Downstate New York is a term denoting the southeastern portion of
New York State,
United States, in contrast to
Upstate New York. The term "Downstate New York" has significantly less currency than its counterpart term "Upstate New York", and the Downstate region is often not regarded as one cohesive unit but rather thought of as being divided into the units which make it up -
New York City,
Long Island, and the northern suburbs of
New York City (consisting of
Westchester County,
Rockland County, etc.) The term is used by the SUNY system in the name of their southernmost medical school,
SUNY Downstate Medical Center, located in
Flatbush,
Brooklyn, though it is seldom used in other contexts.
The Downstate region contains the largest population concentration in the state, unlike Upstate, an area which forms the vast majority of the state's land area yet has a smaller population. The two regions differ culturally and socially in terms of demographics, economy, and social patterns.
Definitions
The NYSDOT defines its "downstate region" as including
Dutchess and
Orange counties, and areas east and south.
As usual with
regions, there is no definitive or permanent boundary between Upstate and Downstate New York, though the map on the right sums up common attitudes of New Yorkers regarding the location of the borderline. In general, the differing definitions of Upstate and Downstate are largely relative. Persons living further upstate generally consider the border with downstate to be further north than those who live downstate, and vice versa. As
urban sprawl progressively converts previously rural communities into
exurbs, many people increasingly consider neighboring
Putnam County to be part of the Downstate region, as well as the southern portions of
Orange County,
Sullivan County, and
Dutchess County. These transitional areas are colored orange on the map.
See also
