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While the Empire State is best known for the bright lights and urban allure of New York City, it only takes a half hour and a few miles travel away from the Big Apple to discover New York's spectacular natural wonders.

These include acres of farmland, mountains, lakes and forests, along with the world's most famous "honeymoon capital" at Niagara Falls.

Along with a booming tourism industry, the state's diverse economy is led by New York City's central role as headquarters to some of the world's leading corporations. New York is also a leader in hi-tech, clothing and fashion, manufacturing and agriculture.

In addition, its growing wine industry includes 212 New York State wineries situated on 30,000 acres of upstate and Long Island vineyards.

While the Big Apple may be responsible for the state's overall high cost of living (approx. 25% above the national average) the further away from the city environs the more affordable New York State generally becomes. New York's "second city", Buffalo, for example boasts the state's next strongest economy but nevertheless has been named one of the most affordable cities in the nation. Home to almost 700 high-tech companies, Buffalo offers extensive fiber optic networks to also make it one of the the most wired municipalities in America.

New York State quality-of-life statistics

Cost of Living: Sperling's Best Places - New York - Compared to the rest of the country, New York's cost of living is 26.57% higher than the national average.

Property Taxes : New York Tax Climate - Although New York is one of the 13 states that collect no state-level property taxes, New York's per capita property tax collections equaled $1,677 for all levels of government in FY2004, ranking it 4th nationally or one of the highest in the U.S.

Personal Income Taxes: New York's state income tax rates range from 4 percent to 6.85 percent over five income brackets, depending on income and filing status. New York residents are required to file taxes using IT-150 Resident Income Tax Return (short form) or the IT-201 Resident Income Tax Return (long form) by April 15 each year.

Housing & Real Estate Overview : also see Zillow - New York Real Estate
Home ownership rate : 53%
Average home price : $284,300
Average travel time to work : 31.7 minutes

Schools see New York State Education Department

Weather : Due to its size and topography, New York State features diverse climate conditions ranging from cooler lake and mountain regions to the more extreme heat and humidity experienced downstate. During the winter months, arctic blasts from Canada can bring temperatures down below freezing with record-breaking lake effect snows in the Buffalo area, while nor'easters often pose a threat of blizzard conditions in the southeast and New York City.

Crime : see New York State Criminal Justice Statistics

also see -> NY State taxes | New York eviction laws | NY State tourism

NY fall foliage | New York beaches | NY shopping outlets

Christmas in New York | NYC Kids Party Locations

More about moving to New York around the Web:

Moving to New York - Wired New York Forum - Busy message boards with tips & advice on rentals, co-op & condo apartments, cost of living, and guides to neighborhoods in Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.

Around Westchester.com - Comprehensive information on New York City's suburban bedroom community with facts, information and community guides, real estate agents and local resources in towns & cities throughout the county.

LongIsland.com - One-stop browsing for local and business news, real estate listings, schools and day-care centers, guides to towns in Nassau and Suffolk counties, shopping and malls, tourist attractions.

Rochester, NY - Moving Here - Demographic data, information on cost of living, median home prices, community guides, local colleges, elementary & secondary schools, maps, photos, related links.

Buffalo.com - Everything Buffalo - The latest news from Buffalo, the Niagara area and towns & cities throughout Western New York including current employment, real estate and apartment listings, tourist attractions, photos.

New York real estate, apartments & job classifieds:

New York City : New York Times | Village Voice
Long Island : Newsday
White Plains : Journal News
Albany : Times Union
Buffalo : News
Rochester : Democrat and Chronicle
Syracuse : Syracuse.com