“Hell, but cold,” “The Most Depressing City in America,” and simply “Binghamton :(“ are all ways I have heard the town in which I grew up being described. Most people, especially young people, who live here, claim they can’t wait to leave. Binghamton is often pointed to as a boring city with humdrum towns, subpar suburbs and nothing to do. A friend from downstate recently told me that “If you're from Binghamton, you lie, and if you say you’re from Binghamton, you're lying.” Honestly, I get it. We don’t get a lot of sun and it’s raining probably half of the time, so it’s easy to look at life through dreary glasses. But still, I wonder how many of these claims actually hold water, and if Binghamton is so bad in the first place. So, this is me, trying to make myself like this place a little bit more:
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| An Ariel View of Downtown from the Susquehanna River. By Rick DeGraw. |
1. We’re Not That Depressed
There is this myth that Binghamton is the saddest town in the US or something, and after researching this, it’s safe to say that it is nowhere near that. Most legitimate lists actually crown Detroit (obviously) as the most depressing, with cities like Buffalo and Spokane not trailing too far behind. I have not encountered Binghamton being on any real list of the most depressed towns or cities in both the US or even New York. There is one survey where Binghamton lands itself at #5. But this survey was solely based on opinion (i.e. questions like “Do you feel depressed in your town?”), and not actual statistics like median household income, cost of living and employment.
SUNY Broome. Photo taken by me.
2. Carousel Capital of the World
I never understood why people don’t talk more about this. There are six up and running antique carousels in the Greater Binghamton Area. Considering that there are less than 170 working antique carousels in North America, this is kind of a big deal. The best part of all this, I think, is that they are free to ride. This is because shoe manufacturer George F. Johnson (of Johnson City), refurbished and donated them to the city through 1919-1934. They are open from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year, and are located in Ross Park, Recreation Park, Highland Park, West Endicott Park, C. Fred Johnson Park, and George W. Johnson Park.
3. Ross Park Zoo
Since I just mentioned the iconic zoo, I should also bring up the fact that Ross Park Zoo is the fifth oldest in the Nation (opened in 1875!), with the rest being located in Central Park, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Buffalo.
Ross Park Carousel. Photo by Ross Park Zoo.
4. Location
This might be a little contradicting, but Binghamton is a perfect place to live if you’re into road trips. New York City is about three hours away, Philadelphia is just under that, plus the Fingerlakes Region is under two hours away. Not to mention, the other smaller cities that are just over an hour away like Ithaca and Scranton.
5. Food
There’s a running joke that the only thing to do in Binghamton is eat. That’s not true, but it’s not hard to see why we think that. Binghamton and the Southern Tier in general are completely saturated in exceptional, locally-owned restaurants, with a focus on Italian and Greek cuisine. It’s never possible to have too much of a good thing when it comes to food. Same goes for coffee shops. If you’re in Downtown Binghamton, you're never more than 5 minutes away from a great local and independent coffee shop. Thanks, Binghamton University students. Also: Spiedies.
Chicken Spiedies. Photo by Joshua Bousel.
6. Affordable Cost Of Living
This one might come as a surprise since you’re probably used to hearing people complain about the high taxes in the area. That is an issue that haunts all of Upstate New York. It’s not unique to Binghamton. That being said, the City of Binghamton has a fairly low cost of living at 86.7. Cost of living is a socio-statistical tool that measures the average price of housing, food, transportation, healthcare and utilities specific to one statistical area. The average cost of living in the US is 100. For reference, the cost of living in Ithaca is 107.3; Owego: 91.7; Albany: 101.3; and Philadelphia: 110.8.
7. Revitalization
The Greater Binghamton area has had a recent history of both economic and infrastructural decline due to the catastrophic floods of 2006 and 2011. But we remain resilient. In 2018, Mayor Rich David announced a $20 million series of 32 projects throughout the Binghamton Metropolitan Area. This money is expected to be sunk into startup companies, housing and retail centers. Take a drive through Downtown and it’s clear that something is happening for us.
Back of Merill-Lynch Building in Downtown. Photo taken by me.
8. Culture
With the ever-expanding influx of college students to Binghamton, our culture is growing with it. This has manifested in art installations like First Friday, LUMA and smaller pop-up galleries from local artists like Anthony Brunelli. Walking around the city, the growing murals and mosaics you'll see indicate Binghamton’s budding art scene. Of course, it’s hard to forget the city’s old bourgeois culture as a Parlor City in the 1800’s. Just take a look at the Roberson Mansion Museum and the Phelps Mansion on the Historical Westside or the First Ward’s gold-roofed grand Ukrainian-Orthodox churches. This area also has it fair share of local bands, like Second Suitor and Tom JuLu, who play around town regularly.
Susan Jablon Mosaics
This seems like a good place to stop, but I could keep going on with what makes Binghamton special. Simply put, Binghamton is a great smaller city that is easy to enjoy if you’re willing to get out and try. The oh-so-millenial attitude of “there’s nothing to do here” will follow you anywhere you go if you refuse to immerse yourself in local culture. You don’t have to love it here, but don’t ruin it for the rest of us.
Walking Bridge on the Southside. Photo by me.
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