Gosh Dang! There’s an Actual Place in New York Called ‘Podunk’

“Podunk” is a catch-all term used to denote a town or place where there ain’t a whole lot of people, there ain’t a whole lot of stores, and there just ain’t a whole lot going on. If you’re from Central New York, you know that there are a LOT of places where the term “Podunk” might apply.

But there is an actual Podunk, New York. Like, you can write it on an envelope and send something there. It has a zip code. Yes, really. 

Okay, well, technically it shares a zip code with the small town of Ulysses. Podunk is one of those little “hamlets” that New York has an abundance of. It’s located in the Finger Lakes region along Taughannock Creek, just south of Trumansburg in Tomkins County. It’s about a 20-minute drive northwest from Ithaca.

Fire up “Podunk, NY” in Google Maps and take a little Street View tour with me. It seems like it could be a nice area during the summertime, except the Google Map van seems to have last gone through it during the Great Plague. Looks a little bleak. Still, I can see the potential. Take a virtual cruise down Pennsylvania Avenue, Podunk's main drag, and one could easily envision a nice, quiet property with some beautiful scenery and maybe some neighbors enthusiastic about their firearms. If you don’t kill your own food, a Subway is a mere 2 miles away.

Are you from Podunk, New York? Attach a letter to a raven and send him forthwith! We'd love to hear from you!