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Inside Out

Up for the fight

Jeanne Sager
Posted 9/13/22

When you ask someone from Sullivan County if they live upstate, they’re going to have a pretty clear answer for you. 

Yes, of course we’re upstate. We’re north of New York …

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Inside Out

Up for the fight

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When you ask someone from Sullivan County if they live upstate, they’re going to have a pretty clear answer for you. 

Yes, of course we’re upstate. We’re north of New York City and Westchester. We’re upstate. 

But ask someone in Albany, Buffalo, or any of the thousands of small towns north of our own, and they’ll laugh us out of the room.

To them, Sullivan County is most definitely not upstate. and they’ll share a list of reasons a mile long. Meanwhile any good Sullivan County resident can come back with their own (solid and reasoned) list of arguments that solidify why we are most upstate New York born and bred, and when we die, we’ll be upstate New York dead.  

Of course, by now you know that this is far from the only argument you’re bound to get caught up in as a Sullivan County resident. 

Is Sullivan County part of the Hudson Valley? Eh, it depends on whether we need to be or not. What’s in it for us?

Is Sullivan County considered Southern New York? We’re not part of the Southern Tier, and you must not be from around here if you use the terms “Northern” and “Southern” to break up New York State. It’s upstate and downstate in these parts. 

Is Sullivan County really the Catskills? Just go ahead and try to say we’re not. We double dog dare you. 

Are the Catskills really mountains? Geologists will tell you ‘no.’ We’ll fight this one tooth and nail. 

And on it goes. 

Is a Sullivan County bagel a real bagel?

Is it a farming community or a tourism community?

Is it better to live on the western end or the eastern end? 

Are Sullivan County residents New Yorkers, or is that a term only residents of New York City get to claim?

As a Sullivan County native and proud upstate New Yorker, these are all fighting words to me. And what a fun fight it is. 

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