Midtown vs. Uptown vs. Downtown – What’s the Difference?

grammarhow ^ | nonegiven | Martin Lassen

[DallasBiff]

In the US, most cities have a “Downtown”, which is the business district, the busy area where commerce is. Some cities have an “Uptown”, related to a more sophisticated, wealth-concentrated, neighborhood. And rarely a city has a “Midtown”, which would be a geographical area, in the middle of the city.

[DallasBiff]

I know its New York. It seems if one works in midtown and lives uptown Manhattan that is the ultimate status symbol and if one lives in Brooklyn or the Bronx lives in the sticks,

New Yorkers are weird, except for Trump.

[mairdie]

Chicago had a Downtown. And a North Side and a South Side.

South Sider here. Husband’s from the North. Amazed we got together from those two different worlds.

[Libloather]

Depends. You want happy ending?

[nwrep]

Midtown is Broadway.
Downtown is Wall Street.
Uptown is Central Park.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Cubs vs. Sox!

[Political Junkie Too]

I thought "downtown" was anyone who lived on the first 10 floors of a building, and "uptown" was anyone who lived above the 40th floor. 😀

-PJ

[T.B. Yoits]

Uptown, Midtown, Downtown - it all depends on where the toilets flush to.

[edwinland]

I agree with the other comments. The whole idea of the business district being “downtown” comes from New York where you literally go down (in terms of numbered streets and South) to get to Wall Street.

[Fido969]

I’m a big fan of Motown.

[mairdie]

Yeah! That wide a divide.

[mairdie]

Never knew that. Very interesting observation.

[Political Junkie Too]

I was going to post a similar thought, but that's the definition of the old English "High Street" where all the commerce took place.

Nobody wanted to shop near where the "morning constitutional" flowed into the Thames.

-PJ

[gitmo]

Charlotte, NC has an uptown. It sits on the highest point in the area.

[ansel12]

I learned so much about adults when as a little boy I would take the bus to downtown Houston and just spend the days watching everyone and walking around, as a little boy I was invisible to the busy adults doing everything from business to shopping, to street gambling and walking through almost invisible nondescript doors that were obviously whore houses, hustlers hustling, meter maids, winos fighting, black men with no legs on roller boards making them shorter than me, oyster bars open to the sidewalk, it was a massively entertaining and educational environment.

[PAR35]

Atlanta has a midtown, but if it has an uptown, that’s a fairly new development.

DallasBiff likely knows this, but for others here:

Dallas has a downtown and an uptown, but not midtown. Uptown is across a sunken freeway from downtown. Big Law has all moved from near the courthouse to Uptown. Most of downtown is residential now. Uptown is a mix of high dollar commercial, high dollar residential high rise, and bars.

Uptown and Downtown Dallas are connected by antique trolleys (modernized with air conditioning).

[Fiji Hill]

Because Whittier, Calif. sits on a gentle slope extending downward from the Whittier Hills, the business district. which is close to the hills, is officially known as Uptown Whittier, and that’s what most residents call it. However, those of us living in College Hills, just east of Whittier College and at a higher elevation, refer to it as Downtown Whittier.

[alternatives?]

I was wondering how long before someone said Motown. It has to be pretty close to Funkytown.

[Romulus]

Up and down are with reference to the river. Same as in New Orleans.

[Rockingham]

Over the last forty years, municipal planners have urged that cities adopt names and foster a sense of identity for different areas as distinct neighborhoods. On the whole, it helps as a way for planners, property owners, and residents to think of the needs of specific areas as distinct and worthy of consideration and advancement.

With qualifications, conservatives have reason to see this trend as beneficial and an example of what Edmund Burke referred to as “the little platoon we belong to in society” and “the germ of public affections.” In practice, this can provide a basis for community organization and push-back against the often corrupt, stupid, and thuggish plans hatched by politicians and political elites.

[Bonemaker]

Same here..me south side wife north side. Met in Iowa!😀