About Us

Location! Location!

Nestled in the southern tier of upstate New York is the city of Binghamton, which serves as the county seat of Broome County. The city is located only a few miles from the Pennsylvania border. Nearest big cities are Elmira (56 miles to the west), Syracuse (73 miles to the north) and Scranton, Pennsylvania (60 miles to the south).

Binghamton is located at the confluence of the Chenango and Susquehanna Rivers. Recent archaeological excavations confirm that this area has been a business and trading center for 3,000 years.

Trinity's location on Main Street one block west of the Chenango River places it squarely within the heart of the city. The neighborhood surrounding the church is a fair representation of Binghamton's evolving ethnic composition and declining economy. Across Main Street from the church is Binghamton High School.

Sharing the Main Street city block with Trinity are the Broome County Department of Social Services and the First Congregational Church. Other buildings in the immediate area include apartment houses, multiple-family dwellings and small stores and professional offices.

The Past

Incorporated as a town within Broome County in 1834, Binghamton lost no time in becoming a thriving commercial center. By the late 19th century, some 50 cigar factories employed 5,000 workers, including men, women, and children. Many other enterprises, including the famed Swamp Root patent medicine factory, provided additional jobs. The prosperity resulting from these thriving industries bankrolled the construction of so many imposing Victorian mansions that Binghamton became known as the "Parlor City." This period coincided with the construction of Trinity Church in an area of several fine homes.

Early in the 20th century, the manufacture of shoes and boots eclipsed cigars as the area's major industry. The Endicott-Johnson Company was a major factor in the shoe industry, employing as many as 20,000 persons and manufacturing 130,000 pairs of shoes every day. The company attracted new immigrants by the thousands from eastern and southern Europe. Its president, George F. Johnson, was legendary for his enlightened approach to labor management, leading the way nationally in reducing the work day from nine and a half hours to eight, offering his workers a way to purchase well-made single-family homes and providing them with a variety of recreational opportunities.

By the 1930s, the area encompassing Binghamton, Johnson City, and Endicott, known as the Triple Cities, supported 89 major manufacturing plants making, in addition to shoes, everything from cameras to cigars, washing machines, pianos, pipe organs and computing machines. Binghamton's population had surpassed 75,000 and was still growing.

In the latter half of the 20th century, IBM (founded in Endicott), General Electric, CAE-Link, Universal Instruments and other defense-related high tech industries supplanted Endicott-Johnson as the leading employers in the area. But, like many old, industrial cities, Binghamton began to see a steadily declining population as businesses followed families to the suburbs. The downtown area's "urban renewal" in the 1970s was unable to stem the city's decline.

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The Present

The latest census data puts the population of Broome County at just under 200,000.

As of 2009, Binghamton's population is 45,020 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of -4.57 percent.

The median home cost in Binghamton is $85,040. Home appreciation the last year has been -1.10 percent.

Compared to the rest of the country, Binghamton's cost of living is 22.60% lower than the U.S. average.

Binghamton public schools spend $7,647 per student. The average school expenditure in the U.S. is $6,058. There are about 12 students per teacher in Binghamton.

The unemployment rate in Binghamton is 9.90 percent (U.S. avg. is 8.50%). Recent job growth is negative. Binghamton jobs have decreased by 1.60 percent.

For more information, see Profile, Census Data, Elderly Population, Binghamton Data, More Binghamton Data.

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Area Highlights

Binghamton is often referred to as the "Carousel Capital of the World." In the 1930s, George F. Johnson, a local manufacturer who was also a great benefactor to the Binghamton area, donated six antique Herschell carousels to local parks. Available for riding at no charge from Memorial Day to Labor Day, all six are now on the New York State Historic Register and the National Register of Historic Places.

Binghamton is also home to the Ross Park Zoo, the fifth oldest zoo in the nation.

Nearby Vestal, located 10 miles southwest of Binghamton, is home to Kopernik Observatory, the largest public observatory in the northeast.

Binghamton University, part of the State University of New York system, is now the area's largest employer. The university presence is a stimulation to the local economy and to the cultural and intellectual life of the community. The Anderson Center on the BU campus hosts many events.

For a community of our size, we are fortunate to have a professional symphony orchestra, The Binghamton Philharmonic; an opera company, The Tri-Cities Opera; and several theater groups, including The Cider Mill Playhouse, Endicott Performing Arts Center, and The Goodwill Theatre. Southern Tier Celebrates presents numerous events, including many free of charge, and they sponsor First Night on New Year's Eve. The Broome County Arts Council provides an on-line arts calendar.

Our public broadcasting and national public radio station is WSKG. Serving a 9 county region, their studios are in Vestal, NY.

The Binghamton Mets are a Minor League Baseball franchise playing in the Eastern League. They are the Class-AA affiliate of the New York Mets.

Hockey's Binghamton Senators are a team in the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliated with the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators.

Bicycle enthusiasts nationally know of our Chris Thater Race.

The Binghamton University Bearcats basketball team was number 1 in Division 1 of the America East conference in 2009.

The Southern Tier is blessed with beautiful hills and lakes and stunning scenery and wonderful opportunities for outdoor recreation. Chenango Valley State Park is nearby and there are numerous county parks in the area.

The Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce will proclaim that we are NOT the cloudiest city in the country.

The Press & Sun Bulletin is our local newspaper.

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