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Old 03-25-2007, 12:19 PM
 
4 posts, read 23,291 times
Reputation: 15

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While the Binghamton area has its negative...it has many positives as well. Granted, the city of Binghamton itself has been decaying for years, areas like Vestal are booming. The Vestal Parkway which starts about 3 miles from downtown Binghamton, has so many stores and restuarants, it is impossible to name them all. The Parkway is 10 miles of plaza after plaza (although this makes it very congested) But outside of that, some of the negatives are true. But if you go to the right places, you will not see any sign of this decline. The Broome County Arena is also experiencing a resurgence, with more famous artists coming now than ever before, attracting an increasing amount of visitors into the downtown area. Last year alone, we had 6 concerts attrating just under 10,000 people by some artists like the Goo Goo Dolls, Cher, and Lonestar (just to name a few). The weather here is very gloomy however. It is not unheard of for snow to fall as early as Halloween, and fall as late as mid-April (however snow usually falls from about Christmas to late-February) Right now it is March 25th and about 45 degrees and overcast outside (normal spring weather). Winters are very cold, Spring and Fall usually see temps. in the 40's and 50's. Summer sees typical afternoon t-storms and very humid conditions, but temps. rarely go above 85. Another note, the area usually see's annual flooding from the Susquehanna River, which in the past couple years has hampered the redevelopment process (with 3 major floods in a 24-month period).
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Old 04-18-2007, 06:05 PM
 
2 posts, read 10,099 times
Reputation: 11
I have to agree with the others here. Binghamton itself is not a place I would want to live, I don't even like to visit. But Vestal's nice, and the suburbs of Endicott are okay. Definitely spend a few days checking out the area before you make any permanent decisions.
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Old 04-19-2007, 01:20 PM
 
Location: Tioga County
954 posts, read 2,486,403 times
Reputation: 1723
Default It's great everywhere else but here.......sure....

There's a common theme in many state forums..."Convince me to move to your area." Of course they've already lived in 5 other(or was it 15) other places, and are still looking for just that right spot. Would they make good neighbors(as in -involved in the community)....or bail out the minute it wasen't "quite right" anymore?.....You gotta' wonder.
As for the Binghamton area (usually includes Broome, Tioga and Chenango counties to most locals....well...I say look at what people are looking for across the U.S. I live near Owego(Tioga County). Have traveled around the U.S. for school/work/ and Uncle Sam, but always kept my residence in this area. I said it in some other post, but I'll say it again, "Go anywhere in the U.S. Live there a while, and if you're honest, you can find negatives about it.)
It just all depends what you're looking for. Some examples; are you a guy(18-35) looking for short/long term relationship w/the fair? sex..try Atlanta..MANY females...you'd have to be dead not to get a date. Okay, you live for the sun, have bucks$$$$, and like to be "trendy"...SoCal. is the place for you. Looking for a high paying Business or "Techi" job...hmmm...Seattle...Charlotte..NYC...there's more. But what if you'd like to live in a community that still resembles a town and and not a development/gated community? Well, maybe not in Binghamton itself..but there's dozens of nearby areas with smalltown/suburban/rural places that have a decent infrastructure with some of the best(low) prices in the U.S. My opinion...no...that's right from the NY Times(2006 article).
I used to train technicians in repair work(till 2002) from across the U.S. While here, they'd check out the "Southern Tier". They were usually stunned at the prices of homes/property(as in inexpensive). Jobs?..sure..we took it on the chin(that include my wife and myself) back in the 90's. Adapt and overcome. We have other jobs, and I might add, the area's job market has crept up since 01'. Do we have old buildings...duh..what do you expect,it's an older settled area of the U.S. And I might add...those "drab" buildings in Binghamton(talked about here) are getting a lot of interest from outside investors.
Look, this area didn't run into problems overnight, and the road back will be slow. If you want fast...be my guest..move to Vegas...instant communities...if they really fit the defintion of one.
I know that here in Tioga County, we have been getting a LOT of interest from folks wanting to relocate(esp. since 9/11, it seems). The area's not for everybody, but is anywhere?
So, in keeping with the "Why you should move here reasons", Let me add a few that would generally get overlooked"...proximity within 4 hours to NYC, Philly/the coast/ Canada/ New England/etc. English spoken here..everywhere here(been to AZ. or SoCal lately?). A live/let live attitude towards those who don't resemble what you look like or what your name is(I can personally back that one up), water..yeah, that's right..water..in any form. Think that doesn't matter? Give it about another 10-15 years. Some areas of the U.S. will be in big trouble. A lack of small creatures trying to sting, bite, or invade your home...meaning no fire ants, chiggers, scorpions, super-sized roaches, almost no ticks or any of the really dangerous spiders, etc....
Now some of these are kind of off-the wall...but you get the idea. By the way, I'd compare my neighbors to neighbors anywhere in the U.S.
I'm not a realtor, nor do I work for the Chamber of Commerce. And I guess, when it comes down to it, I really wouldn't want to live in an area that was curently "the right place". To explain that one, talk to folks in Idaho, Montana, etc...
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Old 04-19-2007, 06:20 PM
 
Location: NY
417 posts, read 1,886,515 times
Reputation: 440
Great post Tioga.

(Though I do know of someone who was bitten by a Brown Recluse spider in Binghamton!)
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Old 04-19-2007, 06:43 PM
 
Location: Tioga County
954 posts, read 2,486,403 times
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Thanks for the compliment. As for the spider...it's hard to tell..unless you caught the spider for proof afterwards. I got quite a nasty(first ever) spider bite last fall. I believe it was from an adult "dirt spider"(The dark ones often seen on the ground or in some old basements. As I recall from the Army, almost all spiders can give some type of bite..usually mild. That could have been a brown recluse your friend met...although it is outside their range.
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Old 04-21-2007, 06:28 PM
 
Location: Athens ,Tennessee
98 posts, read 387,671 times
Reputation: 33
My friend who moved to Tennessee is from Whitney Point NY . I came up there with him and his girlfriend for a couple days to get more of his belongings, and I thought it was nice, rural, and the folks were super friendly and down to earth, just like we are in the South.
He had also mentioned that Binghamton use to be a booming town in the 70's and 80's and a good deal of it's population has migrated down to Dixie.
I hope ya'll can rebound from whatever economical "slump" the area's had to endure. Keep a positive attitude afloat, Its a nice area.
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Old 04-21-2007, 10:10 PM
 
185 posts, read 989,796 times
Reputation: 42
Binghamton. gasp! as far as small cities, it's got all the typicals. notmuch parking, one way streets, unusual housing options, lots of traffic, and old buildings in need of help. I stay out of it as much as possible.

but the surrounding area, johnson city, endicott, vestal, owego, etc are great. so binghamton area great, just avoid binghamton itself
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Old 04-22-2007, 06:26 AM
 
Location: Peekskill, NY
26 posts, read 227,789 times
Reputation: 21
Default Climate, eh....

Back in the late 1960s, early 1970s, I went to Harpur College (as Binghamton University was called then).

And what doesn't change -- at least that quickly -- is the climate.

With Binghamton's position in the Susquehanna River valley, it is far more cloudy than, say, Syracuse to the north or Scranton to the south.

It was a grey area then, and from the previous posts in this thread, seems to be pretty darn grey now.

So, putting aside economic and social growth, if overall climate matters and you like sunshine, Binghamton is one of the least attractive cities in upstate New York.

Dave, who would rather have snow than cold rain in winter
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Old 04-26-2007, 03:48 PM
 
1 posts, read 4,596 times
Reputation: 11
Thumbs up Binghamton is our new home

My husband and I recently bought a new home in the Binghamton City southside area for around 104,000. We have 4 bedrooms and 2 baths in 2010 square feet, and a nice size backyard with a lovely garden for me to work on. My neigbors are nice.

Now coming from NYC that is a whole lot of house for our dollars. We love our home. The neighborhood is quiet. Everyone we have encountered so far are friendly if not overly helpful.

We are in close proximity to just about everything we need. We may have to drive about ten minutes or so for some shopping. The Vestal shopping strip is about 10 mins away. The Oakdale Mall is about 12 mins away. There are numerous parks that aren't very far either. The library is walking distance.

I'll admit it took some time for us to get a house that we were happy with in the price range that fit our budget best. But it was worth the work. The main problem was that the nicer homes were under contract within such a short period of time. We had to be quick.

My complaint is employment. There isn't much to choose from. I expect all of this to change. NYC is becoming impossible to survive. If you didn't purchase years ago you had better be financially set to purchase now.
I expect that groups will start to branch out into other areas.

But for now I love Binghamton. I feel much more relaxed in Bingahmton than in NYC.
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Old 04-27-2007, 08:00 AM
 
Location: Tioga County
954 posts, read 2,486,403 times
Reputation: 1723
Satin Streams...what you've said falls in line w/my earlier post. Just the other day a "Jerseyite" approached me in Owego, asked how the housing/land situation was around here. I've noticed one of the draws to the southern tier has actually been it's proximity(3-5) hours from NYC/Jersey/LI. They want to get away but still be able to go there within a reasonable time because of family. Glad you like the area.
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