The Central region of New York is a crossroads, dominated by the state's fifth-largest city, Syracuse, and the Mohawk River that flows eastward through this region. It borrows aspects from all of the surrounding regions to create a microcosm of New York as a whole: hills and rivers, cities and farms, hard work and recreation. Central New York is sometimes called the "Gateway to the Adirondacks" and is a natural starting point for fall foliage expeditions. It is also rich in history: The battle of Oriskany and the siege of Fort Stanwix figured prominently in the American revolutionary war.
Cities
- Bainbridge
- Clay
- Clinton — home of Hamilton College
- Cooperstown — known as the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum; also home to the Farmers' Museum, the Fenimore Art Museum, The New York State Historical Association (NYSHA) library and the Ommegang Brewery, and has a pretty historic district
- Cortland
- Frankfort
- Herkimer (and Ilion and Mohawk)
- Little Falls
- Middleville
- New Hartford
- Oneida
- Oneonta — a town with a lovely historic district and two colleges
- Oswego — a small city with important wartime history and legacy from the Revolutionary War to World War II, also home to a SUNY college
- Pulaski
- Rome
- Syracuse — the major regional population, economic and cultural hub, home to Syracuse University
- Utica — a city with some nice buildings from the industrial era and good cultural institutions for a community of its size