To use generics, you need to import the System.Collections.Generic namespace.
List stuffToBuy = new List();
stuffToBuy.Add("socks");
stuffToBuy.Add("beer");
stuffToBuy.Add("cigars");
Here's how you would declare the list of strings in VB.NET:
Dim stuffToBuy As New List(Of String)
stuffToBuy.Add("socks")
stuffToBuy.Add("beer")
stuffToBuy.Add("cigars")
By taking advantage of collection initializers,
declare a strongly typed list of strings in a single line like this (in C#):
List stuffToBuy2 = new List {"socks", "beer", "cigars"};