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