6 Things Hudson Valley Locals Are Tired of Explaining to Out-of-Staters

If you've lived in the Hudson Valley for a while, you already know that anytime we encounter someone from another state, we can spend a bit of time having to explain where we actually live.

Most of us have been asked where we live a time or two and will often answer by saying we're about an hour and a half from New York City, along the Hudson River, but somehow they still don't quite understand.

And it's not just people from other states. Sometimes we have to explain it to people from New York City and Long Island, too.

Mid Hudson Bridge

Here are six things people from the Hudson Valley constantly have to explain to people from outside the Hudson Valley and anyone else who doesn't quite understand where we live.

1. No, we're not in New York City

This one comes up all the time.

Yes, we're in New York. No, we don't live in New York City. The Hudson Valley is a completely different world, and depending on where you live, you can go from city traffic to farms, mountains, and small towns pretty quickly.

2. The Hudson Valley is HUGE

When you say "Hudson Valley," people sometimes picture one small town along the river.

Not even close.

We're talking about multiple counties, dozens of towns and villages, and a whole lot of driving. Someone in Dutchess County might consider Orange County "right down the road," while someone in Ulster County might look at that same drive and think you're insane.

Upstate New York

3. We don't live in Upstate New York

This is probably the biggest thing we have to debate on a weekly basis.

Tell someone from New York City that you live in the Hudson Valley, and there's a good chance they'll immediately respond, "Oh, you're upstate!"

No. We're not.

Personally, I believe Upstate New York starts at Exit 21 (Catskill, NY) on the New York State Thruway. I know plenty of people will disagree with me, and that's fine.

Ask someone from Manhattan where Upstate starts and they'll probably tell you it's somewhere around Yonkers. Ask someone from Buffalo and they'll probably wonder why we're even having this conversation.

The Hudson Valley is the Hudson Valley.

And if you want to argue with me about where Upstate starts, I'll see you in the comments.

4. Everything is "about an hour away"

Ask someone from the Hudson Valley how far something is, and you're probably going to hear, "Eh, about 45 minutes."

That could mean 35 minutes with no traffic, an hour and 15 minutes during rush hour, or somehow two hours because someone decided to take the Taconic at the wrong time. We don't measure distance in miles. We measure it in minutes.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

5. You can't just "pop into the city"

People from out of state hear that we're close to New York City and assume we can just head into Manhattan whenever we want.

Sure, we can.

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But first we're going to spend 20 minutes figuring out where to park, another 30 minutes dealing with traffic, and then approximately $900 on tolls, parking, and everything else. So no, we're probably not going to Manhattan just because you want to see Times Square.

6. Everyone knows someone who knows someone

This might be the most Hudson Valley thing of all.

You can mention someone's name in a conversation, and there's a pretty good chance somebody will respond with, "Oh yeah, I know them." Maybe you don't actually know them. Maybe your cousin went to school with them. Maybe your neighbor works with their brother. Maybe your friend dated their sister 15 years ago.

It doesn't matter.

In the Hudson Valley, six degrees of separation is more like two. And honestly, that's one of the things that makes this place so special. We may be spread out across several counties, but somehow everybody is connected.