List of places in New York: U facts for kids

New York State is a big and exciting place, full of many different kinds of communities! This article will help you understand the different types of places you can find in New York, like cities, towns, and smaller communities. We'll also look at how these places are organized into larger areas called counties and how zip codes help mail get to the right spot.

What Kinds of Places Are There?

New York has many different types of places where people live and work.

• Cities are usually large areas with lots of people, buildings, and businesses. Think of places like New York City.
• Towns are often smaller than cities. They might have a main street, some shops, and homes, but usually fewer people than a city.
• Villages are even smaller communities that are often found inside a larger town. They have their own local government.
• Unincorporated communities are places where people live that don't have their own separate local government. They are part of a larger town or county.
• Hamlets are very small communities, even smaller than villages, and they don't have their own government either. They are also part of a larger town.

How Are Places Organized by Counties?

Imagine New York State as a big puzzle. Each piece of the puzzle is called a county. Counties are larger areas that help organize the state. New York has 62 counties in total!

• Each city, town, village, or community is located within one or more counties.
• Most places are found entirely within just one county. For example, Utica is completely in Oneida County.
• Sometimes, a place can be so big that it stretches across two or even three counties! For instance, the Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River is so long that it goes through Delaware County, Orange County, and Sullivan County. When a place is in more than one county, one county is usually named the "principal county." This means it's the main county for that area.

What Are Zip Codes and Why Are They Important?

Have you ever sent a letter or ordered something online? Then you've probably used a zip code!

• A zip code is a special five-digit number that helps the postal service sort mail and packages.
• It tells them exactly which area a letter or package needs to go to.
• Most places have one main zip code, like Union Springs which uses 13160.
• Some larger places, like Utica, might have several zip codes because they cover a bigger area. This is why you might see a "lower zip code" and an "upper zip code" for some places, showing the range of zip codes used there.
• If a place doesn't have a specific zip code listed, it means it shares a zip code with a nearby larger community.