Can someone explain 'down town' and 'up town' to me?

[Buckshot Bear]

Can someone explain 'down town' and 'up town' to me?

These aren't terms that we use in Australia though I've heard them often on US TV shows.

[Eyesa Horg]

In my experience they've been used to replace "into". As in I'm heading into town. I use downtown occasionally, but I go up to Bradford. 

[John Kloehr]

Downtown: Where all the big buildings are, often also high-end shopping, fancy restaurants, and entertainment venues.

 

Uptown: Where the rich folks live if not in low density neighborhoods, characterized by big buildings, high end shopping, fancy restaurants, and entertainment venues.

 

Hope this helps.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

You will have to address this question to Petula Clark.  She started this mess with her song "Downtown."

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

2 minutes ago, John Kloehr said:

Downtown: Where all the big buildings are, often also high-end shopping, fancy restaurants, and entertainment venues.

 

Uptown: Where the rich folks live if not in low density neighborhoods, characterized by big buildings, high end shopping, fancy restaurants, and entertainment venues.

 

Hope this helps.

I would add that Downtown is generally where the government, local, county, or state is located.

[Pat Riot]

It depends on the city and the area.  
In Los Angeles the “city” part of the metropolitan area is considered downtown.

In Charlotte the “city” was called downtown until a bunch of up tight yankees wanted to make it sound more up beat so there was a push to call downtown “uptown”. I have no idea what they call it now. 
 

Portland Oregon calls it downtown. 

 

I don’t think there’s any rule about it. 
 

 

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Uptown and downtown are sort of like gender these days.  There is fluidity.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Its origin is New York City. The island of Manhattan (one of the 5 boroughs of NYC), is oriented north and south. South is down, north is up. The island developed northward from the southern tip starting in the 17th century. So if you’re traveling from south to north, you’re going uptown, and north to south is downtown. The wealthier people moved North as the island developed making “uptown” a term of high class. 
 

If living one of the outer boroughs like I did (Queens), we called going to Manhattan (the oldest settlement) going into “the city”. 
 

Adding on, the 5 boroughs that comprise NYC are Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

7 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Adding on, the 5 boroughs that comprise NYC are Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. 

And unlike other cities in the USA, those five boroughs are administratively counties. So as far as I know, NYC is the only city in the USA that contains counties, rather than is contained in a county.

[Subdeacon Joe]

http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/the-difference-between-uptown-and-downtown/

 

"When in any major city, there are often different regions. The terms “downtown” and “uptown” are commonly used to refer to separate and distinct areas of a community, but the difference between the two is often confusing.

 

Origins

Both terms, downtown and uptown, are distinctly American. The terms are not generally used in British English because, in Britain, people generally use the term City Centre instead. Both terms originated in New York City. The southern tip of the island of Manhattan was settled first and so downtown referred to this area. Since the city could only grow north, moving upriver, it became common to use the terms up and down when traveling the island."

 

I would say that most people never use "uptown,"  and use "downtown" to mean the central shopping district, usually everything EXCEPT grocery stores and hardware stores - those two used to be known as "the general store" or maybe "dry goods store."

 

If I tell my wife, "I'm going downtown" she knows the 10 to 16 block area I'm going to.   If I say, "I'm going to town" she will know that I'm going into town, but not necessarily to the downtown area.  If I say uptown she would ask me if I'm feeling OK.

 

Downtowns tend to be the older part of a city and have developed and evolved naturally, often around a main intersection, a railroad or stage depot, the courthouse, or something of that nature.

 

The city just south of Santa Rosa is Rohnert Park.  It was designed in the 1960s to be a city without a downtown.  A suburban bedroom community for people working in Santa Rosa, or San Francisco, or San Rafael.  A bunch of neighborhoods of streets starting with the same letter. Each with a couple of parks, a small shopping center, a fire/police station. There are a couple of shopping centers, with a major big chain supermarket, a couple of restaurants or fast food places, and a couple of other stores.  But no downtown per se.  And no civic identity.

 

For 30 years or more the powers that be have been trying to create a "downtown" without success.  They don't understand that it was never meant to have one, and that you can't force a downtown on an established city.

 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

5 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

And unlike other cities in the USA, those five boroughs are administratively counties. So as far as I know, NYC is the only city in the USA that contains counties, rather than is contained in a county.

 

There is the entity known as The City and County of San Francisco.  Not quite the same, but close.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

9 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

And unlike other cities in the USA, those five boroughs are administratively counties. So as far as I know, NYC is the only city in the USA that contains counties, rather than is contained in a county.

Yup. If you look at the geography, it kind makes sense since bodies of water separate all but Queens (Queens county) and Brooklyn (Kings county) on Long Island. 

[Alpo]

I was actually thinking about this the other day. How to  phrase my question about it.

 

This makes it sound like downtown is a good place

 

 

But this makes it sound like downtown is a bad place

 

The name of both songs is DOWNTOWN. Confusing.

[Alpo]

In my town, downtown refers to the main section of town, where City Hall, the courthouse, the Civic auditorium, the library, and the big stores - Sears, Penny's (until they open the mall and all the big stores moved to the mall) - are at.

 

I've wondered if this is just a small town thing, or a southern thing - because New York and LA are both large towns and not in the south.

 

But I don't know.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

22 minutes ago, Alpo said:

In my town, downtown refers to the main section of town, where City Hall, the courthouse, the Civic auditorium, the library, and the big stores - Sears, Penny's (until they open the mall and all the big stores moved to the mall) - are at.

When I was a kid, (1960s), My Mom and Grandma use to take us Downtown in Columbus Ohio for shopping. Lazarus and J.C. Penny were the Big Department stores back then. This was before malls were around. Of course, when malls were built, Lazarus and J.C. Penny, along with Sears were the anchor stores, and we quit going Downtown to shop.  

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Pet Clark’s song was when downtowns were dying as the suburbs were expanding at breakneck speed. It was mostly an ode to what was becoming a declining era that eventually led to hollowed out urban cores. It would take another generation to reverse the trend, but it’s never really recovered its original luster. 

[Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428]

Always ask if you don’t know. I was in NYC once alone(my first time there). I was in the state for business and had a day to kill. I wanted to see the Statue. So I took a train into the city. Once in grand central I found my way to the subway. Side note here, there are far less gang fights, space aliens and supernatural creatures on the subways than tv and movies make there out to be.  Looking on a map I determined the subway line I needed and found that track. Once there I was given the option of the uptown and downtown. Luckily there were a couple NYPD standing nearby and I had to ask the ultimate stupid tourist question. Without even making fun of me they helped me out. BTW, from the NY side, the statue is tiny and much farther away than it appears on TV shows. 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

9 minutes ago, Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 said:

Always ask if you don’t know. I was in NYC once alone(my first time there). I was in the state for business and had a day to kill. I wanted to see the Statue. So I took a train into the city. Once in grand central I found my way to the subway. Side note here, there are far less gang fights, space aliens and supernatural creatures on the subways than tv and movies make there out to be.  Looking on a map I determined the subway line I needed and found that track. Once there I was given the option of the uptown and downtown. Luckily there were a couple NYPD standing nearby and I had to ask the ultimate stupid tourist question. Without even making fun of me they helped me out. BTW, from the NY side, the statue is tiny and much farther away than it appears on TV shows. 

Perfect description, and mirrors my early experience of living there in the mid-late seventies. My office was one block east of Grand Central on 42nd street. 
 

 

[Cypress Sun]

2 hours ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

You will have to address this question to Petula Clark.  She started this mess with her song "Downtown."

 

Every time I think of Petula Clark/Downtown, I think of that guy that blew up himself and his RV in Nashville on Christmas a few years back. If I hear the song now, it's immediately what I think of. Before the Nashville bombing, it was just an annoying song and was in the movie Short Circuit.

 

To Bear's question, every time I think of downtown. I think of the "heart" of whatever city is being referred to. When I think of uptown, I think of the opulent part of whatever city is being referred to.

[watab kid]

ya - thats a real good question , growing up where i did and my roots being where they were , i was taught it was the north side of town {UP} vs the south side of town {DOWN} thats how i always thought of it as a kid  but later i became aware most folks in my town looked at it as those that lived in the wealthy side of town [UP] as opposed to poorer part of town [DOWN] 

 

now i also was raised in an area that was divided by a river - those that lived in north cedar were considered as living in the poorer part of town so that fought with some of the thinking , 

the next town [7 miles away] was divided by the same river and they claimed the east side and west side division , the east side was predominately black and poorer and the west side was richer and mostly white back then , {i have no idea how its all looked at now - havent lived there in over 40 years ] but i have visited - the two have grown together mostly , not sure how they divide things these days , 

 

my family always metaphorically referred to the "wrong side" and "right side" of "THE TRACKS " referring to the railway tracks when considering if you came from "GOOD STUFF" or not without regard to income or status , my folks looked at character - taught us kids to do the same , never attached too much to the clichés of language , 

 

i think thats why i so vehemently resent and reject all the folks that claim victimhood in our current society as well as anyone that says your "disin" them , you cant disrespect anyone that you dont initially recognize/acknowledge , i seldom recognize or acknowledge someone that looks like a problem in my life nor would i waste the time doing so , if they choose to be disrespected by that its their issue not mine , 

 

i had to come back and add that where ive spent the last 40 years has an interesting history and take on that - we now have north side and south side distinctions here - again divided by the river [mississippi river] but back before i came here the town was divided by UPPER _ MIDDLE _ LOWER distinctions , not so much income as dialect , back then we had immigrants from a lot of places , germans , poles , norwegions , czecks , and some english/irish/scots  , we were divided by language and the religions we brought but unified by the religions as well , OH and we had a population of indians as well , 

 

but the breakdowns were still a little on the financial line as well with upper and middle being richer , but thats now changing in that there are areas south that are very wealthy here , 

 

so to answer your question , in general up town would be wealthy and downtown the poorer district in most evaluations no matter which direction it lies in , i do think those that refer to north side of the tracks and south side are thinking from family heritage related to the civil war/war of northern aggression in this country , 

 

hope that helped - sorry if i confused 

 

 

back again - as to petula clarcks rendition of my teen aged years i think she was refering to the lively part of town - the part where it might be a bit seedy but a lot more fun  not an objectionable thing in a teen aged boys frame of mind , drinkin-dancin-smootchin ???

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

21 hours ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

You will have to address this question to Petula Clark.  She started this mess with her song "Downtown."

 

 ......... I s'pose you could also get Billy Joel to ask his girlfriend about it, ..... she was from Uptown .......  

 

 

 

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

Here in Ohio I’ve never heard anyone use Uptown for the Downtown areas. Downtown is always the big cities closest to you. 

Of course there’s the song Uptown by the Crystals in 1962! 

[Ozark Huckleberry]

Downtown drinks a beer. Uptown sticks its pinky out.

 

Edited because.

[Rye Miles #13621]

 

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

Decades ago, I heard and asked same, that "downtown" would be considered the central part of were the businesses and commercial parts of a town or city were.

Uptown would be were the residential part was located in a town or city.

[Subdeacon Joe]

3 hours ago, Ozark Huckleberry said:

Uptown sticks its pinky out.

 

While drinking beer.  

[Buffalo Creek Law Dog]

In Canada, we say downtown.  We also work on that North/South, East/West thing.  Where we live, we go up to Edmonton and down to Calgary. If we are going to Toronto, we will be going down east and, if we are in the east and going to Calgary for example, we are going out west.  If we are going to Quebec, we are going to Hell.

[MizPete]

19 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

I have no idea what they call it now. 

It's still uptown.  Charlotte puts on airs.

[Pat Riot]

3 hours ago, MizPete said:

It's still uptown.  Charlotte puts on airs.

You sure got that right. 
That’s why the only time I spent there was work time. My off time was spent in Concord and Lake Norman, mostly. 

[Bailey Creek,5759]

It depends on where you live. I live in the country, if i have to go to the hardware store or bank. I say that i am going to go uptown.

If i have to get groceries or any thing else i have to go to a bigger town.

Then i say i am going to town.

 

[Buckshot Bear]

Appreciate all the replies.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Ya go DOWNTOWN to visit the banker for a loan.   Ya go DOWNTOWN to pay your bills or see the doctor.

 

Ya go UPTOWN to the new gun store to buy a new toy or visit the truck dealership for a new truck.

Ya also go UPTOWN to take your sweetie to eat at a fine restaurant.

 

Thats about how I see it:   Downtown for negative business..... UPTOWN for positive business.

 

..........Widder

 

[watab kid]

14 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

 

ill be honest here - i remember that tune , i did not relate it to new york "projects" assuming the video relates to the tune , interesting , i guess thats the difference between living an urban life [i known nothing of] and a rural life i grew up in ., 

 

in college i did tour our flyover versions of the "projects" - chicagos cabrini green and sandburg village - i was not impressed as a young architectural student , also was in the sears tower before the windows were installed and some of the north shore high buck apartments , i guess that would define the difference between uptown and downtown , if everyones label fit the same , but they dont as you can see , but i think we all agree its the difference of haves and have nots whichever way you look at it , 

 

as that same architectural student we looked at suburban development - the little green houses with little green couches , decided back then we were all messed up in trying to find that one size fits all solution to what cannot be solved , but then it was the age of Aquarius and the war on poverty and thank you mrs robinson , as well as that pending draft letter so i guess we all knew there was a difference as to what side of the tracks you came from , be that uptown or downtown , 

[Sedalia Dave]

18 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

Appreciate all the replies.

 

Has your head exploded yet? 

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

21 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

Appreciate all the replies.

 

3 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

Has your head exploded yet? 

 

 

 

          ......I think mine's about to ...........