Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 10:13:49 EDT

From: BERGDAHL[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]NEWOUVAXA.CATS.OHIOU.EDU

Subject: Re: Upstate



From: NAME: David Bergdahl

FUNC: English

TEL: (614) 593-2783 BERGDAHL[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]A1[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]OUVAX

To: MX%"ADS-L[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]uga.cc.uga.edu"[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]OUVAX[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MRGATE[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]OUVAX



My first wife's parents, immigrants during the 20's from Bavaria, lived in NY

and built a weekend place in northern Westchester near Somers; they always

referred to it as "the country" rather than upstate--which was further north up

the Taconic State Pkwy. Their immigrant status is important because they would

have picked up the contemporary usage rather than relied on any previous usage.

They did have friends who built a place is Asconia, near the tri-state border of

Mass/Conn/NY, and they were said to be upstate. In those days trains went

beyond Brewster, so it couldn't be based on the difference between

commuters/ non-commuters. I suggest that the city / suburban / exurban

distinctions are, however, economic at heart. Upstate is where the local

economy is not dependent on the city. I'd look at the newspaper rack to see if

the NY or Albany papers are given prominence (or a Poughkeepsie paper?) Or to

see where the distributors are located: is it union news or what? You get the

idea!



BERGDAHL[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]OUVAXA.CATS.OHIOU.EDU

David Bergdahl Ohio University/Athens

"Where Appalachia meets the Midwest"