31 definitions by YO Man
An Irish neighborhood (well, THE Irish neighborhood i guess) in the Bronx, NY. Main drags are Katonah Avenue, and McLean Avenue (which is technically in Yonkers, but is usually considered part of the neighborhood because the Irishness extends into Yonkers for a few blocks.) Woodlawn and McLean Heights are often collectively called Wood-Lean.
by YO Man June 25, 2004
The reason why Westchester and Long Island are downstate and Rockland is upstate has nothing to do with urbanization or location, but rather historical connection to New York City. The Bronx used to be part of Westchester County until the late 19th century and much of Westchester's nomenclature still exists in the Bronx today; the Eastchester neighborhood used to be part of the present-day Town of Eastchester; there is an Eastchester Bay and Westchester Creek in the Bronx, as well as an Eastchester Road, White Plains Road, and Westchester Square. There is a Town of Pelham in Westchester as well as Pelham Bay Park, Pelham Bay, and Pelham Parkway in the Bronx. Also, there is a Bronx River and Bronx River Parkway running through the Bronx and Lower Westchester. However, by this method Upper Westchester might qualify as upstate because it really is not involved in the Bronx/Lower Westchester history, and has some upstate names (e.g. "-on Hudson","-kill" as in Peekskill).
Nassau County used to be part of Queens and that is apparent based on similar names on both sides of the city line. Little Neck is in Queens adjacent to Great Neck in Nassau County. There's an East Rockaway in Nassau and Far Rockaway in Queens. Also, some towns in Nassau on the Queens border have the same name as the QUeens neighborhoods on the other side, like Floral Park and Bellerose. Furthermore, many zip codes straddle the Queens-Nassau border.
Rockland has none of those. It does not border any borough of NYC nor share any history with it. In fact, Rockland County used to be part of Orange County (which is upstate according to most Rockland County residents) until about 1800. This is why Orangetown is in Rockland County.
Nassau County used to be part of Queens and that is apparent based on similar names on both sides of the city line. Little Neck is in Queens adjacent to Great Neck in Nassau County. There's an East Rockaway in Nassau and Far Rockaway in Queens. Also, some towns in Nassau on the Queens border have the same name as the QUeens neighborhoods on the other side, like Floral Park and Bellerose. Furthermore, many zip codes straddle the Queens-Nassau border.
Rockland has none of those. It does not border any borough of NYC nor share any history with it. In fact, Rockland County used to be part of Orange County (which is upstate according to most Rockland County residents) until about 1800. This is why Orangetown is in Rockland County.
Nobody seriously believes Rockland County is rural or far from the city, it just has no historical connection to the city, which Westchester and Nassau Counties do.
by YO Man July 16, 2004
A county in NY that everyone except itself seems to regard as part of a depressed region known as Upstate New York. While that may not be entirely accurate, Rockland county is an outer-suburban wasteland, not even on par with Westchester in terms of wealth and urbanization (as sad as that sounds.) However, it does have some Sopranos fame; Ralph Cifaretto's head was buried in Sloatsburg and Adriana was whacked by Silvio in a forest in Ramapo.
by YO Man July 1, 2004
yo man whos your daddy Im your daddy you wanna know why, because I did this to your momma, ya man you suck but your momma sweat, you suck but not as good as your momma though, IM SUPERFLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by YO Man September 19, 2003
The odd man out of the New York City boroughs. Staten Island is west of the Hudson and should be considered part of New Jersey. Kind of like how Marble Hill is on the mainland but is part of Manhattan. Go figure.
Growing up in Yonkers, Staten Island was like the moon: a shithole, no reason to there, feels a lot farther than it actually is, a place you see and hear about but still seems mythical.
by YO Man July 12, 2004
That's not actually correct, JB. (I do love your upstate-bashing, though!) Originally Marble Hill was attached to Manhattan, but a canal was dug in the Harlem River which separated it from Manhattan and put it on the mainland. Though it has always been part of New York County, it is generally regarded as the Bronx. It looks like the Bronx, it feels like the Bronx, the address says Bronx, NY 10463, and the area code is 718.
When you're walking down Broadway, Kingsbridge (Bronx) becomes Marble Hill (Manhattan) after W 230th St, but there is no "Welcome to Manhattan" sign.
by YO Man July 7, 2004
Mount Vernon, NY. Near Yonkers and the Bronx. Used to have a large Italian-American population in the 60s and 70s, then a large black population moved in and the Italians moved to Eastchester (the next town up). Since then it has turned into a shithole.
by YO Man June 30, 2004