I like the idea of splitting the upstate area. The greater Albany Area has a significant population and I think ECCIE may be missing the boat by not having a dedicated area for Albany.
These are figures from the Census Bureau 2011.
Albany County 303,565
Schenectady County 155,058
Rensselaer County 159,395
Saratoga County 220,882
That's close to 900,000 in population.
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36001.html
Food for thought.