Spitzer's Appalachia; Boehlert's seat

State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer raised some eyebrows the other day when he compared upstate New York to Appalachia.

Appalachia is the mountainous region which covers all of West Virginia and parts of 12 states, including areas of southwestern New York. It is heavily forested, isolated and wild.

Intense coal mining in the region began in the late 19th century, and is also associated with the region. So is poverty and lack of economic development.