12 Upstate New York Towns the Thruway LEFT Behind

Before the Thruway, the main road across upstate New York was Route 20, the old Cherry Valley Turnpike, and the towns along it lived off that traffic. When the Thruway opened in the 1950s, the cars disappeared. In this video we drive the old road through 12 of those towns, from a frontier village with a tragic past to the place that called itself the Hops Capital of the World. For each one you'll see its peak, its population today, and what happened after the traffic left. Which Route 20 town do you know? Tell us below. Subscribe for more New York history.