Quote:
Originally Posted by ckhthankgod
"Sketchy" in Binghamton can't be too bad, as it is one of the safest cities to live in the country. Can't be too bad. With that said, it seems like those places are few and far between down there.
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Okay... here's the "real" Binghamton/Southern Tier deal.
Me...I'm 27 yrs old and I've lived in this area my entire life. I've found myself stuck here like many people and am striving to get out. Every time I hear an opportunity knocking - I jump on it and soon I will find a way out but I will always come home to visit! As a teenager we called Binghamton "the arm-pit of America". Now I look back and think, maybe that was harsh but I think in all reality, it's just the truth.
Some History: Once upon a time, the entire Southern Tier was a great place to live and then one by one, the factories and big-businesses moved out. Some of the most important to the area: Endicott-Johnson Shoe Factory closed it's doors, IBM-Endicott closed their doors; NYSEG downsized and laid-off, Frito-Lay has downsized and laid-off, basically over the years business has declined or moved. Now, Binghamton has a large population of senior citizens and students and an even larger population of people who are "stuck". This area is a vacuum it sucks you in and you can't get out because you never have the available resources. Also... there was a "small" chemical spill in Endicott, so if you're thinking about moving that way, then you might want to check to see where the "plume" is before you go because this "spill" which was actually dumping back in the 50's-70's from good ol' IBM has caused quite a lot of health related problems including rare cancers. And yes, as a Binghamton native, I do know someone...My grandmother who worked for IBM in the 60's-80's died from the cancer caused by the chemical spill. There's also a large rumor that seems to be true that when people started to leave the area, the county made a deal with Government/Low-income/public assistance offering an area for NYC residents on public assistance a place to call home and ended up bring hundreds of the homeless and jobless to the area. But then there's some really neat things like the fact that Broome County is the Carousel Capital of the World or that we have this neat meat called speedies that we put on sandwiches or how about our Balloon festival every year? Or how about Ross Park Zoo (a small and poor zoo now) is the 5th oldest zoo in the United States. In my personal opinion the most awesome history of Binghamton is the New York State Inebriate Asylum - which was the first hospital in the nation founded to treat alcohol as a disease (did I mention this area is full of alcoholics??!!) Anyway, it opened in 1864. In 1879, after Governor Lucious Robinson declared the inebriate asylum a failure, it became the Binghamton Asylum for the Chronic Insane. It was renamed Binghamton State Hospital in 1890 and Binghamton Psychiatric Center in 1974 before being closed in 1993. In 1997, it was listed as a national historic landmark. But... upon closing many of the insane where dropped onto the streets of Binghamton.
Employment & Education: Yes, it is true, Binghamton is the host of Broome Community College and Binghamton University. BU has been ranked one of the top public universities on the Kiplinger List and it is! I'm an alum! So this area is great for downstate college kids who are coming up here for 4-6 years to obtain a decent education and then move somewhere where there's opportunity that just can't be found here.... I graduated 2+ years ago and haven't been able to land a decent job to save my life. Most jobs in the area pay 8-10 dollars an hour. I finally landed an okay job in November and just found out they too are closing their doors. All over in the Southern Tier, employers are closing their doors, down-sizing, or just not offering pay that any one person let alone a family can live off. Employers post jobs stating that a position requires an Associate's degree and then hire people with Master's degrees and pay $30,000/year. Binghamton University is a great place to work but due to the overall State of New York's economy, there's a freeze on employment. Yes, Lockheed Martin is also a good place to work if you're an engineer. Unfortunately, Lockheed is about 30-40 minutes outside of Binghamton and therefore, usually not the first choice for Binghamton residents.
Crime: As far as Binghamton or the Southern Tier being unsafe... well there are bad spots and good spots just like everywhere. There are streets that might not be a good idea to take a stroll down at night such as Crandal, Susquehanna, Pine, etc. If it doesn't look so hot, then it probably isn't. Generally speaking though, it's not really scary. Most of the crime is due to drugs. Yup, that's right, there's a huge drug and alcohol problem in this area (remember the Inebriate Asylum). You can easily find out where the good and bad areas are - just drive around and you'll see and if you're not sure, then ask any resident and they will fill you in.
Housing: Yes, rents are probably considered affordable if you do not count on income from employment in the Southern Tier. If you are employed here, then don't count on rent being real cheap. 7 years ago I had a gorgeous 1 bedroom apartment that took me months to find and it was 350/month + utilities. Today, that cost would be approximately 500/month. Also, a lot of old houses are made into apartments which makes for some crappy apartments. I currently live in an old mansion. It looks amazing on the outside but honestly, it's a dump. It's drafty, the heat hardly ever works correctly, a water pipe burst last month and my entire apartment stunk of mold and old insulation from the early 1900's until the landlord had it all fixed. I have no closets because the rooms were "thrown" together. My kitchen is a hallway and my bathroom is most likely where there once was a closet. There are a ton of "slum lords" in the area - people who buy up cheap houses, fix them up to "good enough" standards, and rent them out and then they disappear or don't fix things and suddenly you find that you have a broken hot water heater for 6 months causing your utility bill to be almost as much as your rent (true story!). In terms of real estate - it's generally priced right but look carefully or you'll kick yourself for closing too low or buying too high. Also, watch the property taxes... some areas around here are awful!
Area: Yes, Binghamton is an old city and there are some really neat aspects but then there's some odd ones too. Who the hell builds a highway around a river??? That land could have been beautiful river-front property but instead it's highway scenery. Also, everything is "mixed" up. Instead of an area being primarly residential, another industrial, another financial, etc., there's a little of something everywhere. Residents keep hoping that there's potential for this area due to the University - there really is but not until the government decides to join in and do something to turn this area into a college-town like Ithaca and Cornell. What else can I say? Don't forget about the Endicott Chemical spill. Otherwise, this area is a highway hub with 81, 88, and 17 all connecting which gives anyone easy access to NYC, Albany, Syracuse, Scranton and Harrisburg. But... all of those areas are also striving to get by. When I was a kid, lots of people in this area were truck drivers, my father was one of them. Now, he can't find a load up the Northeast coast to save his life, especially in the New York area.
Climate: Ah... the 2006 flooding. There are areas in the city that are prone to flood every year and they include pretty much any place near the river. The Conklin area can get pretty messy. Parts of Riverside drive, especially where the Chenango & Susquehanna meet (Exchange Street Bridge and underpass, Conklin avenue, etc.), Many areas that are really close to the river or are at levels considered below the river in Endwell, Johnson City, and Endicott. For instance, a few places on 17 and 17C flood, parts of Old Vestal Road, areas in Endicott and Endwell that run very close to the river, Endicott Union High School's Football Field, the intersection of Country Club Road and Harry L. Drive, etc. Also, many large streams that flow into the Chenango have flood problems. These places habitually flood and some years are worse than others. 2006 was the worst flood that we've seen in this area in a very long time but every year people are displaced and/or fixing their homes. That's just part of living near two large rivers that meet and being in a valley - water is simply part of the territory. Just try to stay out of the flood zones and if you do this, then you shouldn't have any problems and if you're close, then get insurance or you could find yourself up the creek without a paddle! Other than that, winters are okay. They aren't terrible like Syracuse but they aren't great. The past 10 years or so have been very mild in comparison to when I was younger. The summers are pretty nice - not too hot but often humid. Of course, as the winters get mild, the summers tend to warm up. Many people say there's a "cloud" over Binghamton and yes, I agree, there seems to be. It rains a lot in this area and is often cloudy but when the sun does come out on a warm autumn day it's just gorgeous!
Culture/Food: Read up on the history of Binghamton - it's a melting pot of culture! Probably the BEST Italian cuisine around and of course, the asian food is also to die for. Lots of Greek restaurants and diners. Autumn and Summer are terrific for fresh fruits and vegetables especially apples, corn, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, tomatoes, etc. Don't forget the fresh honey and maple syrup!
Realistically, this area isn't going to improve anytime soon. I would LOVE to stay around here. My husband and I would like to raise a family in this area if it looked the way it did when we were toddlers and before but it doesn't. Simply put, this area has tons of potential but not until everyone gets on the same page and makes it happen. Until then, it's going to continue to go down hill, that's all there is to it. It's a great place for college students to live because it's a pretty cheap area if you're from elsewhere and have the resources to pay, or the upper middle-aged and senior citizens who have pensions, 401K and Social Security but that's about it.
As the area continues to descend into economic despair, the beauty will too.
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Binghamton Native & Resident: "The Truth"
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