![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
next_migrationPeople conflate New York the city with New York the state. Most of the state, in Woodard’s analysis of America’s traditional cultural regions, is culturally quite distinct from the City. Historically the state was a center of manufacturing, and it has a good amount of agricultural land that produces many fruits and vegetables. In addition to the New York City metro area, other substantial urban areas include Albany/Schenectady to its north, Buffalo and Rochester to the west with their important lake access, and centrally located Syracuse. Smaller cities are located to the south. As noted elsewhere, I suggest that most migration here would best be within-state. NYC is clearly unsustainable for the future and many residents would do themselves a favor by getting out early, and staying in the state would keep them close to family, friends, and colleagues.
The northeastern part of the state is mostly occupied by the Adirondack Mountains. It has rugged terrain and extremely low population density, with small towns located largely in the lower-lying areas. Tourism is of course very important to this region. Given the possible unsustainability of that industry, the region might be deprioritized in favor of the south-central to southwestern parts of the state. Some celebrities make their homes, or at least own homes, in nice Adirondack resort towns, and wealthier NYC residents might think of that as a good option. I wouldn’t suggest it. In heavily tourism-dependent regions there is a profound divide between the rich, often liberal out-of-towners and the working-class, mostly conservative locals who serve their needs. They may like having your business, but they won’t usually respect you or see you as part of the community. That could put you in a difficult position someday.
Because there is some tendency for the population density of NYC to spread northwards towards Albany, I suggest that those leaving NYC go substantially farther west. In an earlier post I pointed out medium-sized cities including Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. All three of these are the centers of metropolitan areas that I would normally say were too big and sprawling to consider, unless your comparator was NYC! All have diverse economies and a full range of urban amenities and are certainly more sustainable than NYC.
A much smaller metropolis is Utica (65,000 people in the city proper), whose economy includes manufacture, logistics, transport, tourism, and brewing. It has suffered economically from the collapse of traditional manufacturing, and poverty rates are high, yet crime remains fairly low. There are several small colleges and universities. Utica has welcomed refugees from many countries, including Bosnians, Burmese, and Southeast Asians, so though it is not a huge city it has considerable ethnic, linguistic, and culinary diversity. There is a downtown historic district.
Along the southern border, the cluster including Binghamton, Union, Johnson City, and Endicott has about 250,000 people in its metro area. Binghamton sits at the confluence of two rivers in a mountainous area; there are 11 bridges and many hilly neighborhoods. There are several historical districts, one large. The town declined as factories closed, but it is now positioning itself as a center of high-tech industry including defense, with other sectors including healthcare, services, research, food distribution, and education. Binghamton University, technically in the suburb of Vestal, is a good-sized school, and there is also a community college. Endicott has had problems with persistent pollution from a former IBM plant.
Most of those cities have at times had high unemployment rates, but that is true of all of the Rust Belt. At recent report, some are doing better than others, though the situation is changing rapidly due to the ongoing pandemic. Smaller cities and towns in the 10,000 to 40,000 range outside the metro areas have had a harder time rebounding after the decline of manufacturing. They often appear to have long-lasting above-average unemployment and poverty rates, high crime and drug problems, and sometimes other issues, such as serious recent histories of racism. A few examples of the better options might be:
o Olean (14,000 people) in the south is on the Allegheny River. Economy includes manufacturing, distribution, and healthcare. There have been several recent corporate facility closures. There is a small community college.
o Corning (11,000 people) in the south on the Chemung River is home to Corning, the manufacturer of glass and ceramic products. Manufacturing and tourism are major economic sectors. There is a community college. Cultural attractions include a historic downtown, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Heritage Village, and the Rockwell Museum. Small town, but enjoyable.
o Auburn (26,000 people) is the site of a maximum-security prison, and corrections is one of the main employments. Others are health care, manufacturing, and education. It has a small community college. The William H. Seward and Harriet Tubman houses, once stops on the Underground Railroad, are national historic sites.
o Amsterdam (18,000 people) to the northwest of Albany has many jobs in distribution, with several major corporate distribution centers in the area. There is a large Hispanic minority, and the town has two Spanish-language Pentacostal churches (as well as a synagogue and a Buddhist temple). Has an Amtrak stop.
These seem the most promising for migrants who don’t have a job offer in hand. If you do, and your demographics aren’t such as to make you a target, there are other less appealing towns that could be just fine for you. However, if you are migrating from NYC, I don’t suggest you consider really small towns unless you have family ties there, because you’ll have real trouble fitting in. One of the bigger cities would probably suit you better.
New York has more than half a dozen commercial bus companies operating; Greyhound alone serves most of the listed cities. There are also regional bus services. Amtrak service is relatively limited. One line runs east from Buffalo to Schenectady through Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Utica, and Amsterdam. A line up the eastern edge of the state to Montréal stops at many quite small towns, clearly for the convenience of tourists from NYC.
