George Washington called New York “the Seat of the Empire.” Perhaps that’s how the state got its nickname, “the Empire State.”
Today, about 20 million people call New York State home. Almost half of them live in New York City.
New York may be one state for the purpose of government. But it’s made up of two geographic parts. One part is known as downstate. The other part is called upstate. The imaginary line between the parts varies. It depends on who’s drawing it. Many New Yorkers consider New York City and Long Island downstate. They would call everything else upstate. Others draw the line north of the suburbs to the north of New York City. In either case, downstate and upstate are very different.
