The North Country
Jesse Anderson & Jeffrey Sevey
The region of New York referred to as the
North Country encompasses the northern seven counties of the state. These
counties starting from the southern part of the region would include Lewis
County, Jefferson County, St. Lawrence County, Franklin County, Hamilton
County, Essex County and Clinton County. This region is the portion of New York
State that falls to the west and north of the Adirondack Mountains. This region
also encompasses the St. Lawrence River Valley as well as the eastern portion
of the Lake Ontario Lowlands the and western portion of the Champlain Valley.
The North Country is possibly the most contradictory regions of New
York State being one of the most environmentally rich yet one of the
most economically depressed. Being isolated for so long, with the media
market available coming mostly from Canada, the North Country and the
people who reside here have developed their own culture and their own
way of life different from other parts of the state.
Northern New Yorkers are fiercely independent, have close-knit familial
relations and care about their environment. They also, however, have to
deal with hardships unknown to most New Yorkers. Rural poverty is
rampant, as is a lack of infrastructure and employment opportunities.
Despite there being five universities, much of the younger generation in
the North Country is forced to attend community college due to finances
or lack of a competitive edge coming out of the rural schools. Those
that do graduate either are forced to move downstate to find employment
or are stuck working in the service industry in places like Potsdam,
Plattsburgh and Watertown. Another option is the military, always
present in the minds of Northern New Yorkers with the presence of Fort
Drum in Jefferson County. The heydays of the North Country and of the
northern Adirondacks is long over when shops lined the main streets of every village.
The older generations have gotten used to being deprived and overlooked
by Albany as well as pushed around by the bureaucrats from downstate
who want to tell people who live in ‘the Park’ where and how homes can be built, even with families that have lived in the region
for two hundred years.
Historically,
the North Country is the most different region from the rest of New
York State. For most of its history, the region was under French control
as a part of the provinces of New France and then Quebec. Mohawk
Natives were also present in the region, and are still there today on
reservations. Originally New York was settled by the Dutch. According to the document, “New York”, they first settled in the area of modern day Albany. This was in part due to the access to the Hudson River. It wasn’t until later that people began settling in the northern portions of the state that the North Country encompasses.[1] Settlement began in Clinton County around the Plattsburgh area and eventually spread to the St. Lawrence with the establishment of the ten towns. The region’s relationship with Canada is still evident today where shopping centers will be filled with Canadians on the weekends in Massena, Ogdensburg and Plattsburgh. The French language was also prevalent until recently with nearly half of the population speaking French Canadian as their first language at one point. Since then, especially after the establishment and subsequent strengthening of the Adirondack preserve, the North Country has been lacking in new development. One time period where the North Country played a significant role was during the War of 1812. Due to the location of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario the North Country became the battle front for a significant portion of the war.
Environmentally, the North Country is stunning and has many different features. The St. Lawrence River is what separates the region from Canada, while the Adirondacks and the Tug Hill Plateau serve as the dividing barriers between the true upstate and downstate of New York. Due to the regions location next to the St. Lawrence River and Lakes Ontario and Champlain, it is pretty well suited for agriculture. The
majority of Lewis, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Essex and Hamilton Counties
are wooded. According to the document, “Forests”, by the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation 18.9 million acres are forested
in New York and these forests also play an important role in the
economy. As a whole the forest industry in New York employs over 60,000
people.[2]
The soil of this region is part of the reason that agriculture is so
productive here. The soil of this region is lime rich glacial till. This
is typically found in regions near water and old river beds.[3] The Champlain Valley is one of the most climatically mild regions in the State, although, the North Country as a whole constitutes one of the coldest places in the conterminous United States. There is a diverse world of flora and fauna found in the North Country such as: whitetail deer, moose, beaver, mountain lions, coyotes, bullhead, pike, robins, hummingbirds, bats and blue jays and the forests of the region transition from mostly deciduous to endless evergreen in the heart of the Adirondacks with many invasive plant and animal species. The hundreds of streams, rivers, lakes, marshes and ponds give the North Country an abundance of fresh water that may be economically profitable for the region once the water crisis hits North America within the next couple centuries, although the acid precipitation the region receives may harm that prospect. Thousands of trees and other plants, however, were killed during the ice storm of 1998, one of the worst disasters in North Country history. A major environmental issue in the North Country is the Adirondack Park and Adirondack Park Association (APA). The policies of the APA make living in the Adirondack Park very difficult with regulations and waiting times for any kind of development
Demographically, the North Country is more like Canada than New York. Those families present in the region for several generations have mostly came from Canada or from Vermont. Lack of higher education is the norm and really is not needed for employment within the region. The service industry as well as government jobs are really the only two major employment sectors in the region. Prisons, the military, hospitals, schools and large retailers such as Walmart are the biggest employers, and with the recent budget cuts from the recession, the North Country now has the highest unemployment rate outside of New York City. This economic gap mixed with inadequate funding for schools and infrastructure is killing the region in terms of livability. There is local fighting over merging of schools into regional districts, which unlike in downstate districts, means upwards of a thirty mile bus ride to school every morning. The
North Country is made up of people from many different backgrounds but
for the most part the majority of the population is white. According to
Empire State Development the population of the counties in the North
Country are dominated by white people. In Franklin county 43,437 out of
the 51,599 residents are white. In St. Lawrence county 105,064 out of
the 111,944 residents are white. In Jefferson county 104,047 out of the
116,229 residents are white and in Lewis county 26,465 out of the 27,087
residents are white.[4]
The unemployment rate in the North Country is relatively similar from
county to county as well. According to Empire State Development the
unemployment rate in Franklin county fluctuated between 8.4% to 9% from
December 2010 to December 2011. In St. Lawrence county the unemployment
rate for the same time period was between 9.3% and 10.3%. In Jefferson
county the unemployment rate from December 2010 to December 2011 was
between 9.4% and 10.3%. In Lewis county the unemployment rate was
between 8.6% and 10% during the previously stated time frame.[5]
[1] “New York,” History, http://www.history.com/topics/new-york (Accessed February 13,2012).
[2] “Forests,” New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/309.html (Accessed February 12, 2012).
[3] “New York,” History.
[4] “Inside North Country,” Empire State Development, http://www.esd.ny.gov/RegionalOverviews/NorthCountry/InsideRegion.html (Accessed February 13, 2012).
[5] “Inside North Country,” Empire State Development.
North Country
Environmental Links
This link is for Jefferson
County’s website. The website provides a significant amount of information for
visitors. This includes information such as New York
State Parks located in Jefferson County as well as the Watertown Chamber of Commerce. This
website also provides facts
and figures on the region of Jefferson County New York. Jefferson County’s
website provides a calendar
and a listing of upcoming events for visitors and residents. There is also a legislature link
provided on Jefferson County’s website which provides viewers with information
on the legislative districts of the county as well as the legislative
committees of the county.
The environment of St.
Lawrence County attracts a lot of visitors to the North Country. The county
provides access to the Adirondack Mountains and many people visit to enjoy what
the county has to offer. One feature that will help visitors is the recreation page. This
will provide visitors with information on the environment of the region and
what it has to offer. Other information that is provided to visitors of St.
Lawrence County’s website would include lodging
and dining. Information on
events and attractions
that St. Lawrence County has to offer are also listed on the website. The
website also lists information regarding the county government as well. Some of
the information regarding the government includes administrators,
board
of legislators and county
courts.
The St. Lawrence Seaway plays a major role
in Northern New York. Their website provides a lot of information on the
importance of the Seaway in the North Country. The St. Lawrence River is a
major environmental factor in the North Country and provides visitors with many
recreational opportunities. The website provides visitors with information
regarding recreation
on the Seaway. On the website visitors have access to a map of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
This map shows locks located along the Seaway and the ports along the route.
Viewers can also see the ships that are in transit on the Seaway at any given
time. The website also provides a history
of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The site also provides information on the economic
impacts of the seaway as well as the shipping
benefits provided by the seaway.
Tug Hill plays a major role
in Lewis County New York. It is a major environmental factor in Lewis County.
Tug Hill is known for its extreme weather and harsh conditions. Tug Hill’s
website provides visitors with information regarding both the environment as
well as the economy
of Tug Hill. Visitors to Tug Hill’s website will also find information
regarding the natural
resources of Tug Hill, which include the Tug Hill aquifer and the Salmon
River Watershed. The website also provides information on trails for snowmobilers as well as
ATV Riders. There is also plenty of information regarding the Tug Hill Commission
which is a council that takes into consideration the concerns of the public in
terms of preserving Tug Hill.
This link accesses Black
River’s website. The Black River runs from the Adirondacks to Lake Ontario. The
river runs through Jefferson and Lewis County. The Black River is a major
source of water as well as recreation in the North Country. This site provides
visitors with information regarding white water rafting
outfitters and information regarding lodging as well. A map is also available
that will show the flow of Black River across New York. Visitors will also find
a photo
gallery displaying many views of Black River.
The North Country National
Scenic Trail, or NCNST, is a hiking trail which will be crossing throughout the
North Country, not only of New York State, but also of the other states which
have ‘North Countries’ including North Dakota, Michigan and Minnesota as well
as others, like the Appalachian Trail. This site is from the New York States
DEC and focuses only on the impact of the trail in New York State. The trail
will be going through the Adirondacks
and down to the Finger Lakes and beyond. Something like this is important for
tourism in the region. This site was created in order to let people know what
is going on with the development of the
trail and what it will consist of. It is for hikers, environmentalist, and
residents who may support or oppose the trail’s inception.
North Country Public Radio,
or NCPR, is the North Country’s main source of local news. Our other news
stations do not cover our region but NCPR only does the North Country, not
Vermont or Syracuse. This particular site from NCPR is about the twenty latest
environmental stories that have happened in and around the North Country.
When focusing on a specific region, a list like this is fantastic to have. It
was created by NCPR for people in the North Country who want to know what is
going on in their back yards environmentally.
North Country Farms, LLC is a
site and a service which aids and supports food growing in the North Country,
mainly the area between Oswego and Franklin Counties. The site links to
information, about the processing of flour and milling, and also about local products including syrup, honey and
mixes. This is created by the NCF, LLC to make agricultural information
available to the public and also promote their doings in the region. Having a
site which details agricultural activity in a region is helpful and helps to
shed light on what is actually going on.
This site is dedicated to
cycling in the Adirondacks, a major recreational sport in the region
that culminates in a cycling race in Lake Placid every year. The Adirondack
North Country Region Bicycle Master Plan was created by Timothy
P. Holmes, a rural sociologist specializing in Northern New York in order
to outline the viability and need for an enhancement of the opportunities
presented to those tourist who wish to bike in through the region. The site
goes into detail about each county
and its ability for cycling recreation.
For those who are interested
in flowers this is an extensive site listing and describing all of the flowers
that can be seen in the North Country as studied in St. Lawrence County. The
site is a photo guide made by Wiseacre
Gardens from Canton, and also features many Loony Tunes things because the
author loves them, but the actual part of the site that is dedicated to the
plants “North of the Adirondacks” is really nice. The site also details not
only wildflowers but perennials and a
growing collection of mushrooms as well
as pictures of gardens
and scenes both in the summer
and winter time.
North Country Economic
Links
This link is to the North
Country Regional Economic Development Council’s Strategic Plan for Northern New
York. This plan outlines the vision for the future of New York. More
specifically Northern New York and the many small towns the region encompasses.
Visitors can find information regarding the region
known as the North Country. There is also significant information that has to
do with the cost
of living in the North Country. One other important aspect of the report is
the information regarding Fort
Drum in Northern New York. Fort Drum has a major effect on the economy of
New York but it has an even greater effect on the North Country.
This link provides access to
the North Country Regional Office website. This site provides information
regarding Business
Programs in Northern New York. Visitors will also find information
regarding international
business and Small
Business Services for business owners who are new to the North Country.
Small Business owners will also find information regarding The Division of Small Business,
which provides news and helpful hints that are helpful to small business owners
in the North Country. The website also provides information regarding Subsidiaries &
Development Projects in Northern New York.
This link connects to The
Northern New York Agricultural Development Program. The NNYAD provides
information regarding the agricultural economy of Northern New York. The
website provides visitors with information on topics such as dairy, livestock, and
crops.
Information that is provided on these topics include dairy business
management for farmers. Visitors will also find NNYAD’s economic
impact statement. The site also provides visitors with access to
information regarding locally
grown foods. This provides visitors with information to find local foods
across Northern New York with maps and other tools, as well as other marketing
resources.
This link provides visitors
with access to Watertown, New York’s Chamber of Commerce. The website has
information regarding the population of the area as well as other information
including many economic factors. Some of these are household income,
unemployment, building permits, and sales tax information. People who visit the
site will also have access to a business
directory to search for local business opportunities. Information is also
available for people who plan on moving to the region and
becoming residents.
This website has a lot of
information regarding Plattsburgh, New York and the towns of Malone, Saranac
Lake, Tupper Lake, Lake Placid, Schroon Lake and Speculator. One feature that
many people who visit the North Country Chamber of Commerce website will find
useful is the career information.
Visitors can browse career options for the region as well as contact recruiters regarding job
availability. The website also provides visitors with information about the
local industry.
There is also information available about trade
in the region. Since Plattsburgh and the surrounding area is on the Canadian
border, trade is quite important to the region.
The
first site I would use when doing anything economic is the State and County
Quickfacts finder from the U.S. Census Bureau at quickfacts.census.gov. It
provides economic statistics for every single county in New York State ranging
from incomes to retail sales, to unemployment and it also breaks it down by
race. There is also a directory for specific major municipalities, including Plattsburgh,
which is helpful if one wanted to break it down even further than county. This
is helpful because it is a site that is relatively easy to use and can work well
comparing anything to New York State. It being from the Census Bureau as well
as being easy to use is interesting in itself.
The
third link is to an article
that was in the Watertown Daily Times, one of the only news sources for the
entire North Country, by Ted Booker a few months ago that was about the
economic forecast for the North Country (Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego and St.
Lawrence Counties) for 2012. The author talked to three experts that gave their
take on the strength of the Canadian dollar, the probability of the job market
to open up shortly into 2012 as well as the strong dairy prospects and the
continued growth of Fort Drum. Although all of these prospects may seem good
and so far for 2012 the North Country has done alright economically compared to
the rest of the state, it is only short term and the economy in the North
Country is always slow growing if not stagnant so realistic optimism is best
when discussing any kind of new economic development north of Syracuse except
Fort Drum.
A nice
site if one would like to learn more about local, Adirondack economies from a
local perspective is Adirondack.org. The site and the Organization, which is
the Adirondack North Country
Association functions as a network of local industries, akin to a Chamber
of Commerce, of which there is a North Country one as well as trying to make
vibrant communities. The sites main function is to help sell and
distribute local crafts-persons wares online. Crafts are very prominent in
the small communities of the Adirondacks, especially during tourist seasons
when people will be more likely to buy things, because no offense, I live here
and can make my own Adirondack chair so why do I need to buy yours because you
painted a duck on it?
A final
site is the North Country Small Business Development Center’s website which is
based out of Plattsburgh. SBDCs are regional agencies which
seek to aid and guide small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to begin
a local venture. The Center will help the owner find cash flows, assist in
business research, and give legal advice and much more. The center in
Plattsburgh serves all of the northeastern counties of New York State from
Washington to Franklin and on their website they give resources on whom to
contact in each county which is very helpful to those who want to start a
business in the North Country, which we definitely need more people to do more
often.
North Country Social
Links
This link connects to the
Northern New York Library website. Visitors will find a large amount of info
regarding the Northern New York’s Library system. One feature that visitors
have access to is available classes.
This link provides information regarding library classes that are available
across the region. The website also provides information for available employment in the
Northern New York Library system. Visitors will also have access to information
regarding local area
libraries. This link will give a listing of all participating libraries and
contact information
regarding the local libraries.
This link connects visitors
to The United Way of Northern New York’s website. On the website visitors can
find information regarding agency
services. From there you will find information for available services in
Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Lewis counties. Some of the services provided deal
with the community, children and crisis situations. The website also provides
visitors with access to some of the success
stories of the agency. Another feature on the site is a link to campaign
tools for the agency.
This link is for the
Watertown Daily Times newspaper website. The website provides access to a large
amount of information that deals with the North Country. One of the features
visitors will find on the website is the local news feature.
There is also a page that deals with national news.
The Watertown Daily Times website also provides visitors with a link to local jobs listings as
well as a classifieds link. Visitors can
also find information regarding upcoming events for the
area and surrounding regions.
This link provides access to
CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh, New York. The website gives visitors
information regarding the medical center’s medical services. Some of the services
they offer include behavioral
health, emergency
services, rehabilitation,
and x-ray
and imaging services. Visitors can also find information regarding careers at CVPH. The website provides
information for visitors regarding health and wellness as
well.
This is a link to SUNY
Plattsburgh’s website. One of the many features that the website offers is
information regarding admissions
for visitors who are interested in attending SUNY Plattsburgh. These visitors
will also like the information regarding academic programs that SUNY
Plattsburgh offers. Other features that can be found on SUNY Plattsburgh’s site
include campus life and athletics. Visitors to
SUNY Plattsburgh’s website will also be provided with access to a news and press release link, as
well as an events
calendar.
This site is created by Traditional
Arts in Upstate New York or TAUNY in
Canton. TAUNY is the region’s only
organization that works to promote and preserve the local folk culture in
northern New York’s North Country and Adirondacks. The site details the
traditional culture of the fourteen counties north of the Mohawk River. On the site, TAUNY separates the folklore
into different topics and
also gives resources to educators.
