The major city in Oregon is along the norther border of the state. In oregon you’ll just say… Washington or Vancouver.
The major city in NY is in the south of the state. Nearly everything is upstate of NYC where you’ll hear this more. For states where this is the case, upstate is a good shorthand to communicate you mean “outside the city”
The states that also have a single major city dominating their population (Georgia and Atlanta, Oregon with Portland, Washington with Seattle, Chicago with Illinois, etc.) have their major city more towards the north.
The shape of the state becomes a narrow wedge as you get closer to the Atlantic Coast, so New York City and Long Island are quite separated from the upland parts of the state in a way that doesn’t have an equivalent in most states.
Lots of places do have a similar cultural or economic distinction between one major city and the rest of the state, but without the geographic divide.
Upper state and lower state are common terms in South Carolina. In this case they refer to elevations with the state divided more at a diagonal. The lower state is the coastal plane, while the upper state is the region of foothills heading up towards the Smokies.
Just a thought, but in NY, upstate is almost synonymous with upriver.
Back in the day, commerce travelled up and down the Hudson, and western NY was almost wilderness so did not matter as much.
If you live in NYC, there are three regions. Upstate, the city, and Long Island. If you live in manhattan, there are 4 regions because people will refer to the outer boroughs as a separate group than the city.
It’s a localism. Same reason people in Boston say “wicked” and “pissah (pisser)”. Same reason people in Montana say “Howdy”. Same reason people in California refer to the geographical middle of the state as “Northern California”. (Actually, they just consider anything between Sacramento and the Oregon border to be wasteland.)
Every part of the country has it’s localisms, and people adopt them so other people won’t think they’re weird.
“New York” can mean New York City or it can mean the entire state. If I tell someone I’m from New York, they automatically assume that I mean “The City,” which is how we refer to NYC. So we say Upstate to differentiate the rest of the state.
Other states don’t have a large city named after the state. Saying “I’m from New York” everyone’s gonna think you’re from the big apple. But saying “I’m from upstate New York” we all know you don’t mean the city.
When you say Wisconsin, nobody thinks “Wisconsin City”
but when you say New York, everyone and their grandma assumes “New York City” even though NYC is a tiny little place in the tip of the state and most people dont live in NYC so we say upstate to make it clear that no, we dont live in NYC, and that yes indeed there is an entire rest of the state that people live in, and yes we get this every single time we say “New York” and yes its tiring, NYC is its own place with its own culture and its own laws and many of us dont wanna go there because we’re happier living in our own areas in the entire rest of the state.
I think in general when you say “New York” you think of the city but the state is also called “New York”. So upstate means in new you’re state but not the city.
I live in upstate south carolina. It’s the upper part of the state, however it may also be because we’re close to two other states, and they sometimes talk about events that happens close to that area (NE Georgia, SW North Carolina)
Other people have shared really good ideas for why this may be the case, but I also think the question is a little misleading.
Sure, NY is seemingly the only state that uses “upstate” but many states have something to refer to other areas. I’m from NJ; 99% of people will say “the shore” when they refer to much of the lower part of the state.
Florida and Oklahoma have “the panhandle.” California has “SoCal.” Hawaii has “the big island.” Michigan splits between “lower peninsula” and “upper peninsula.” Missouri has the “ozarks.”
Lots of states use some kind of geographic-related or geographic-adjacent terms for different regions
It would be meaningless in Texas. Are you saying you’re from the panhandle? You’re from Dallas? Fort Worth? The small towns around it? It explains less than it helps here. Everyone knows what you mean when you say it in NY.
A relative by marriage was born and raised on a farm in upstate New York but, went to college and lived the rest of his life “in the city”. He had the best explanation I ever heard for explaining New York. He said, “there are only 2 places in the State of New York, New York City and Upstate New York.”
Everyone that I have told that to from New York says that is the best explanation of the state.
It’s a map thing. Since NYC is in the southeastern corner of New York State, everything outside of NYC that is part of New York State is north, or up, from NYC. Similarly, Chicagoans refer to the parts of Illinois that aren’t in Chicagoland as “downstate,” because most of the state is south of Chicago.
New York State is shaped like a funnel, and much of its early development was northward up the Hudson Valley from its starting point on the tip of Manhattan Island. To go further into the state, you traveled northward up the Hudson.
The NYC area is hemmed in by the state of New Jersey to the west and the state of Connecticut and the rest of New England to the northeast. The only route into the rest of New York State is by traveling directly north, up the Hudson River.
Hence, the bulk of New York State is “up” from NYC (with the exception of Long Island, which lies directly east of the city). Even Long Island residents have to first travel back into the City if they want to get to the rest of the state. Access to the Catskills, the Finger Lakes, the Capital District, etc., requires traveling north up the Hudson River corridor.
New York State is shaped like a funnel, and much of its early development was northward up the Hudson Valley from the original settlement on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. To go further into the state, you traveled northward up the south-flowing Hudson River.
The NYC portion of NYS is hemmed in by the state of New Jersey to the west and the state of Connecticut and the rest of New England to the northeast. During the colonial era and in the century following independence one traveled up the river valley to get to the rest of New York.
Hence, the bulk of New York State is “up” from NYC (with the exception of Long Island, which lies directly east of the city). Even Long Island residents have to first travel back into the City if they want to get to the rest of the state.
Areas of the state, such as the Catskills, the Finger Lakes, the Capital District, etc., are all located upriver from NYC. This led to the common designation of “upstate” to refer to the rest of New York located beyond the outskirts of NYC.
I grew up in the corn fields of Illinois. We referred to being downstate. This is a difference without a distinction as our big city was north instead of south.
In Massachusetts “western Mass” is everything more than 45 minutes west of Boston (like 75% of the state). “The Cape” also has a shockingly liberal definition that inches closer and closer to New Bedford each year.
We have a similar phenomenon in Michigan. Something like 80% of the population lives in the bottom 30% of the state. We use the term Up North to talk about the huge area outside of that 30%.
It’s worth noting that to New Yorkers from the city or Long Island, anything north of the Bronx is “upstate.” Doesn’t matter if it’s Buffalo, Albany, or Yonkers.
Because when I’m from hick town New York I don’t want people thinking I’m from NYC. So I say upstate and then people realize I’m from the upper part of the state. I don’t live in New York, but that’s the logic in it.
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The major city in Oregon is along the norther border of the state. In oregon you’ll just say… Washington or Vancouver.
The major city in NY is in the south of the state. Nearly everything is upstate of NYC where you’ll hear this more. For states where this is the case, upstate is a good shorthand to communicate you mean “outside the city”
The states that also have a single major city dominating their population (Georgia and Atlanta, Oregon with Portland, Washington with Seattle, Chicago with Illinois, etc.) have their major city more towards the north.
And why do I never hear the term, “downstate”?
The shape of the state becomes a narrow wedge as you get closer to the Atlantic Coast, so New York City and Long Island are quite separated from the upland parts of the state in a way that doesn’t have an equivalent in most states.
Lots of places do have a similar cultural or economic distinction between one major city and the rest of the state, but without the geographic divide.
Upper state and lower state are common terms in South Carolina. In this case they refer to elevations with the state divided more at a diagonal. The lower state is the coastal plane, while the upper state is the region of foothills heading up towards the Smokies.
The upper left corner of SC, mainly the Greenville/Spartanburg area is referred to as upstate.
Someone asked me where my husband was from and I said New York and they said where and I told them and they said that’s not New York.
I thought it was, and it is, just upstate. I guess you’re suppose to say that upfront.
Weird if you ask me. Not being from upstate or NY city myself of course.
Just a thought, but in NY, upstate is almost synonymous with upriver.
Back in the day, commerce travelled up and down the Hudson, and western NY was almost wilderness so did not matter as much.
If you live in NYC, there are three regions. Upstate, the city, and Long Island. If you live in manhattan, there are 4 regions because people will refer to the outer boroughs as a separate group than the city.
In Illinois, Downstate is anything South of I-80, basically South of Chicago.
It’s a NYUORCK thing
man why you even looking at our state YOU GOT A PROBLEM OVER THERE OHIO?!?!
I’m jk we are a lil rough around the edges is all :3
We use downstate in Michigan. We say up North instead of upstate.
It’s a localism. Same reason people in Boston say “wicked” and “pissah (pisser)”. Same reason people in Montana say “Howdy”. Same reason people in California refer to the geographical middle of the state as “Northern California”. (Actually, they just consider anything between Sacramento and the Oregon border to be wasteland.)
Every part of the country has it’s localisms, and people adopt them so other people won’t think they’re weird.
It’s used in South Carolina as well, referring to the region near the mountains (Greenville and Spartanburg).
South Carolina is very much the Low Country, Midlands and the Upstate.
“New York” can mean New York City or it can mean the entire state. If I tell someone I’m from New York, they automatically assume that I mean “The City,” which is how we refer to NYC. So we say Upstate to differentiate the rest of the state.
Most states do not have the most populous city in the country that also shares a name with the state and require that distinction as a result.
It is because NYC in the southern part of the state is one of the biggest/busiest cities in the world.
“Upstate” or northern New York State is rural with small towns. It is basically 2 completely different vibes within the same state.
It is to differentiate between the two
Other states don’t have a large city named after the state. Saying “I’m from New York” everyone’s gonna think you’re from the big apple. But saying “I’m from upstate New York” we all know you don’t mean the city.
I live upstate Arizona
South Carolina uses it all the time – Anderson/Greenville/Spartanburg (plus surrounding counties) are collectively called “The Upstate.”
Local dialect. In Ohio it’s “Along the Lake”, In Michigan it’s “Up North”.
When you say Texas, nobody thinks “Texas City”
When you say Wisconsin, nobody thinks “Wisconsin City”
but when you say New York, everyone and their grandma assumes “New York City” even though NYC is a tiny little place in the tip of the state and most people dont live in NYC so we say upstate to make it clear that no, we dont live in NYC, and that yes indeed there is an entire rest of the state that people live in, and yes we get this every single time we say “New York” and yes its tiring, NYC is its own place with its own culture and its own laws and many of us dont wanna go there because we’re happier living in our own areas in the entire rest of the state.
sorry for the baggage, i had to get it out.
Hi from upstate SC.
If you say you’re from New York, everyone automatically thinks NYC. it’s easier to just say update NY.
Because New York City is the tail that wags the dog
I think in general when you say “New York” you think of the city but the state is also called “New York”. So upstate means in new you’re state but not the city.
Wait until you hear about Downeast Maine.
I live in upstate south carolina. It’s the upper part of the state, however it may also be because we’re close to two other states, and they sometimes talk about events that happens close to that area (NE Georgia, SW North Carolina)
Other people have shared really good ideas for why this may be the case, but I also think the question is a little misleading.
Sure, NY is seemingly the only state that uses “upstate” but many states have something to refer to other areas. I’m from NJ; 99% of people will say “the shore” when they refer to much of the lower part of the state.
Florida and Oklahoma have “the panhandle.” California has “SoCal.” Hawaii has “the big island.” Michigan splits between “lower peninsula” and “upper peninsula.” Missouri has the “ozarks.”
Lots of states use some kind of geographic-related or geographic-adjacent terms for different regions
Because North as Up is a connection to all Western Earth Dwellers.
Oddly, in Illinois they say “Downstate” to note any place that isn’t Chicago.
In Maine, northeastern Maine is called “Down East”.
Live in South Carolina, upstate is used a lot here
In California we call the northern half, Norcal
We use it in SC
South Carolina uses upstate all the time
Im from upstate. I’m flying in to visit my family for a few weeks this weekend. The amount of people who think I’m going to Times Square blows my mind
It’s used in SC. The lowcountry=coast. The Upstate=mountains
It would be meaningless in Texas. Are you saying you’re from the panhandle? You’re from Dallas? Fort Worth? The small towns around it? It explains less than it helps here. Everyone knows what you mean when you say it in NY.
Language I guess. Upstate California doesnt sound as good as Norcal 🤷♀️
Edit: similarly, Nor New York sounds stupid
We use it in South Carolina
A relative by marriage was born and raised on a farm in upstate New York but, went to college and lived the rest of his life “in the city”. He had the best explanation I ever heard for explaining New York. He said, “there are only 2 places in the State of New York, New York City and Upstate New York.”
Everyone that I have told that to from New York says that is the best explanation of the state.
Because if you don’t say upstate everyone will assume your talking about New York City.
When I first moved here, when people would talk about going “down south” I presumed they meant the old South. What they meant was Southern California.
I’m from Syracuse and when I’m out of state people always assume I am from NYC.
Lol true. Born and raised in CA and you’re either from NorCal, SoCal, the central Valley, central coast… but never hear Upstate CA
It’s a map thing. Since NYC is in the southeastern corner of New York State, everything outside of NYC that is part of New York State is north, or up, from NYC. Similarly, Chicagoans refer to the parts of Illinois that aren’t in Chicagoland as “downstate,” because most of the state is south of Chicago.
upstate new york’s equivalent in another state would be downstate illinois
It’s prominent in South Carolina as well… we have “low country” and “upstate”.
Western New York is NOT upstate!
I’m from SC and this is common terminology there. You’re either from upstate, low country, or generally Columbia.
Can we talk about the tri-state area?
Well you’ve got Up State Vermont, NH & Maine. They are “Tall” states 🤗! That wld be my guess.
Illinois has a downstate
Never been to South Carolina, have you?
Oh man when I clicked on this it had 518 upvotes.
New York State is shaped like a funnel, and much of its early development was northward up the Hudson Valley from its starting point on the tip of Manhattan Island. To go further into the state, you traveled northward up the Hudson.
The NYC area is hemmed in by the state of New Jersey to the west and the state of Connecticut and the rest of New England to the northeast. The only route into the rest of New York State is by traveling directly north, up the Hudson River.
Hence, the bulk of New York State is “up” from NYC (with the exception of Long Island, which lies directly east of the city). Even Long Island residents have to first travel back into the City if they want to get to the rest of the state. Access to the Catskills, the Finger Lakes, the Capital District, etc., requires traveling north up the Hudson River corridor.
New York State is shaped like a funnel, and much of its early development was northward up the Hudson Valley from the original settlement on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. To go further into the state, you traveled northward up the south-flowing Hudson River.
The NYC portion of NYS is hemmed in by the state of New Jersey to the west and the state of Connecticut and the rest of New England to the northeast. During the colonial era and in the century following independence one traveled up the river valley to get to the rest of New York.
Hence, the bulk of New York State is “up” from NYC (with the exception of Long Island, which lies directly east of the city). Even Long Island residents have to first travel back into the City if they want to get to the rest of the state.
Areas of the state, such as the Catskills, the Finger Lakes, the Capital District, etc., are all located upriver from NYC. This led to the common designation of “upstate” to refer to the rest of New York located beyond the outskirts of NYC.
I grew up in the corn fields of Illinois. We referred to being downstate. This is a difference without a distinction as our big city was north instead of south.
It’s an upstate thing.
In Massachusetts “western Mass” is everything more than 45 minutes west of Boston (like 75% of the state). “The Cape” also has a shockingly liberal definition that inches closer and closer to New Bedford each year.
We have a similar phenomenon in Michigan. Something like 80% of the population lives in the bottom 30% of the state. We use the term Up North to talk about the huge area outside of that 30%.
It’s worth noting that to New Yorkers from the city or Long Island, anything north of the Bronx is “upstate.” Doesn’t matter if it’s Buffalo, Albany, or Yonkers.
Because when I’m from hick town New York I don’t want people thinking I’m from NYC. So I say upstate and then people realize I’m from the upper part of the state. I don’t live in New York, but that’s the logic in it.