Minnesotans? (Duluth, St. Cloud, Buffalo: school, live in, agriculture)

[adirondackguy123]

Hey, every one I'm originaly from upstate New york and am going to school in minnesota, My question is whenever I tell people I'm from upstate new york they all seem to think I'm from nyc even when I say upstate why is that? Also many Minnesotans I've met seem to not like new york and they think it's just a city. Do most Minnesotans hate new york state.

[uptown_urbanist]

You must just be talking to the wrong Minnesotans. This native Minnesotan LOVES New York. Not every part of New York, and admittedly NYC is my favorite part, but I like many other parts of the state, too. (and actually, while interviewing for a job near Saratoga Springs I was strongly reminded of visits to northern MN).

I think most Minnesotans probably do automatically think "New York City" when they hear "New York," but I think that's true of people in most states. That's just the fallout from having one of the world's most important cities in your native state (and having it share the same name of the state, at that!). If you're telling people that you're from upstate and they still think you're from NYC they're probably just not listening closely enough. Or they're geographically clueless and don't know what that means. Try telling them the name of whatever town or city you're from. If you say "I'm from New York" the default is always going to be NYC. You could try saying "I'm from town X, which is 200 miles from NYC." In any case, don't get frustrated. That's just life.

In any case, for every person you find who hates New York (whether state or city), you'll probably find another person who loves it, and a lot more who who don't have a strong opinion either way.

[marmac]

Ever since I was a kid ( 50+ years ago) I've been reading about dairy farms in upstate NY in the Hoard's Dairyman magazine.

I was always fascinated with upstate NY and how scenic that area was in the pictures.

Also, I had a friend who moved there on a company assignment selling stainless steel trailors to milk hauling companies.

Perhaps many metro people know little about the difference between NYC and upstate NY.

Many rural Minnesotans ( especially those in dairy counties) do, however.

[adirondackguy123]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

You must just be talking to the wrong Minnesotans. This native Minnesotan LOVES New York. Not every part of New York, and admittedly NYC is my favorite part, but I like many other parts of the state, too. (and actually, while interviewing for a job near Saratoga Springs I was strongly reminded of visits to northern MN).

I think most Minnesotans probably do automatically think "New York City" when they hear "New York," but I think that's true of people in most states. That's just the fallout from having one of the world's most important cities in your native state (and having it share the same name of the state, at that!). If you're telling people that you're from upstate and they still think you're from NYC they're probably just not listening closely enough. Or they're geographically clueless and don't know what that means. Try telling them the name of whatever town or city you're from. If you say "I'm from New York" the default is always going to be NYC. You could try saying "I'm from town X, which is 200 miles from NYC." In any case, don't get frustrated. That's just life.

In any case, for every person you find who hates New York (whether state or city), you'll probably find another person who loves it, and a lot more who who don't have a strong opinion either way.

Yeah I'd have to agree It's our name that kind of gives us a mixed reputation.

some people don't realize that New york is a very diverse state.

you could be in long island in the rich areas there and 3-4 hours drive you'd be in the southern tier region of our state that borders north pennsylvania and it feels like your in east kentucky, it's almost as poor as Kentucky.

[adirondackguy123]

Originally Posted by marmac

Ever since I was a kid ( 50+ years ago) I've been reading about dairy farms in upstate NY in the Hoard's Dairyman magazine.

I was always fascinated with upstate NY and how scenic that area was in the pictures.

Also, I had a friend who moved there on a company assignment selling stainless steel trailors to milk hauling companies.

Perhaps many metro people know little about the difference between NYC and upstate NY.

Many rural Minnesotans ( especially those in dairy counties) do, however.

Yeah upstate has many dairy farms, that is a big part of our agriculture
next to grapes. I think we come after minnesota and wisconsin in dairy production.

[uptown_urbanist]

Marmac makes a good point. I would assume most metro residents know the difference if they stop to think about it. Maybe it's just human nature: if you live in a city you think in terms of cities, if you live in a rural area you think in terms of rural areas. I do think that in cities, anyway, if you say "New York" people will automatically assume you mean "NYC" unless stated otherwise.

[adirondackguy123]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

Marmac makes a good point. I would assume most metro residents know the difference if they stop to think about it. Maybe it's just human nature: if you live in a city you think in terms of cities, if you live in a rural area you think in terms of rural areas. I do think that in cities, anyway, if you say "New York" people will automatically assume you mean "NYC" unless stated otherwise.

personally I think upstate should seperate from downstate, most upstaters want it.

[knke0204]

New York is kind of similar to Minnesota.

You have 1 super large metro (NYC) which is similar to the Twin Cities, located in the southern part of the state.

To us Minnesotans we have "Up North" Which ranges from St. Cloud area north to the border.

For New Yorkers that term seems to be "Up State"

You have a larger metro north that is a great lakes city (Buffalo) and we have Duluth.

[adirondackguy123]

Originally Posted by knke0204

New York is kind of similar to Minnesota.

You have 1 super large metro (NYC) which is similar to the Twin Cities, located in the southern part of the state.

To us Minnesotans we have "Up North" Which ranges from St. Cloud area north to the border.

For New Yorkers that term seems to be "Up State"

You have a larger metro north that is a great lakes city (Buffalo) and we have Duluth.

yeah it seems that both our northern sections of our state is very sparce while the southern part is where most of the population is.

[ColdRedRain]

To be honest, the only time Minnesotans give a crap about if somebody's from New York is if they flaunt it on their sleeves and start mocking our traditions and behaviors. You're half a continent away and to many of us, New York only exists in TV shows and nothing else. The only time I've ever met a person from New York was when I was in Florida.

Duluth is not Buffalo by any stretch of the imagination. Buffalo's a city of nearly 300K people and Duluth is a minor port town in Lake Superior that's been holding around the 90K mark for ages. It's not even the largest city outside the TC metro anymore. The only similarities between both cities is that they're located on the Great Lakes and they're both mad about hockey and that's where it ends.

BTW, I was cheering for the Flying Slugs this year for the Stanley Cup. I sort of like the city of Buffalo.