Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York is the kind of place where people go to find ample work. Not only is it the place where the flight simulator was originally invented. This is a city where so many people have found work over the past hundred years, they started calling it the Valley of Opportunity. A city does not get a name like that by being stagnant . When it comes to opportunities to find employment, there are all kinds of places to do so in Binghamton, whether in manufacturing, retail or government work.
Along with abundant job opportunities, Binghamton is a very attractive city. Residents take a lot of pride in having very clean streets, and the homes there are luxurious and well laid out, giving the city the title of “The Parlor City”. This is an area with a very large number of stately mansions throughout. When a person wanted to live large in Binghamton in the old days, they had all kinds of options. Whether one wanted to build an opulent home of just move into one that already existed, either one of these options was possible. The great thing is, it's as much an option now as it ever was.
Binghamton has a lot to offer those who enjoy city life as well as the outdoors. There are intriquing options in entertainment, education, affordable living and many other benefits. People of any age or profession will surely find the city exciting and vivacious.
Binghamton History
Binghamton, New York was originally named for William Bingham, who was a wealthy Philadelphian in the late 18th century. In 1792 he bought the land surrounding the city's current location. Prior to that point, the only Europeans who had been in the area had been among the Sullivan Expedition in 1779 while the American Revolution was going on. The original settlers of the community put down their stakes in 1802, right where the Susquehanna and the Chenango Rivers met at Chenango Point.
Binghamton first became incorporated as a village in 1834, and didn't become a city for more than 30 years afterward. The first mayor of the city was Abel Bennett, whose home still remains in the city known as the Abel Bennett Tract. In the early days, the major purpose for Binghamton was to grow and trade crops, as is the custom in agricultural market towns. The area eventually began to take on a creative medical history.
In 1858, the eastern end of Binghamton welcomed the New York State Inebriate Asylum. This hospital was unique in that it dealt with alcoholism from the standpoint of seeing it as an illness, as opposed to a moral failing or some kind of personal evil. However, the concept didn't hold up locally, and in 1879 the hospital was converted into a more generalized place to care for the mentally ill. The main building from that facility still remains as a National Historic Landmark, and is being developed as a clinical campus for Upstate Medical University today.
From the beginning of the city's existence, Binghamton had been a place where trade took place via the water. As time went on, a number of railroad lines were built into Binghamton, and the manufacturing base took off. This minted a large number of wealthy people in the area, and they constructed a number of gorgeous homes. Because of these lovely homes and the famously clean streets that have traditionally surrounded them, Binghamton has been called the Parlor City.
As the 19th century faded and the 20th century dawned, the number of jobs in this city skyrocketed, attracting immigrants from far and wide. Another colorful nickname Binghamton earned during this period, the Valley of Opportunity, came about because of the sheer volume of jobs that used to be available in the town. As the 20th century began, Binghamton had been the second most productive city for cigars in the entire country. However, as the 20th century moved on, so too did manufacturing. As time has gone on, manufacturing has largely been replaced with retail employment and tourism. While the world has changed dramatically, Binghamton's drive to succeed has not.
About Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York is located near the Pennsylvania border in a valley near where the Susquehanna and the Chenango Rivers merge together. In addition to being the county seat of Broome County, this city is both the cultural center and the most major economic contributor of this entire area. The area has undergone a lot of trials, especially over the second half of the 20th century as industrialization moved away. However, the area has shown a great deal of resilience, and many of the jobs lost have come back in other forms. A community like this one is not so easy to break, even when most of the world changes all around it.
In the early days of Binghamton, its role was primarily that of a transportation center. With railroads come the possibility of a lot of trade, and that means manufacturing becomes a powerful driving force within the community. In addition to merely shipping the goods of other cities, Binghamton has also done very well for itself with regard to producing cigars, shoes and high-tech machinery. Considering the extensive high-tech pedigree of the area, it makes perfect sense that a large number of defense companies are located there. After all, IBM was founded in this area. As well, Edwin Link invented the first flight simulator in this city, giving it a permanent place not only in the annals of technological history but also in the world of aviation.
One of the most major attractions in Binghamton is the Zoo at Ross Park, which is the fifth oldest zoo in the entire United States. In addition to that, the Kopernik Space Center observatory is the largest public observatory in the entire country. However, the space sciences are also very accessible at the Roberson Museum and Science Center, which includes the Link Planetarium and a great number of other exhibits regarding the history of the area's involvement with the study of the stars.
Of course, space exploration isn't the only cultural hot button in the city of Binghamton. In addition to all of the museums dedicated to facts, there are also areas such as the ART Mission and Theater in the downtown area. This space has both a gallery and a not for profit movie theater. In fact, this is the only theater in the entire country that is both not for profit and dedicated to showing artistic, culturally aware and independent films, as well as foreign films, with and without subtitles. Overall, Binghamton is the kind of place where you can find just about anything you might want to experience.
About Broome County, New York
The city of Binghamton New York is the county seat of Broome County. Named for a lieutenant governor who was in power at the time it was established, the county comes from a long line of separations originally sliced out of Albany County. After several splits, Broome County was finally removed from Tioga County and made a county in its own right. Sitting directly north of Pennsylvania, this is a county in the southern tier of New York, and through which the Chenango River and the Susquehanna River both flow. Split between the foothills of the Catskills to the east and the northern glacial valleys, this is a fairly hilly place overall.
Broome County was originally split from Tioga County in the year 1806, which had itself split away from Montgomery County some time before then. Montgomery County had previously split off of Albany County in prior years, making Broome County its grandchild in a sense. Broome was named after lieutenant governor John Broome, who happened to be in the right position at the time for his name to be immortalized.
Overall, Broome County is a fairly hilly place with plenty of contours about it. Its lowest point and highest point be well over a thousand feet apart in height. The lowest point in the county is along the Susquehanna River right at the state line with Pennsylvania, only 864 feet above sea level. By contrast, the highest point in the county is a hill with no name that sits within the Town of Sanford. This particular hill has a height of 2,080 feet above sea level. However, there is also a place at the county line with Delaware County within the Oquaga Creek State Park where the highest point is of a similar height.
Broome County is not a very racially diverse area. Its population is over 91% white people, and there is barely any individual representation of any races besides African American and Asian people. The median household income was $35,000 per year as of the 2000 Census.