total 51.8%, incentive flee)

Sales tax: 4% state + local (8.875% NYC—clothing/groceries under $110 exempt):

Property tax:

• NYC: 0.88% average (low rate but high values—$1.4 million apartment = $12,320/year)
• Long Island: 2.3%+ Nassau County (highest nationally—$600,000 home = $13,800/year)

Millionaire exodus:

• Florida/Texas: Zero income tax (Miami, Austin—hedge funds relocate, talent follows)
• COVID: Accelerated (remote work enabled—300,000+ left 2020-2021, tax revenue crater)

Natural Beauty: Adirondacks, Finger Lakes, Niagara

Understanding Upstate assets:

Adirondacks:

• 6 million acres: Larger than Yellowstone/Yosemite/Grand Canyon combined (largest park lower 48)
• 46 High Peaks: Mountains 4,000+ feet (hiking pilgrimage—"46er" badge complete all)
• Lake Placid: 1980 Olympics (skiing, Ironman, resort town—scenic)
• Forever wild: State constitution (1894—protected development, preserved)

Finger Lakes:

• 11 glacial lakes: Seneca, Cayuga longest (wine country—100+ wineries, Riesling internationally acclaimed)
• Ithaca: Cornell University (Ivy League—"gorges," waterfalls, "Ithaca is Gorges" bumper stickers)
• Watkins Glen: State park (19 waterfalls, Rainbow Bridge, NASCAR track)

Niagara Falls:

• American side: 750,000 gallons/second (Canadian side superior view—horseshoe falls, but American impressive)
• Tourism: 8 million annually (Maid of the Mist boat, Cave of the Winds—wet, thrilling)
• Hydro: Power generation (Robert Moses plant—2.5 million kilowatts, clean energy)

Catskills:

• Mountains: West of Hudson (Woodstock 1969 actually Bethel—music festival, hippie legacy)
• Resorts: Borscht Belt (Jewish resorts 1920s-1970s—Catskill Mountains, Dirty Dancing setting, mostly closed)

Cost of Living: NYC Crushing, Upstate Affordable

New York expenses:

Housing:

Manhattan:

• Median: $1.4 million (penthouse $10+ million, studio $600,000+)
• Rent: $3,500-6,000+ 1-bedroom (Midtown/Upper West Side $5,000+)

Brooklyn:

• Median: $900,000 (Williamsburg/Park Slope $1.2+ million, Bed-Stuy $750,000)
• Rent: $2,800-4,500 1-bedroom

Queens/Bronx:

• Median: $650,000 Queens, $480,000 Bronx (affordable relative—but still high nationally)

Long Island:

• Median: $600,000 Nassau, $500,000 Suffolk (property tax $13,000+ crushes)

Upstate:

• Buffalo: $180,000 (affordable—but declining value)
• Rochester: $160,000 (cheapest metro—Rust Belt legacy)
• Albany: $240,000 (capital premium—government workers)

Taxes (comprehensive crushing):

• Income: 14.8% NYC combined (state + city—millionaire exodus)
• Property: 2.3% Long Island (highest nationally—$600,000 = $13,800)
• Sales: 8.875% NYC (moderate)

Daily costs:

• Groceries: 15-20% above national (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Fairway—expensive)
• Dining: $15-25 lunch, $50-100+ dinner Manhattan (Pizza $1 slice democratic)
• Transit: $2.90 subway (unlimited monthly $127—necessary, car impossible Manhattan)

Overall verdict:

• NYC: 50-80% above national (crushing—salaries offset partially, but inequality extreme)
• Upstate: 10-15% below national (affordable—but declining economies, limited jobs)

Living in New York: Who Fits?

Who thrives:

Finance professionals:

• Wall Street: $150,000-millions (Goldman, JPMorgan—80-hour weeks, bonuses, penthouses)

Media/arts:

• Broadway, publishing, TV: $80,000-300,000 (creative industries—NYC unmatched)

Ambitious immigrants:

• Opportunity: NYC gateway (networking, industries—meritocracy claim debated but mobility possible)

Culture lovers:

• Museums, theater, dining: Unmatched (Met, MoMA, Broadway—world-class daily)

Outdoor enthusiasts:

• Upstate: Adirondacks, Finger Lakes (hiking, skiing, wine—accessible NYC 3 hours)

State workers:

• Albany: Stable ($60,000-100,000 government—recession-proof, pension, affordable)

Who struggles:

Service workers NYC:

• Wages: $40,000-60,000 (teachers, nurses, retail—can't afford $3,500 rent, hour+ commutes)

Middle-class families:

• Squeezed: $150,000 household (sounds rich—but $5,000 rent, $2,000 childcare, $1,000 groceries, barely survive)

Upstate residents:

• Manufacturing gone: Buffalo/Rochester (Rust Belt decline—poverty 25-30%, population exodus)

Tax-sensitive wealthy:

• Exodus: Florida/Texas (14.8% NYC tax versus 0%—hedge funds relocate, Citadel Chicago to Miami)

Car-dependent:

• Manhattan: Impossible ($600+ monthly parking, traffic, public transit necessary)

Heat-sensitive:

• Upstate winters: Brutal (Syracuse 124 inches snow—October-April buried, seasonal depression)

New York offers NYC unmatched culture for specific populations—finance professionals (Wall Street $150,000-millions Goldman/JPMorgan, global capital markets), media/arts workers (Broadway $1.8 billion revenue, publishing, TV networks), ambitious immigrants (gateway opportunity 37% foreign-born, Queens most diverse county), culture lovers (Met/MoMA/Broadway world-class museums/theater/dining), and Upstate outdoor enthusiasts (Adirondacks 6 million acres largest park lower 48, Finger Lakes wine country 100+ wineries, Niagara Falls). Empire State history Erie Canal 1825 made NYC appeal to those accepting highest taxes nationally (income 14.8% NYC combined state/city, Long Island property tax 2.3% $13,800 annually $600,000 home—millionaire exodus Florida/Texas), population exodus (lost House seat 2020 census first time, 300,000+ departed annually COVID accelerated), infrastructure decay (subways signals 1930s, Penn Station hell, Tappan Zee Bridge $4 billion replacement), extreme cost ($1.4 million Manhattan median, $3,500+ rent impossible normal people), NYC/Upstate divide (NYC 60% state taxes subsidizes Upstate resents dominance, Trump +15% rural powerless statewide Biden +23%), and recognition Buffalo lost 50% population 1950-now, Syracuse poverty 30%, Rochester Kodak collapse creates forgotten Upstate majority. For the right person, NYC world capital status, Upstate natural beauty justify crushing costs and taxes. For most, unaffordability and exodus signal decline despite cultural excellence persisting.

New York works for wealthy/ambitious prioritizing NYC opportunity and accepting highest taxes nationally while understanding Empire State glory era past decline accelerating.