Downstate New York
Downstate New York is the southern portion of New York State, United States, in contrast to Upstate New York, the upper portion. The Downstate region, like Upstate New York, is divided into several subregions, such as New York City, the Lower Hudson Valley, and Long Island. The New York State Department of Transportation defines its "Downstate Region" as including Dutchess and Orange counties, and areas east and south; regions 9 and 10 of the inset map, plus the portions of region 8 south or east of the "8 label". Both agencies and the general public use varying  definitions of the boundary between upstate and downstate. The Downstate region contains the largest population concentration in the state; it is largely urban and suburban. The Upstate region, which forms the vast majority of the state's land area, contains more undeveloped land, including forests and farmland. Official usage. One official usage of the term is by the State University of New York ("SUNY") system in the name of their southernmost medical school, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, located in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. The New York State Department of Transportation ("NYSDOT") also uses the term. The term is also used by  the New York State Department of Corrections (“NYSDOC”) system in the name of their Upstate Correctional Facility in Malone, New York, and the name of their Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill, New York.