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Hello there. I wonder if anybody would be kind enough to tell me a bit about Binghamton and the surrounding area? I am basically curious about the weather, crime, and a basic summary of how it is to live there. Thank you.
Binghamton, population roughtly 48,000, is just over the PA/NY state lines. Medium-small sized city, parts overlooking the river. Crime is like any city of its size. Outlying areas include Vestal, Endicott, Johnson City all smaller is size but close enough to Binghamton.
Climate is a "comedy of errors" -- cool, wet & lush springs, hot, humid summers, beautiful colors in fall & crisp air, winters are RAW -- snowy, but LOTS of ICE too. LOTS OF FOG !
Oh, thank you- I was beginning to think that no one knew where it was. Lots of what you told me, I have been able to find out through my "places rated" book and online. I can get a tiny bit of it's over-all picture by looking at homes on realtor.com and looking at their city site. What I can't get is someone's opinion of the city. I don't mind a small town. I have never lived up north before, so I don't really know if "lot's of ice" is good or bad. If the latter, why? Could you give me an example of heating costs? The feel of the city? Is it clean? Charming? The good and the bad. We may be relocating there with my husband's job and as excited as I would be... (I have always wanted to live where it snowed) I enter with VERY little knowledge of what cold really feels like. Yikes!
I left the Binghamton area 40+ years ago....There are folks that never have and don't know better...they have never seen the rest of the world........ tis a dismal place that has less sunny days than Seattle on an annual basis..the following is a typical forecast...If you are naturally depressed this is an area you need to live in...............
TONIGHT - Increasing clouds. Lows in the upper 40s. Southeast winds around 10 mph.
THURSDAY - Cloudy. A chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 60s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.
THURSDAY NIGHT - Rain. Lows around 50. Southeast winds 10 to 20 mph.
FRIDAY - Showers. Highs in the upper 50s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
FRIDAY NIGHT - Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers. Lows in the mid 40s. East winds 10 to 20 mph.
SATURDAY - Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers. Highs in the upper 50s.
SATURDAY NIGHT - Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers. Lows in the lower 40s.
SUNDAY - Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers. Highs in the upper 50s.
SUNDAY NIGHT - Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers. Lows in the mid 40s.
MONDAY - Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers. Highs in the mid 60s.
MONDAY NIGHT - Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers. Lows in the mid 40s.
TUESDAY - Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers. Highs in the lower 60s.
TUESDAY NIGHT - Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers. Lows in the mid 40s.
WEDNESDAY - Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers. Highs in the lower 60s.
Hope this helps............. !!! I'm happier now that I have stayed away...
By the way...you don't mention where you are moving FROM...I have lived in many places over the years since my days in the Binghamton area....
Well I guess if it's your husbands job that is relocating you to Bingo, you don't have much of a choice of other Upstate NY cities. Binghamton is a college town to SUNY (State University of New York) Binghamton. It is a school that many kids from Long Island go to because it is very affordable. Because of the high number of college kids, and it not being a very "prestigious" school, there tends to be drug activity in the city itself. The other small upstate city that is a college town, Ithaca, about 2 hours away, is much nicer and MUCH better off economicaly. I am moving home to Rochester soon. I would suggest one of the smaller towns outside of Binghamton like Windsor. Most small towns in Upstate NY are very charming and quaint like New England. And the people are very friendly like those in the midwest.
I agree with i'mformed- Ithaca IS a much nicer city. Depending on what your quality of life priorities are, Ithaca can easily rank up near the top of american small cities. If your relocation requirements put Ithaca in range, definitely have a look.
Upstate NY winters can be kind of messy. I've lived in MN, where it gets so cold that the snow that fell in December is still on the ground in March, and in a way that makes it easier. I've also lived in coastal New England where Monday's foot of snow is gone without a trace by Thursday. But then there is upstate NY, where (in my experience) the snow just kind of lingers in a slushy, muddy state...
I suspect the novelty of a real 'winter' climate will wear off quick... but the rest of the year can be very, very nice (if a little hot and humid mid summer!).
Yeah, Upstate has (in)famous winters. But it's pretty unfair because the rest of the year it's absolutely beautiful. May (right now) everything is turning green and all of the many flowering trees are in full bloom. Durrin summer there is a festival every day for some thing or another and everything is very green. The Finger Lakea are the perfect temperature for fishign boating and even swiming on. And the falls; from late September to early November, are absolutely stunning, I can't even put it into words. You haven't seen autumn until you've seen it in Upsate NY or New England.
Thanks everyone. That's alot to chew on. I don't think the weather is our biggest concern- (even though I have only lived in FL and TX and never felt any temp below 20 something degrees)- The drug issue in such a small city concerns me more. I'll check more into the stats and try to compare to what I am familiar with. I have a couple more questions if anyone can spare the time. Is there a large Italian/American innfluence in Binghamton or even NY as a whole. Sort of like I see a great deal of German here in north central Texas... ? Also, the prominant religions here seem to be Baptist and "Church of Christ" Which I am neither. Is there a faith that is more common in the area or state? One other thing, This is directed to i'minformed, as I have read your posts (oincluding this one) and see that Rochester seems to be your stomping ground (or was)- My husband's job has potential to take us to a few places- We are in the driver's seat to choose our final destination.(What an adventure!) There are about seven cities in NY that may be offered to him in the end. Rochester is one of them. Based on my prior concerns, could you help me to "wrap my mind" around that city? I'm so excited!! Thanks so much!
Rochester is my former and future stomping grounds. I was born and raised in the area (Greece) and moved to NC 11 years ago. But I am moving back to Rochester hopefully by this summer. There are two Rochesters; one is thriving and one is sadly, seriously struggling. Rochester has traditionaly been considered the "white collar city" of Upstate NY, a mostly blue-collar area. Kodak, Baucsh&Lomb and Wegmans (a grocery store that in moving to Upstate NY, you will find the locals worship) all have their headquarters there and Xerox has the majority of it's employees there. B&L, Xerox, and the University of Rochester are the area'e white collar economic engines that are doing pretty well right now. But Kodak, wich was founded in Rochester in 1880 and been it's top employer from then until this year, when UR outranked it. Is in trouble. The way it seems to be now is; east of the Genesee river you will feel that you are in a thriving metropolis. There is a lot of new construction of large upscale neighborhoods and many young professionals with families. But West of the river, you are in the more blue-collar manufacturing/industrial part of the area. The people in Rochester have been rated the friendliest in America 3 times and in the "top ten friendliest" every single time since the list has been published. The city also donates more money per-capita to charities than any other in the nation. New York State does tend to have large italian presnce in most areas. And I'd say that at least 7 out of 10 churches are Catholic. Buffalo has a strong Polish and Irish presence, and Rochester has a strong Irish, German and Italian influence. Rochester is also on Lake Ontario, one of the great lakes, and many families in the area own "cottages" on the lake in neighboring counties of Orleans and Wayne.
Dear I'minformed, I'd say your name seems to profile you nicely. I sincerely appreciate your input. You can bet I will be using that info. for the next few weeks as aid/help for my deeper research on New York. I thought your description of the population was refreshingly ironic for me and my family--as I am American with Italian/Irish parents and grandparents and my husband is Irish/Welch/German... We are Catholic as well... Seems to me NY may be a nice fit! Plus, we are nice too! I can't wait to find out more! Thank you for taking time to reply! How fun! Good luck with your move!
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!!! I'm happier now that I have stayed away...
