Date: Tue, 3 Oct 1995 00:28:06 -0400

From: Virginia Clark vpclark[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MOOSE.UVM.EDU

Subject: Re: downtown/inner city



At 06:37 PM 10/2/95 -0400, Christopher R. Coolidge wrote:

In Burlington, VT, when we mean "we're going downtown" we say "we're going

downstreet." This came about because most of Burlington's population lives

off North Ave, the main drag to the north, or Shelburne Rd. to the south.

Hence the term downstreet is expedient, as well as true, unless you're a

UVM student, in which case the term would be "downhill," since UVM is up-

hill and east of downtown. However, the expected term hasn't caught on,

presumably because the students aren't around long enough.





The term "downstreet" was in use in many small Vermont towns (which

meant most Vermont towns) as far back as the mid 1940s. Vermont

("in-state") students at UVM report that it is still in use today. I think

that their usage may have spread to the out-of-state students at UVM, and

suggest that as its origin in Burlington, as opposed to the very logical

process described by Mr. Coolidge. But where did it originally come from?





Virginia P. Clark

Professor of English

University of Vermont

Burlington, VT 05405