The biggest misconception about New York is assuming that New York means New York City. Although the most well known part, New York City is a small part of a large state. From the beaches of Long Island to Niagara Falls, there are numerous state and national parks, much farmland, and a LOT of colleges and universities.
”A small part” is quite the understatement. With nine million people, the five counties that comprise the city have 45% of the the state’s population of just under 20 million.
I stand by my posting. The question is not about population statistics, it's about misconceptions.
This post was edited by NYAD at December 5, 2022 2:53 PM MST
The state of New York covers a total area of 54,555 square miles. The five boroughs of New York City make up 309 square miles. That's .566%, just over a half percent of the state.
But with a massive economy and a municipal budget of $95 billion, larger than any STATE except California and New York. A big reason for that misconception is that NYC is the engine that drives the state's economy. As beautiful as the state is, and I say this as a lifelong New Yorker and graduate of the biggest and finest of the upstate universities to which you alluded, New York is simply not New York without NYC's economy and people.
But as a New Yorker who has spent significant time in NYC as well as Albany, Binghamton, Geneva, Ithaca, Rochester, and Schenectady, I disagree that it is a complete misconception.
NYAD 