I hear it in movies so the time. We’re going upstate. I went upstate. Etc

I never hear downstate, or similar. Does it just mean going north?

  • kersplooshA
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    10 months ago

    It’s a New York thing. That state loosely divides into two regions: New York City to the south, and everything else to the north (“upstate”). I have heard people refer to the New York City area as “downstate” but that term is less common.

    Similarly, Manhattan is loosely split into its northern portion (uptown), middle portion (midtown), and southern portion (downtown).

    • Gork@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      10 months ago

      Could most of the rest of the US be considered “leftstate” by this definition?

      • Poiar
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        10 months ago

        I think that would imply that that all those states are i New York, which of course they aren’t