Binghamton is located in upstate New York and is the county seat of Broome County. Located in the Southern Tier of New York, at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers. Binghamton has a population of nearly 48,000. However, like many other older cities in the Northeast, the populatiojn of Binghamton has been in decline for the past few years. The Binghamton Metro Area includes approximately 252,000 residents. Binghamton is part of the "Triple Cities," which also include Endicott and Johnson City, which are actually villages. Interstates 81 and 88, intersect in Binghamton.
The city was named after William Bingham, a wealthy Philadelphian who bought the surrounding land in 1792. Before that, the first known people of European descent to come to the area were the troops of Gen. John Sullivan in 1779, during the American Revolutionary War.
Binghamton (actually Endicott) is noted as being the birthplace of both IBM and the Link flight simulator. Until the Cold War ended, the area never experienced an economic downfall, due in part to the generosity of employers and also because of its defense-heavy industries. This concentration of the defense industry made the area the seventh most likely area in the nation for a nuclear attack during the Cold War, and the population peaked at around 85,000 in 1950.
Famous people from Binghamton include Rod Serling and Johnny Hart. Binghamton scientist Edwin A. Link invented the Flight Simulator used for pilot training and video interface technology. Also, soap-opera actor Anthony George was born there.
Current major companies in the area include Rockwell Collins, IBM, L-3 Communications, Lockheed-Martin, Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Gannett, Frito Lay, Maines Paper & Food, BAE Systems, and Universal Instruments.
Binghamton University, part of the SUNY system, is located in nearby Vestal. Broome Community College and Davis College also call Greater Binghamton home. The Ridley-Lowell Business & Technical Institute provides short-term career-oriented training.
It is the “carousel capital of the world,” with six working carousels in the area. The Ross Park Zoo is the fifth-oldest zoo in the nation. The Binghamton area is the home of the regional dish known as the spiedie, celebrated at the annual Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally, held at Otsiningo Park. The B.C. Open, part of the PGA Tour, is played at the En-Joie Golf Course in Endicott. The area’s Kopernik Observatory is the largest public observatory in the northeast.
The nearby suburb of Vestal has many strip malls along a five-mile stretch of the Vestal Parkway (NY Route 434). Johnson City has the region’s largest indoor mall, the Oakdale Mall. Other area shopping centers include the MetroCenter, in downtown Binghamton.
The area is home to the Eastern League's Binghamton Mets (AA affiliate of the New York Mets) and the Binghamton Senators (AHL affiliate of the Ottawa Senators). Division I College Sports are played at Binghamton University.