- North Country This region spans the eastern shore of Lake Ontario to the western shore of Lake Champlain and includes Watertown, Plattsburgh, and Saranac Lake as well as the village of Lake Placid, site of the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games. Manufacturing, distribution, transportation, and development of natural resources contribute to the region's economy. This region is transforming its traditional manufacturing, mining and agriculture sectors to niche industries within those sectors.
- Capital District The Capital Region is gaining increasing recognition as the center of Tech Valley. The New York State capital, Albany, was ranked 15th in Forbes Magazine's 2010 Most Innovative Cities, and has one of the fastest growing high-tech job markets in the country.
- Mid Hudson This region borders New York City, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It is near the center of the country's busiest rail corridor, has boasts six interstate highways, and easy access to six international airports. With over 30 colleges and universities, the Hudson Valley maintains a highly educated labor force.
- New York City NYC is the home of one out of every 16 residents in the U.S. It is the largest city in the nation, and one of the 10 largest cities on the planet.
- Long Island Composed of Nassau and Suffolk counties, Long Island is more populous than 38 states.
- Southern Tier The Southern Tier lies along the Pennsylvania border, with the cities of Elmira, Ithaca, Corning and Binghamton. Binghamton is the birthplace of IBM, Endicott-Johnson, Dick's Sporting Goods and Link Simulators, and home to the fifth oldest zoo in the country.
- Mohawk Valley This region is the geographic center of Upstate New York along the scenic Erie Canal. It is within 100 miles of major markets in every direction including Albany (90 miles), Syracuse (50 miles), Binghamton (80 miles), and the Canadian border (100 miles). The region includes the historic urban centers of Utica, Rome and Amsterdam.
- Central New York This region is the Syracuse metropolitan area with surrounding Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, and Oswego counties. Syracuse is the fifth most populous city in New York, and in Forbes Magazine's the top 10 places to raise a family in 2010.
- Finger Lakes Named for the 11 long, narrow lakes through the southern counties, the Finger Lakes also includes the City of Rochester, the third largest city in New York State. In 2010 Forbes rated Rochester as the 3rd best place to raise a family.
- Western New York This region centers on the Buffalo-Niagara metropolitan area. With a mix of industrial, light manufacturing, high technology, agriculture and service-oriented private sector companies, the region is taking a diversified approach to its economy that has the potential to create opportunities for growth and expansion.
Regional Economic Development Councils
The Regional Economic Development Councils represent the 10 regions across New York State including the Capital Region, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley, Long Island, Mohawk Valley, New York City, North Country, Southern Tier, and Western New York.
To learn more about each region and their economic development plans, click on the map to the left.
Welcome to New York Open for Business
Here you’ll find a breadth of information related to our new, transformative approach to economic development in New York State, including our Regional Economic Development Councils.
No one knows their regions better than the people who live there. Yet for too long, the State has imposed economic development plans that haven’t offered the flexibility for regions to make their own decisions about their future.
That’s why we’ve created 10 Regional Economic Development Councils – public-private partnerships composed of local experts and stakeholders from business, academia, local government, and non-governmental organizations. These Councils will develop strategic plans that emphasize each region’s strengths and unique assets.
Together, we will put people back to work, get our economy back on track, and restore New York State as the Empire State.