Where does upstate N.Y. begin? Geography expert weighs in

Mayor Mamdani says he’s taking a vacation upstate this week, but he won’t say exactly where.

That’s renewed a longtime conversation among New Yorkers over exactly which parts of New York are considered “upstate” and which aren’t.

Some say anything above the five boroughs is upstate. Others don’t think Westchester County should count.

Still more say you need to get further North, into Poughkeepsie or even Albany before you’re actually upstate.

Do you need to be all the way up by Lake Placid?

And what about Buffalo in Western New York? Is that considered upstate, or is that another category?

Jonah Rosenberg, president of the New York Map Society, sat down with Erin Billups for a discussion on this contentious topic.

Tap the video player above to watch the interview.