Some New Yorkers want their own State

When Frank Sinatra sang “New York, New York,” he may have been on to something. 

A movement is afoot to split New York into two regions — upstate and downstate — to acknowledge the gaping philosophical differences and improve representation. 

“I’ve lived in New York all my life, and upstate and downstate have two different philosophies of life,” said John Bergener, an Albany County resident and organizer of the two New Yorks effort. “And it seems like they’re always in conflict.”

Campaigns for “secession” or a 51st state have been on the rise since the 2012 presidential election — see California, Colorado and Maryland — but the New York movement has a twist. 

The state would retain a “token” presence, funded by the 3 percent sales tax, and would remain united for federal purposes such as the Electoral College and congressional seats. But the power on all state matters would be transferred to the regions.

They're not feeling the Love...

The downstate region would be called New York and include the counties of Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester — basically New York City and its neighboring counties, including Long Island. 

The upstate region tentatively would be named New Amsterdam — after the 17th-century Dutch settlement on Manhattan Island that eventually became New York City — and would comprise the state’s remaining 53 counties, including the state capital of Albany. 

Upstate New York is less prosperous and populous than the Big Apple region. About 7 million of the state’s 19 million residents would be in the proposed New Amsterdam.

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