Downtown/Definition

In the U.S., a term that refers to the Central Business District of a city or town. The term may have originated in Manhattan (New York City), where the more northern parts of the island are still referred to as Uptown and more southern region is referred to as Downtown. This usage is consistent with other American colloquial expressions equating south with down (E.g., "up north" and "down south.") although many U.S. downtowns are not in the southern parts of their communities.