(WBNG Binghamton) If you don't know what the "Leatherstocking Region" is, or that many of you live within it, you're not alone.
Tourism departments are changing the name to build recognition, and bring people to the area.
If it's all in a name call this story a "Leatherstocking Tale."
Those James Fenimore Cooper stories gave this area the name as Central Leatherstocking Region.
"It's really confined to a few specific areas: the Oneonta/Cooperstown area, and the Utica area," said Lou Santoni, Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce.
Believe it or not, that included Broome County.
When the state developed eleven tourism regions, it didn't really fit anywhere else.
"We're marketing themes," Santoni said, "not areas."
Now, it is newly branded as an area, just Central New York -- an effort to be more familiar to tourists, bringing in more money, and communities.
The Leatherstocking Region has a lot of history and because of that some people think the name should not change. For the people who live here, the opinion varies.
"All my life I've never known what Leatherstocking means," said John Shaver of Unadilla.
"Leatherstocking" comes from the dress of the Native Americans in Cooper's stories.
"I don't think it's going to matter much," said Peter Szczepanski of Oneonta. "You look at signs and you see it, you don't think about it much until you start thinking about it."
"Sounds good to me, Shaver said. "Central New York sounds like Central New York. I don't know what Leatherstocking is."
"Only if you were steeped in history would you know Leatherstocking, and a lot of people are like, huh?" said Su Yates of Oneonta. "Most people have no clue that there really is a Central New York State."
Outside of the meaning, tourism leaders say the location isn't really that important either.
It's what the region has to offer that brings business to the region, or $1.6 billion for Central New York.
In this new and expanded Central New York region 1 in 9 jobs, or 31,000, is supported by tourism.
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