Every city or town evolves through the years.  Binghamton is no exception.  If you were born in the 80's or 90's and had the power to go back in time, I bet you would not even recognize Binghamton of yesteryear.  My parents would talk of a different kind of Binghamton.

For one thing, the population of the Greater Binghamton area was much larger.  For a period of 20 years between 1890 and 1910, Binghamton was known as one of the largest 100 cities in the United States.  At its' height, Binghamton population was sitting at 80,674 in 1950.  Today, the United States Census Bureau estimates the population of the Binghamton as 46,299.  In 1950, people lived primarily in the City of Binghamton.  As the decades preceded, the population moved out of the city and to Union, Vestal and surrounding towns and villages.

Here are a few things you may not know about Binghamton and what we were famous for.

  • Names -  Binghamton history shows 3 nicknames including, Valley of Opportunity because of the vast manufacturing jobs that were available here, the Parlor City, due to the large number of stately mansions that featured large sitting areas known as parlors and the Carousel Capital of the World because of the large number of working carousels.
  • Cigars and more -  Binghamton was known as a major cigar manufacturer in the country.  I remember stories of my grandma taking the train from Binghamton to work in the cigar factories in Owego.  In addition to cigars, Binghamton was a major manufacturer of cameras and supplies (Agfa-Ansco), computers (IBM), shoes (Endicott Johnson), flight trainers (Edwin Link), washing machines, pianos and organs, sleighs, furniture, scales and Swap Root medicine.  Binghamton was thriving.
  • Weather - The Farmer's Almanac ranks Binghamton behind Syracuse in the top 10 worst weather cities, with over 160 days of precipitation a year. I truly think that trend is changing.
  • Sports - Binghamton has a rich history in baseball that dates back to 1877.  Names such as the Crickets, the Bingoes, theTriplets and the current Binghamton Mets groomed and produced some very big names that got their start in Binghamton including Whitey Ford, Bobbie Richardson, Ken Harrelson, and more Jay Payton, Jose Reyes, and David Wright.  My Dad would tell me very year the entire Yankee team would come to Johnson Field to play an exhibition game with the Triplets including greats like Joe Dimaggio and Thurman Munson!
  • Architecture and Treatment - The Carnegie Library is just one of the amazing buildings that catch people's eyes in the triple cities.  Binghamton is known for it's historic architecture including the famous "castle that" sits on State Hospital Hill that was built by Isaac Perry in the late 1850's.  It put Binghamton on the map as the first hospitals to treat alcoholism.  The Inebriate Asylum was also known as the  Binghamton Asylum for the Chronically Insane.

Binghamton is always evolving.  It's nice to visit the history of the city and know where it has been before we seek the future.  I love my hometown.

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