Binghamton’s most prominent geographic landmark is the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers, complemented by a park overlooking the two waterways that surround part of the city’s downtown region. Museums, several sports venues, parks and historic landmarks dot the area on all three sides of the rivers’ convergence, and residents are never far from getting around thanks to a pair of parallel highways bridging the Chenango. “It’s no more than a 10-minute drive anywhere within the city of Binghamton,” says Douglas Harrington, a licensed real estate agent with EXIT Realty Front and Center. “I live on the east side, and it takes me five minutes to get to my favorite restaurants downtown. Everything is 5-10 minutes away in the city of Binghamton, by any stretch.”
A vibrant restaurant scene and a number of local green spaces mean diners can find classic or international fare at diners in the city or along the river, and those getting outdoors have expansive trails, historic carousels and sports fields to choose from. “Binghamton is a pretty diverse community,” Harrington says. “There’s a lot of different cultures represented and there’s a lot of really great restaurants in the area. A lot of people think Binghamton is in the middle of nowhere. We’re a smaller city, but we have everything bigger cities have: art galleries, museums, two professional sports teams. We’ve got all of that.” Binghamton is also part of the Triple Cities, along with Endicott and Johnson City, and has a population of nearly 50,000.
Binghamton is complemented by a park overlooking the two waterways that surround downtown.
Binghamton residents are never far from getting around thanks to a pair of parallel highways.
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Famous locals, minor-league baseball and annual events
Minor-league sports are one of the city’s biggest events. Just outside of downtown, Mirabito Stadium plays host to Binghamton Rumble Ponies games. The team is the double-A affiliate of the New York Mets, and has had players like David Wright, Jose Reyes and Pete Alonso take the field for the club on their way up to the major leagues. “It’s a big draw,” Harrington says. “You’re going to get a nice mix of locals and students. Tickets are cheap, so it’s very affordable, especially for families, to check out.” The Binghamton Black Bears take the ice as part of the Federal Prospects Hockey League, playing at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena, while Binghamton Bulldogs players shoot hoops for the American Basketball Association.
Residents head to the Ross Park Zoo to view a roster of animals that includes lemurs, penguins, wolves and more. A children’s museum, the Discovery Center of the Southern Tier, is also on its grounds. The Bundy Museum of History & Art sits across the Chenango from downtown Binghamton, housing an exhibit that pays tribute to ‘Twilight Zone’ series creator and city native Rod Serling. “I enjoy living here,” says Harrington, who’s called Binghamton home for over a decade. “It’s just very active and engaging, and there’s plenty of things to do. It’s an active community. People are always looking for things to do on the weekends, whether it’s going to a museum or seeing a local theater.”
In northern Binghamton, Otsiningo Park is the site of the annual Spiedie Fest & Balloon Rally, which celebrates the spiedie – a sandwich with various cubes of meat – under the sights of hot-air balloons taking to the sky. “That’s a three-day weekend event,” Harrington says. “They get a big headliner concert, and it brings tens of thousands of people to the Binghamton area. It definitely brings the community together.” The LUMA Projection Art Festival takes place in downtown Binghamton each fall, where artists from around the world project their work onto the city’s buildings.
Mirabito Stadium plays host to Binghamton Rumble Ponies games in Binghampton.
Binghamton residents head to the Ross Park Zoo to view a roster of animals.
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Parks along the river
Confluence Park is one of Binghamton’s flagship green spaces due to its location. The center of the city is marked by the meeting point between the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers, and offers a lookout over the water and the shoreline of southern Binghamton. Southside Park is a long, thin green space running along the Susquehanna lined with benches and trees, and the Binghamton River Trail parallels the Chenango near the downtown area. It links Confluence Park with Cheri A. Lindsay Memorial Park, spans 1.5 miles and accommodates people on foot or on bikes.
There are several sizable parks scattered throughout Binghamton and on all sides of the rivers. “There’s definitely more recreation on the west side,” Harrington says. “A lot of the parks are going to be a little more on the west side of Binghamton.” most notable George F. Johnson Recreation Park. Its baseball diamond has an outfield repurposed for a soccer field depending on use, and it also offers a pool, trails winding under the canopy of trees and more than half a dozen tennis courts. Binghamton is also known as the “Carousel Capital of the World,” and a historic such ride sits in Recreation Park; it’s nearly a century old, helped inspire aspects of a ‘Twilight Zone’ episode and added a statue of Rod Serling in 2024.
Confluence Park is one of Binghamton’s flagship green spaces due to its location.
Binghamton’s most prominent landmark is the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers.
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Older homes occupy much of residential Binghamton
Single-family homes are the most common housing style in Binghamton, but come in a wide variety of architecture including Victorian, colonial, Cape Cod and ranch-style homes. The city is contained within Broome County, and as a whole the region’s median housing price is $169,900, well below the national average of $416,700. “The affordability is a draw,” Harrington says. Some multi-family homes can also be found in Binghamton.
Properties in the city tend to be older, often dating to before 1950. Many even date back to before 1925, and some are even a product of the area’s industry before the turn of the 20th century. “A lot of the homes in Binghamton are going to be older,” Harrington says. “My home was built in 1890. A lot of them are what we call ‘EJ homes’, which stands for Endicott Johnson.” The Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company was a primary employer of the area in the early 1900s, which constructed houses for workers. The corporation spanned the Triple Cities, and many of the homes are similar in style.
Due to its northeastern location, Binghamton’s winters are cold and averages a snowfall of 64 inches throughout the year. That’s more than twice the national average of 28 inches, but its average yearly rainfall is 40 inches: about on par with the annual, national mean rainfall of 38 inches. Temperatures can fall below 20 degrees in the cold-weather months, but the city experiences all four seasons throughout the year.
Single-family homes are the most common housing style in Binghamton.
Properties in the city of Binghamton tend to be older, often dating to before 1950.
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An array of restaurants on all three sides of the rivers
Diners have a variety of options when it comes to finding a place to eat, with many restaurants centered around Court Street, which runs through the center of downtown. “There are so many great restaurants in the local area, even just in downtown,” Harrington says. “We have some more upscale steakhouses, more casual places and some new sports bars that have opened up recently. There’s a pretty diverse food scene, everything from sushi to halal to Thai food. There are a lot of options for people.” Sports fans can grab some grub and a drink while watching a game at a bar, several spots serve up Italian cuisine and there’s even a few ice cream shops to dish out cool treats. Several other pubs, lounges and diners offer various mealtime atmospheres.
Some eateries also participate in annual Restaurant Week events. “Restaurants will put out a smaller menu and there’s a certain price point,” Harrington says, adding that some restaurants host lunch or dinner and multiple courses are included in a discounted price. For groceries, shoppers most often head to two Weis Markets locations, one on the north side of the Susquehanna and one on the south side. Each are less than 2 miles away from downtown Binghamton. Wegmans, Walmart and Target provide additional shopping options to the west of the city.
The Spiedie & Rib Pit in Binghamton is a locally-famous spot to get a sandwich or ribs.
The local Walmart Supercenter in Binghamton provides residents with all their needs 24/7.
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A pair of highways meet near the Chenango
Interstates 86 and 81 run concurrently through the center of Binghamton and across the Chenango River. Interstate 86 is also numbered as Route 17, connecting with Hudson Valley to the east and to smaller cities, as well as Buffalo, to the west. Interstate 81 links with Syracuse to the north and Scranton to the south, and the highways are all conveniently accessible from around the city. “They’re all very close,” Harrington says. “I can think of at least six different access points to the highways within Binghamton.” BC Transit buses provide public transportation through the city.
All roads lead to Binghamton High School
The Binghamton City School District serves the city and receives a C-plus rating from Niche, encompassing nine elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. Regardless of where students attend elementary or middle school for education, all ninth-through-12th graders attend Binghamton High School. Several private schools, including St. John the Evangelist School, are located in and around Binghamton, as well.
Binghamton University is the most prominent college in the area, with several campuses located around the region. The primary complex is located about 3.5 miles west of downtown Binghamton, on the south side of the Susquehanna River. Other campuses include the Downtown Center, situated right in the middle of the city, and the university has an enrollment of more than 18,000. “There are a few different campuses in the local area,” Harrington says. “There are student apartment complexes in downtown Binghamton, and some of the older office buildings in downtown have been converted into student housing. On the west side is where you’re going to find a lot more student houses.”
Binghamton University has also been a prominent factor in the city’s industries encompassing education and healthcare, and there is also a significant presence of technology and food-distribution firms.
Binghamton High School is educating the future leaders of tomorrow
Horace Mann Elementary School is an educational institution that serves K -5.
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Property crimes make up the majority of offenses
Binghamton recorded a total of 2,757 crimes in 2023, according to FBI data, with 1,089 of those classified as violent crimes. Annually, the city records nearly 50 total crimes per 1,000 residents, and is considered safer than 3% of cities across the country.
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