The city of Poughkeepsie, in Dutchess County, New York, often has its name written as “Po-town” or “Po’town.” “Po-town” was cited in the Poughkeepsie (NY) Journal in 1981 and “Po’town” was in the Journal in 1985.
 
Another Poughkeepsie nickname is “Queen City of the Hudson.”
 
   
Wikipedia: Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie /pəˈkɪpsiː/ (pə-kip-see), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 32,736. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson Valley midway between New York City and Albany, and is part of the New York metropolitan area. The name derives from a word in the Wappinger language, roughly U-puku-ipi-sing, meaning “the reed-covered lodge by the little-water place,” referring to a spring or stream feeding into the Hudson River south of the present downtown area.
 
Poughkeepsie is known as “The Queen City of the Hudson”.
 
Newspapers.com
10 June 1981, Poughkeepsie (NY) Journal, pg. 14:
... Po-town’s ...
 
Newspapers.com
21 March 1985, Poughkeepsie (NY) Journal, pg. 22:
... Po’town ...
       
Google Groups: alt.culture.ny-upstate
Upstate Keeps Moving
Hugh Johnson
12/16/92
In article <1992Dec15.2…@spectrum.xerox.com>

,
 
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Sam Houston) wrote:
>
> When I was growing up in Poughkeepsie (Dutchess County) in the
> 40s and 50s I guess we considered that area upstate.  Go back
> there now, and it feels-and looks-like an extension of
> NYC. People even *commute* from there to NYC.
 
Yah, Po-Town seems mostly like a detatched suburb of NYC these days.
 
Google Groups: alt.culture.ny-upstate
Anyone from Po’town?
Schillinger
12/17/92
I know that Poughkeepsie isn’t considered Upstate at all, especially in this group, although when I went to SUNY-Binghamton all those Long Islanders thought it was. But I’m from Poughkeepsie (originally Wappingers Falls) and live in Karlsruhe, Germany now.  So, of course, I had to read this group since it’s so close to home!
 
Google Books
Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges
By Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Series
1998
Pg. 591:
Though Vassar continues to recognize traditions that weave a brilliant rose and gray fabric through campus life, the attitude on the Po’town campus is not one of rigidity.
 
2 November 2001, Poughkeepsie (NY) Journal, “Push Stars love playing Po-town” by Lee Park, pg. F1:
       
Urban Dictionary
Po-Town
The city of Poughkeepsie, New York.
Furthermore, it is the nickname all the Hudson Valley college kids use when describing where they come from.
(...)
by Nick February 03, 2004
 
Cyburbia   
Nicknames
MaineMan 
12 Mar 2004, 10:05 AM
Poughkeepsie is also often referred to as Po-town.
 
Given its name, thats a logical one, but recently its taken on a new emphasis and meaning, like “Man, all them folks livin up’n poughkeepsie sho’ is po’! “
 
Urban Dictionary
Po-Town
poughkeepsie, ny
a small city in the hudson valley.
all of the people who live in the rest of the hudson valley are scared to go here cause they’re from the middle of nowhere.
jon (from highland, ny)- let’s go to po-town tonight.
carl (from millbrook,ny)- hell no man, i dont wanna get shot up. im a pussy.
jon - yeah you are.
carl - so are you.
jon - .....so
by pp February 18, 2005
 
Google Books
Just After Sunset: Stories
By Stephen King
New York, NY: Scribner
2008
Pg. 123:
And that day when he mounted the stationary bike, he imagined that Poughkeepsie was behind him, not the stored television from 2-G, the stack of trunks from 3-F, the tarped dirt-bike from 4-A, but Po’-town.
 
Twitter
Brendan Donleavy
‏@DonleavyBK
It’s not P-Town. It’s Po-Town. #poughkeepsie #hudsonvalley http://instagram.com/p/r9oWM_lLNJ/
9:03 AM - 21 Aug 2014
 
Twitter
Paul Mansolillo
‏@paullymans
@craigcampbelltv we’ll see you in Poughkeepsie or Po town as we call it! Can’t wait!
5:44 PM - 16 Sep 2015