Where in Upstate New York does the phrase "The City" NOT mean New York City (Buffalo: college, live)

[bellafinzi]

I grew up in the northern suburbs of Syracuse, NY that currently has a population of about 150,000. When my family and everyone I know in the area says "The City" everyone is talking about the City of Syracuse, NOT New York City.

Our family used to say I'm going to "The City" or I'm going down city...always meaning inside the the city limits of Syracuse. New York City never even crossed our mind. I never thought much about New York City growing up.

When I went to a SUNY college closer to New York City, it was the first time I heard people talk about New York City only using the phrase "The City". Then I noticed on the Albany...Capital District local news also refers to New York City as The City.

Recently I read messages boards on the internet of people in Binghamton, NY call New York City "The City".

What I know now is.....

In the Buffalo suburbs, The City means the city of Buffalo.

In the Rochester suburbs, The City means the city of Rochester.

In the Syracuse suburbs, The City means the city of Syracuse.

So somewhere between Binghamton and Syracuse "The City" begins to mean New York City.

And somewhere between Albany and Syracuse "The City" begins to mean New York City.

Where is that dividing line in Upstate New York?

[ckhthankgod]

This likely depends on the context of the discussion. If it is locally based, it likely means the main city in that area, but if it is a statewide topic or context, it likely means NYC.

[bellafinzi]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

This likely depends on the context of the discussion. If it is locally based, it likely means the main city in that area, but if it is a statewide topic or context, it likely means NYC.

Really?

I never heard anyone call New York City "the City" from locals in the Syracuse area.

In fact I always knew a person wasn't from the Syracuse area if they called New York City "the City".

I once thought only Downstate people call New York City "the City" until I came across people in the Capitol District and Binghamton saying it too. To me it is a big cultural shift away from the focus on New York City.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by bellafinzi

Really?

I never heard anyone call New York City "the City" from locals in the Syracuse area.

In fact I always knew a person wasn't from the Syracuse area if they called New York City "the City".

I once thought only Downstate people call New York City "the City" until I came across people in the Capitol District and Binghamton saying it too. To me it is a big cultural shift away from the focus on New York City.

That was my point and there are people from NYC that have moved to those areas, Syracuse included. They are likely the people that you hear "the City" being referred to as being NYC, but there is likely some context that has to be considered.

[upstate_proud]

4th generation Albanian here. Never used "the City" to refer to NYC, nor did anyone I knew. I never heard that term until I went to college in NYC. And "the City" meant Manhattan to those from NYC and NYC to others from downstate, NJ, and southern CT.

[Matt Marcinkiewicz]

Dividing line is probably way closer to NYC than Binghamton. Methinks that the message board Binghamtonians you encountered were not representative of the average person from the Binghamton region. I haven't been to Binghamton in a long time, though, so I could be wrong.

[P Larsen]

I don't know, but I suspect that IF there were a dominant dividing line in the mid-Hudson Valley, it would be between Greene and Ulster Counties on the west/right bank and between Columbia and Dutchess Counties on the east/left bank.

Further west, I suspect Delaware County is a DMZ between greater NYC and an array of other metro regions (Tri-Cities, Utica-Rome, Schenectady-Albany), with the NW flank of the Catskills being more oriented towards NYC and the rest less so.

[SickofJersey]

Might I add, as a guy who worked in the five boroughs for over 40 years, to most everyone who works or lives here knows "The City" means Manhattan. Any other borough in NYC is referred to by it's name... Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Da Bronx.

But Manhattan is "The City".

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by SickofJersey

Might I add, as a guy who worked in the five boroughs for over 40 years, to most everyone who works or lives here knows "The City" means Manhattan. Any other borough in NYC is referred to by it's name... Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Da Bronx.

But Manhattan is "The City".

True, and also true of the immediate environs (Westchester, NJ, Nassau Co), but I think beyond that it becomes more general. I think the person who used the Catskills in going towards Binghamton and Greene and Columbia counties in going towards Albany got it right.

[dcfas]

Folks outside of the Albany area refer to Albany as “the city,” most often. But I have often heard people referring to NYC as “the city” many, many times.