The Geography of New York State:
The NY/PA border runs straight East/West along the 42nd parallel from just east of Erie to the Delaware River. The border areas of NY & PA are referred to as “The Twin Tier Area”. This border area in NY, Jamestown, Elmira, Binghamton, is referred to as “The Southern Tier” and of course this places the “Southern Tier” of NY NORTH of the “Northern Tier of PA.
Route 14 about bisects this straight East/West border hence I live in South Central New York State.
The really southern area of NY, below the Tappan Zee Bridge, is referred to as “Downstate”.
Everybody “Downstate” refers to everyplace north of the Tappan Zee Bridge” as “Upstate”. People in the “Southern Tier” think “Upstate” begins at the Barge Canal but people north of Canal, Rochester, Syracuse & Utica think “Upstate” is the Watertown area, north of Tug Hill.
All clear now?
p.s.: Only really old people will appreciate this. There used to be a really popular, wonderfully drafted comic strip,” Lil Abner” , where Al Capp brilliantly picked apart the pretensions of the elites & the self limitations of the poor. People usually thought it was supposed to be Appalachia but Al Capp was actually thinking of Upstate NY