I don't care what you believe. Fee absolute title is what I purchased on more than a 150k acres that were of gov't offerings since WWI. Average price 44¢ per acre with no other interested parties. Same for 2k acres of railroad land.
There is no "You people" in NY. Especially in western and upstate NY. The regions have emptied. Those remaining are not homogenized, especially with city folk. The cities are shadows of what they were. Some luxury areas retain their glory, some regions benefit from tourism, but they are few and far between. If I could afford more land and the costs of management, I could triple my holdings overnight. And I am one of the small land bankers.
Liberals are despised outside the college towns, and you don't have a clue. None of the conservatives want fracking, they've seen what it does in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and so forth. They are not deaf, dumb and blind. The pollution of the Hudson by GE and others taught them a lesson, and did the Love Canal. NY is terrific horse breeding country, check out Fort Salonga on Long Island. Most expensive Thorobreds in the country, not to mention the equestrian ranches of Columbia County.