Where does Upstate NY officially start? (New York, Yonkers: homes, areas, cities)

[Mightyqueen801]

I grew up in Bergen County, NJ. Suffern was upstate.

[gnboston]

Originally Posted by mayorofnyc

Yea basically upstate starts wherever Metro-North service ends lol

Ok, I have to chime in here. I am originally from Dutchess County, living in Boston but working my way back to NY. Anyway, when I say where I am from in NY to someone from the city, they say 'Oh Upstate.' When I say where I am from in NY to anyone outside of the city, they say 'That's not Upstate.' Too funny.

[myrtlefrombk]

It starts above Westchester. You an argue it all you want, but Westchester is DIFFERENT from New York City! NYC and LI is DOWNSTATE.

[OrangeHudson]

Originally Posted by myrtlefrombk

It starts above Westchester. You an argue it all you want, but Westchester is DIFFERENT from New York City! NYC and LI is DOWNSTATE.

But across the river Rockland is upstate because it's not on the New York City side?

LI, NYC, and the Hudson Valley are ALL downstate. Just take a look at a NYS map.

[Mama Dee]

Well hope this helps, I live in upstate NY.

I am 40 miles west of Albany and we consider anyone who lives outside the NYC limits is upstate. If you live downstate it means NYC, LI,SI.

I am not sure there is a correct answer here just a matter of opinion of all.

[ABQConvict]

Northern Westchester and Rockland are different from the city and while they have become gentrified by suburbia, there are plenty of people in both places who, while within an hours drive of the city, can count the number of times they have really been there on one hand. There are pockets of of blue-collar, Carhart wearing, wood cutting, fishing and hunting folk nestled in among the the black coated, SUV driving ex-city-dwelling suburbanites in all of the downstate counties.

Shoot, I have even eaten bow shot Yonkers venison, logged and cut firewood in North Castle, and stealth camped in the hills near Peekskill and the bluffs north of Nyack.

Doesn't make it upstate, though.

[Dreamshot]

South of the black line = downstate

[Ragazza89]

If you're from LI, upstate is anything north of the city

[rhenning]

The traditional dividing line in the past was the Hawthorne Circle in Westchester where the Taconic Parkway begins but as suburbs of NYC expand north it is probably more like the map two posts above. Of course someone from Syracuse would say the Catskills are downstate. I would define upstate as being out of the NYC and NYC suburb lifestyle. If you use wood to heat your house, live where most people hunt, fish and otherwise have a totally non NYC based life, you are upstate. If you are close enough to NYC to work there, shop there etc, you are downstate. Incidentally I consider south Dutchess to be downstate while Hyde Park and north are upstate. Ulster is also upstate in my opinion.

[olecapt]

Again the definition is obviously relative. When I lived in the Bronx was a different definition than when I lived in Rochester.

But I think the general accepted def outside of NY state would be the NYC one - anyplace north of the Bronx. I believe they dreamed up the term and should own the external def.

I would not however argue with on from Rochester who considers the Catskills down state.