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Old 07-10-2007, 05:29 AM
 
1 posts, read 5,352 times
Reputation: 11

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I have lived in the Elmira area most of my life and thogh the downtown area has deteriated areas outside the city are thriving, there is a great deal to do her there are concerts in all of the area parks throughout the sumer there is the Clemens Center, The arena , many museums, Eldridge Park, many area recreational facilities a big retail expansion to the west of Horseheads a new wal-mart super store under construction , kohls, best buy target many lakes close by. Crime has increased somewhat but where hasn't it. This is a very good community with many good people
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Old 07-13-2007, 11:48 AM
 
24 posts, read 24,797 times
Reputation: 12
Default Binghamton blues

Binghamton is a horror. The previous posts are correct. The thing most notable about the area is the unhappiness that abounds. Everywhere you go, people seem miserable. Nobody smiles and nobody seem to be having any fun in life. Many people are stuck there because they purchased houses a decade or so ago. While property values skyrocketed throughout the country over the past decade, Binghamton's and those of the surrounding area sunk or, even in the best case, did not rise. Homes purchased in Binghamton at 100, 000 a decade ago may now sell at 102,000 (leading the local yokal realitors to announce that home prices have risen) while homes purchased elsewhere a decade ago for 100, 000 are now worth two and three times that. As a result, most people simply can not afford anything elsewhere. IN the meantime, the tax base has dropped considerably. The proportion of people dependent upon medicare and medicaid has risen. City upkeep has risen and the number of people paying taxes has diminished so much that the property and school taxes each year can approach 10% or more of the value of the house. The downtown is pretty much boarded up, vacant and crumbling. Poverty is the boom business. It would be hard to find a climate more harsh or a community that sits under clouds for a higher proportion of days. It is really the pits. The worst part of lack of opportunity Broome County is the fact that it is so isolated, So, if you can not find something in the pit of a town, it is nowhere to be had for 100 miles. Imagine placing the worst few blocks of your community on an island under clouds and snow and prohibiting boats that could get you to civilization. That is the greater Binghamton area. Glad to be well out of there.
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Old 07-13-2007, 11:54 AM
 
24 posts, read 24,797 times
Reputation: 12
Also, to get a really good idea of Broome county go to www.bcvoice.com and take a look. You will want to run.
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Old 07-13-2007, 06:04 PM
 
Location: Tioga County
954 posts, read 2,484,830 times
Reputation: 1723
What seems to breeze on by these experts? on the negativity of Binghamton is the fact this city(isolated??) is rarely looked at as detached from the rest of the "valley". For you former experts that would be the area from the Pa border out through eastern Tioga county. I guess I should be the one to tell these transplants in eastern Tioga cty(from L.I., NYC, NJ, plus Lockeed Martin transfer-in's..that they have made such a terrible mistake...sure...
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Old 07-14-2007, 06:40 PM
 
Location: Fingerlakes, NY
14 posts, read 48,246 times
Reputation: 17
Lightbulb Ithaca is gorges, not George's ("10 sq. miles surrounded by reality")

Ithaca has been named America's Most Enlightened City > UTNE | America's Most Enlightened Towns < & here are some other reasons I love calling Ithaca home....

Ithaca Health Alliance
Ithaca HOURs Online: Home Page
Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County
Discovery Trail
Complete guide to Ithaca, NY hotels, attractions, dining, shopping and recreation with maps and driving directions. The official web site of Ithaca, New York and Tompkins County Convention and Visitors Bureau in the Finger Lakes.
etc.

Nice immediate area with lots within walking distance or relatively short driving distance. Not too far from Niagara Falls, Adirondacks, Montreal, NYC, Philly, etc.

EDIT: I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that URLs would post this way.
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Old 01-09-2008, 04:15 PM
 
2 posts, read 9,185 times
Reputation: 11
Talking I LOVE The Tri Cities Area!

As a new transplant here I can only say how blessed I am to find a warm and inviting town like Binghellton. What can I say, whenever I want to meet someone who is the mean age for the region, young and sexy in their 70's, I can just look around. Who knows, maybe we can go for a walk in a dangerous MOB run neighborhood and then drink some carcinogenic water.

Then, maybe we can go eat a really h0mo spedie. I just can't wait until the gubmint starts handing out Prozac here. Has that day arrived yet? I need to 'up' my dosage!!!

I really LOVE dealing with ripoff realtors and sharks who want to take advantage of me! I thought I had to go to NYC for that, but NO ----they'r right here, ready to rent unlivable substandard housing at inflated monopoly rates! What a country!!

What I most love about the town is its flexibility. Like when driving on 'The Parkway', one has to drive many many blocks to get the opportunity to do a u-turn. With progressive rules like that, it is sure to attract many more transplants like myself.

Or paying NINE TO TEN BUCKS FOR CHINESE FOOD WITH HAIR IN IT! I thought I had to go to a five star restaurant in Chinatown, but no, we have that right here at exit 70 at Harry L drive.

Then there's the investment factor. I know that I can invest 50k in a run-down house here, and in only 47 more years, it's be worth at LEAST 52 THOUSAND DOLLARS, maybe more!!!!!!!


Sincerely,
Schmoe S. Shmuckster
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Old 05-10-2008, 03:02 PM
 
49 posts, read 355,411 times
Reputation: 56
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schmoe View Post
As a new transplant here I can only say how blessed I am to find a warm and inviting town like Binghellton. What can I say, whenever I want to meet someone who is the mean age for the region, young and sexy in their 70's, I can just look around. Who knows, maybe we can go for a walk in a dangerous MOB run neighborhood and then drink some carcinogenic water.

Then, maybe we can go eat a really h0mo spedie. I just can't wait until the gubmint starts handing out Prozac here. Has that day arrived yet? I need to 'up' my dosage!!!

I really LOVE dealing with ripoff realtors and sharks who want to take advantage of me! I thought I had to go to NYC for that, but NO ----they'r right here, ready to rent unlivable substandard housing at inflated monopoly rates! What a country!!

What I most love about the town is its flexibility. Like when driving on 'The Parkway', one has to drive many many blocks to get the opportunity to do a u-turn. With progressive rules like that, it is sure to attract many more transplants like myself.

Or paying NINE TO TEN BUCKS FOR CHINESE FOOD WITH HAIR IN IT! I thought I had to go to a five star restaurant in Chinatown, but no, we have that right here at exit 70 at Harry L drive.

Then there's the investment factor. I know that I can invest 50k in a run-down house here, and in only 47 more years, it's be worth at LEAST 52 THOUSAND DOLLARS, maybe more!!!!!!!


Sincerely,
Schmoe S. Shmuckster

Maybe you need to do a recheck on your real estate facts. As far as the median age being in the 70's, well I thought some of those B.U. students were looking older! With moving towards more than 14,000 of them here now, this is truly becoming a full-fledged retirement community. I am sure you were just having a bad moment in seeing things clearly.

Why did you transplant yourself here? Please do not say you had no choice. We have heard that before. Well, since this is an old thread we won't see your answer. But for the record, did you not look into the area first so that you understood what you were getting yourself into? Apparently not. That would be poor planning on your part. And Broome County is not responsible for that, no matter how you twist it.

This poster is an example of what Broome County has been dealing with for a long time. People who arrive here with false expectations that are of their own creation and then blame the area for not living up to the ridiculous standard of being "The Entertainment Capitol of the Nation."
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Old 05-11-2008, 10:33 PM
 
2 posts, read 9,185 times
Reputation: 11
Thanks for posting a reply that didn't go straight for the jugular; unlike many tech forums which oppose the slightest difference in perspectives.

For the record, I am no longer there and 10,000 percent better, at least, since I have more order and stability in my life, and the quality of people went up by the same factor, as soon as I drove out of the GLOOM county area. Having said that, there were indeed a few exceptions to this, and I do missing hanging out with them. But overall my view of that area is very very clouded with negativity.

I came there as part of a computer project and did not have ANY sort of expectation related to anything whatsoever. Are you kidding me? Entertainment? What - cuz Rod *SERLING* is from there???? You have GOT to be kidding me on that.

I was aghast at what I saw, as compared to real civilization. Honestly my beef isn't with anyone there from an individual standpoint. There is no doubt to me though that there are some serious problems with the business community and this 'culture of ripping off' newcomers - well documented and tested in several sectors by myself and a former co-worker, and validated to some extent by a local friend of ours. One of the places that I was shown to rent was SO BAD I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.....picture the worst public gas station restroom that you have ever seen and that is what they were trying to rent to me. Disgusting. There were some other VERY underhanded bait-and-switch deals that some of the ESTEEMED MEMBERS OF THE REAL ESTATE COMMUNITY did -- which simply would not fly in ATLANTA or SAN JOSE or ORLANDO or PHOENIX or a lot of other places other than upstate NY. Actually the culture there seems to have more in common with Mexico than in a lot of other places....ya need to bribe and pay everyone in cash everywhere you go, just to make it through your daily routine.....

And not even the PRESIDENT of Davis University wants to live there. If you were hiring a University President, wouldn't that be a pretty visible position? The guy is gonna live in MIAMI and work in Binghamton NEW YORK??? HUH? What's wrong with this picture??? Did the Mafia get him the job?

Of course, there are some filmmakers currently filming the Ayn Rand classic 'Atlas Shrugged' which covers themes of declining morality and social decay. It is starring Angelina Jolie. Maybe someone should call their film crew and get them to set up a remote 'Binghamton' unit.....it has all the right scenery, imagery, bad attitude, corruption, etc.....
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Old 05-12-2008, 08:55 AM
 
49 posts, read 355,411 times
Reputation: 56
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schmoe View Post
Thanks for posting a reply that didn't go straight for the jugular; unlike many tech forums which oppose the slightest difference in perspectives.

For the record, I am no longer there and 10,000 percent better, at least, since I have more order and stability in my life, and the quality of people went up by the same factor, as soon as I drove out of the GLOOM county area. Having said that, there were indeed a few exceptions to this, and I do missing hanging out with them. But overall my view of that area is very very clouded with negativity.

I came there as part of a computer project and did not have ANY sort of expectation related to anything whatsoever. Are you kidding me? Entertainment? What - cuz Rod *SERLING* is from there???? You have GOT to be kidding me on that.

I was aghast at what I saw, as compared to real civilization. Honestly my beef isn't with anyone there from an individual standpoint. There is no doubt to me though that there are some serious problems with the business community and this 'culture of ripping off' newcomers - well documented and tested in several sectors by myself and a former co-worker, and validated to some extent by a local friend of ours. One of the places that I was shown to rent was SO BAD I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.....picture the worst public gas station restroom that you have ever seen and that is what they were trying to rent to me. Disgusting. There were some other VERY underhanded bait-and-switch deals that some of the ESTEEMED MEMBERS OF THE REAL ESTATE COMMUNITY did -- which simply would not fly in ATLANTA or SAN JOSE or ORLANDO or PHOENIX or a lot of other places other than upstate NY. Actually the culture there seems to have more in common with Mexico than in a lot of other places....ya need to bribe and pay everyone in cash everywhere you go, just to make it through your daily routine.....

And not even the PRESIDENT of Davis University wants to live there. If you were hiring a University President, wouldn't that be a pretty visible position? The guy is gonna live in MIAMI and work in Binghamton NEW YORK??? HUH? What's wrong with this picture??? Did the Mafia get him the job?

Of course, there are some filmmakers currently filming the Ayn Rand classic 'Atlas Shrugged' which covers themes of declining morality and social decay. It is starring Angelina Jolie. Maybe someone should call their film crew and get them to set up a remote 'Binghamton' unit.....it has all the right scenery, imagery, bad attitude, corruption, etc.....
Well, the Rod Serling deal is over-played, I will grant you that. They actually put his old house on one of those trip planner sites as a tourist attraction! I do not know if that is Binghamton's fault, or the site's. I think the house it is just privately owned by someone now and used as their home. Not going to be too compelling for a visitor.

This is a community that is trying to rebound after being clearly depressed for decades. It doesn't happen overnight. But that doesn't mean it doesn't and can't happen. I rented in Endicott a few years ago and don't know anything about these bait-and switch tactics you mention. Endicott is just minutes from Binghamton. Well, as far as paying everything in cash...I guess my credit card bill is just an illusion, then. I just don't know who you are dealing with who would require you to bribe them.

But I think one of the key statements in your post is that you now have more order and stability in your own life and are therefore happier. How much of the issue was really Binghamton?

Also Davis College, not University, a Bible College in Johnson City--well I am not convinced that where the president lives, which I do not even know the facts on that anyway, is your best argument here. So what? I also highly doubt that the Mafia got someone a position at a Bible College. Come on, be real.

Actually, I am surprised that you responded to this again. Thought you would have stopped looking at threads about Binghamton long ago....
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Old 09-29-2008, 11:37 PM
 
1 posts, read 4,139 times
Reputation: 10
Default Wrong

what you said is over 100% wrong. I've never heard anybody say that about Binghamton,Vestal or anything like that about Broome County before, and trust me i work where i have to talk to hundreds of diffrent people that live in Broome county. I honestly don't think where ever you lived before Broome county was better. I'm out of the county and state alot. I honestly think Binghamton and its region is the best upstate New York, city to be living in. Alot of places I go,to Virginia,Florida,Massachusetts,Ohio and especially west coast like Seatle,Portland rain everyday.Those states are so annoying,the heat in the summer of florida,the humid weather of Virginia and its rainy summers, gloomy massachusetts(springfeild). Compared to our beautiful Green summers and springs, Extremly colorful fall,and a cozy winter you can actually spend christmas and new years like in the stories. Not be breaking sweat next to a fake christmas tree. Binghamton of coarse as every city hase positive and negative things about it but difinetly alot of great things about it. Vestal puplic schools are one of the best schools in the nation. About the old popualtion, I only see the schools getting bigger in size colleges get more new buildings, the downtown's average pedestrian is not older than the age of 30. To ask alot of people in NYC who have visited Binghamton they would say they like it alot. And I stay in touch with alot of people from the City. But you know Some people are the kind of people that don't enjoy nothing in life and complain about anything or Anywhere they are.
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