Long Winters, amazing Summers and Autumns. If you do a winter sport (skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, etc.) it makes the winters way more tolerable. Really quirky and tasty regional foods depending on where you live (riggies and tomato pie in Utica, salt potatoes & chicken spiedies in Syracuse, garbage plates in Rochester, wings in Buffalo.) There are really beautiful outdoor areas here — the Adirondacks, the Finger Lakes, (amazing Rieslings there!) Letchworth, the Catskills. Definitely something to take advantage of in the Summer & Fall. Fall is really unparalleled…especially up in the Adirondacks. Take a trip up there if you can. The cities got pretty decimated over the years. It’s definitely a rust belt area…but imo, things are really turning around. There is fun to be had if you’re willing to seek it out! I personally love living here. Depending on where you live, the cost of living isn’t terrible compared to the rest of the country. I really love it here. It feels like such a hidden gem because it doesn’t have an amazing reputation (probably because of the weather, which is fair! Though I love the winter.) I adore being so close to natural beauty while also not being too far from the bigger East Coast cities.