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With the cosmopolitan metropolis of New York City on its southern tip and Niagara Falls, one of the world’s most famous symbols of untamed natural beauty, on its northwestern edge, New York is a state with two distinct identities. Best known for the multicultural bustle and towering skyscrapers of the Big Apple, much of the rest of the New York is covered in farms, forests, rivers, mountains and lakes, and lives at a much slower pace.

One of the original thirteen colonies, New York was an essential cultural and economic link tying the plantation-style economies of the South to New England. The state’s identity as a trade hub grew with the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 and the explosive growth of New York City. As the metropolis and its environs took on ever more importance as an industrial and cultural center, the region developed a distinct identity – it’s often said that all the world’s languages can be heard in the melting pot of New York City.

New York is a state of highlands and lowlands, with roughly half the state’s area lying above 1,000 feet in elevation. Running along the Vermont border, Adirondacks National Park is the largest national park outside of Alaska, providing acres of territory for would-be explorers, hikers and campers. The Hudson River Valley, among the most populous areas in the state, and the Catskills, a vacation get-away for generations of urbanites, lie on the Eastern half of the Appalachian plateau.

New York’s climate is characterized by hot, humid summers, pleasant spring and fall conditions, and abundant snowfall in winter. These extremes are felt more sharply in the Adirondacks region and the central part of the state, while conditions in other regions are moderated by the Atlantic Ocean and by two Great Lakes, Ontario and Erie. The tempering effects of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie allow the cultivation of apples, grapes and other tree and vine fruits in the northwestern part of the state. Jutting into the Atlantic, Long Island has a unique character and climate, closer to New England than to the rest of the state.

From quiet farms covered deep in snow to the stop-and-go intensity of New York City, New York is a study in contrasts. Some New Yorkers thrive in the excitement of the world’s most famous city and its densely urban surroundings, while others are more at home in the rolling farmlands and beautiful natural vistas upstate. Whatever your preference, New York has something for you.