There are 62 counties in New York State.  The largest ones, of course, can be found in New York City and Long Island.  There it is common to find millions of people living in a single county.

Not so much in Upstate New York, though.

Here is a list of our state's smallest counties (by population).  Interestingly enough, some of the smallest counties with very little people in them are also the biggest, sprawling counties in our region.  In this gallery each if these counties also lists some of the highlights and interesting places to see in each of these "few and far between" counties.  You will also find some interesting trivia about these counties.  The most amazing one (hard to wrap your head around this one) is that the least populated county in the state is also one of the largest geographically, and (hold on to your hat) it doesn't even have one single stop light in the whole county.  Wow!

So, although these are sparsely populated counties, they are all worthy of a visit or two from all of us.  In fact, even though there are not a lot of people "up here," you will see that some of the state's biggest tourist attractions are located here.  In the summer these counties swell to two or three times their whole population.

So take a look.  Not many people, but lots of trees, cool rivers and streams to fish in, historic museums, beautiful parks, family attractions, and a ton of great history.

These Are the Smallest Counties in New York State. And We Mean SMALL!!

There are 62 counties in the state of New York. The largest (by population) is Kings County (Brooklyn). It has a population of 2,726,002 people. But, there are far more smaller counties in the state than larger ones. This list takes a look at the smallest counties in New York, with all of them in some region of Upstate New York. Even though they are sparsely populated, each has a few places that any NYS road warrior might want to stop at and explore. So here are the 19 smallest counties (by most recent population data) in the state and what you might find on a visit to each of them. Two interesting pieces of trivia you will find in this list. The largest of the 19 counties on this list could take every single resident in the whole county out to Highmark Stadium out to the Buffalo area to watch a Buffalo Bills football game, and still have room for 10,000 more guests in the stadium. And (this one will blow your mind) the very smallest county in New York State literally has no stop lights in the entire county!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

Is This the Holiest Place in Upstate New York? We Think So!

The Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, in the Mohawk Valley, draws thousands of visitors each year. This most holy site has much to reward a visitor, from a lush 600-acre campus, to a sprawling colosseum church with 72 doors, and to a reverential bluff overlooking the Mohawk River where the first rosary in New York was recited 400 years ago. Don't miss this amazing and stunning place.

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

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