Date: Mon, 2 Oct 1995 10:20:37 EDT
From: Larry Horn LHORN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]YALEVM.CIS.YALE.EDU
Subject: Re: icebox and upstate
A storyteller in the lower Hudson Valley has been having a bit of a debate
with another person on the definition of upstate in New York. He grew up in
Westcherster (I believe). That's the first county in New York State north of
New York City. To residents of New York City and Westchester/Putnam County,
where does upstate begin? Pick a town (or city) or other landmark. In terms
of the linguistic atlas data, I suspect that the increase of territory in the
commutershed of New York City has pushed the "line" north at least to
Poughkeepsie on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. West of the Hudson
River the "line" may be as close as Newburgh or even farther south.
We used to say "upstate" begins at Yonkers, but we didn't mean it. But
Northern Westchester was definitely upstate (for Manhattanites in the 50's).
Maybe it was partly the ratio of trees, cows, barns, etc. to apartment houses
that was criterial rather than just the distance from Times Square.
Larry
David K. Barnhart
Barnhart[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]Highlands.com