2006-09-20 13:10:44 · 6 answers · asked by guitar_lady81 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Geography
As others have siad, it depends on how the residents of a particular city have chosen to use the terms uptown and downtown.
The one city I know of where absolutely everyone understands what the terms mean is New York (City). Uptown means the direction in which the numbers of the streets increase, and downtown is the direction in which the numbers decrease.
So if you're going from 42nd Street to 59th Street in New York, that's uptown.
The streets in New York run east-west, and the higher numbers are to the north, so uptown means "to the north." Conveniently, north is also "up" on a map.
Incidentally, the avenues in New York run north-south, and the numbers increase to the west, but there are only 12 numbered avenues, compared to more than 200 numbered streets. So the streets determine what we call "uptown."
2006-09-20 13:43:55 · answer #1 · answered by actuator 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Downtown is usually the older section, near the civic center, that was developed first. It can be a bit run down, in some cities that have not undergone "redevelopment". Uptown is where the rich people live. Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" song makes this distinction.
2006-09-20 13:19:27 · answer #2 · answered by Pegasus90 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It probably depends on the city...but I think the reference is more of an economic one than physical. "Uptown" is where the rich people live.
2006-09-20 13:19:48 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
uptown=north
downtown=south
Or so I've heard.
2006-09-20 13:13:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you walk uphill to get to town, its uptown. Downhill, its down town.
2006-09-20 13:17:16 · answer #5 · answered by rsbdkaise 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
we always concidered up-town if you had to go north from where you started & down if you had to go south. Don't know how you would say it if you lived east or west !!
2006-09-20 13:41:42 · answer #6 · answered by Tired Old Man 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋