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==History== [[File:DL&W Station BinghamtonNY.jpg|left|thumb|Former [[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad|DL&W]] Station, part of the [[Railroad Terminal Historic District (Binghamton, New York)|Railroad Terminal Historic District]]]] ===Early settlement=== The first known people of European descent to come to the area were the troops of the [[Sullivan Expedition]] in 1779, during the [[American Revolutionary War]], who destroyed local villages of the [[Onondaga people|Onondaga]] and [[Oneida people|Oneida]] tribes.<ref name="broomehist" /> The city was named after [[William Bingham]], a wealthy Philadelphian who bought the 10,000 acre [[patent]] for the land in 1786, then consisting of parts of the towns of [[Union, New York|Union]] and [[Chenango, New York|Chenango]].<ref name="broomehist" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Binghamton: Building the Parlor City |url=http://www.wskg.org/episode/binghamton-building-parlor-city |publisher=WSKG |access-date=August 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417170637/http://wskg.org/episode/binghamton-building-parlor-city |archive-date=April 17, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Joshua Whitney, Jr., Bingham's land agent, chose land at the junction of the [[Chenango River|Chenango]] and [[Susquehanna River|Susquehanna]] Rivers to develop a settlement, then named '''Chenango Point'''.<ref name=broomehist /><ref>{{cite book |last=Hinman |first=Marjory |title=Whitney's Town |year=1996 |publisher=Broome County Historical Society |location=Binghamton, NY}}</ref> After being officially conveyed the land by Bingham on July 4, 1800, Whitney arranged for the construction of the settlement's first two streets, Court Street and Water Street, and the first residence was built later that year.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lawyer |first1=William |title=Binghamton, Its Settlement, Growth and Development |date=1900 |publisher=Century Memorial Publishing Co. |pages=64β71 |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/01024521/ |access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Henry Perry |title=History of Broome County: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers |date=1885 |publisher=D. Mason & Co. |location=Syracuse, N.Y. |pages=198β203 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofbroomec00smit/page/n7/mode/2up |access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref> Whitney continued to expand Chenango Point and sell plots to new settlers, and helped erect the first [[Court Street Bridge (Binghamton)|bridge]] in 1808.<ref name=broomehist /> The significant growth of Chenango Point led to its incorporation as a [[village (New York)|village]], and its official renaming as Binghamton, in 1834.<ref name="bingcityhist" /><ref name=broomehist/> [[Daniel S. Dickinson]] was chosen to be the first village president.<ref name=broomehist/> [[File:Binghamton, NY LOC 91680390.tif|thumb|[[Perspective map]] of Binghamton from 1882 published by [[L.R. Burleigh]]]] The [[Chenango Canal]], completed in 1837, connected Binghamton to the [[Erie Canal]], and was the impetus for the initial industrial development of the area.<ref>{{cite book |last=McFee |first=Michele |title=Limestone Locks and Overgrowth: The Rise and Descent of the Chenango Canal |year=1993 |publisher=Purple Mountain Press |location=Fleischmanns, NY |isbn=978-0-935-79644-5}}</ref> This growth accelerated with the completion of the [[Erie Railroad]] between Binghamton and Jersey City, NJ in 1849.<ref>{{cite web |title=Erie History |url=http://www.erierailroad.org/erie-history/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130831191659/http://www.erierailroad.org/erie-history/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 31, 2013 |publisher=Erie Railroad Historical Website |access-date=August 31, 2013}}</ref> With the [[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad]] arriving soon afterward, the village became an important regional transportation center.<ref name="broomehist" /><ref>{{cite web |title=DL&W, Erie, and D&H Early Binghamton History |url=http://www.trainweb.org/SVRHS/earlyRR.html |publisher=Susquehanna Valley Railway Historical Society |access-date=August 31, 2013 |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113014557/http://www.trainweb.org/SVRHS/earlyRR.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Several buildings of importance were built at this time, including the [[New York State Inebriate Asylum]], opened in 1858 as the first center in the United States to treat alcoholism as a disease.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1611239784&ResourceType=Building |title=New York State Inebriate Asylum |date=September 15, 2007 |access-date=August 31, 2013 |work=National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher=National Park Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024164429/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1611239784&ResourceType=Building |archive-date=October 24, 2013}}</ref> ===Growth as a manufacturing hub=== Binghamton incorporated as a [[city (New York)|city]] in 1867 and, due to the presence of several stately homes, was nicknamed the '''Parlor City'''.<ref name="bingcityhist"/> In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many immigrants moved to the area, finding an abundance of jobs. During the 1880s, Binghamton became the second-largest manufacturer of [[cigar]]s in the United States.<ref name="broomehist" /> By the early 1920s, [[Endicott Johnson Corporation|Endicott Johnson]], a shoe manufacturer whose development of [[welfare capitalism]] resulted in many amenities for local residents, became the region's largest employer.<ref name="ejhist">{{cite book |last=McGuire |first=Randall |editor-first=Julian |editor-last=Thomas |title=Interpretive Archaeology: A Reader |publisher=Continuum |year=2000 |pages=228β245 |chapter=Chapter 13: Building Power in the Cultural Landscape of Broome County, New York, 1880β1940 |isbn=978-1-441-17929-6}}</ref> An even larger influx of Europeans immigrated to Binghamton, and the working class prosperity resulted in the area being called the Valley of Opportunity.<ref name="broomehist" /><ref name="ejhist" /> [[File:Bird's-eye View, Binghamton, NY.jpg|thumb|[[Court Street Historic District (Binghamton, New York)|Court Street]], c. 1910]] In 1913, 31 people perished in the [[1913 Binghamton Factory Fire|Binghamton Clothing Company fire]], which resulted in reforms to the New York fire code.<ref>{{cite news |title=The fire at Binghamton |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 24, 1913 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/07/24/100636950.pdf |access-date=August 31, 2013 |archive-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207023626/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/07/24/100636950.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Simonson |first=Mark |title=Binghamton fire spurred improved safety laws |work=The Daily Star |location=Oneonta, NY |date=July 19, 2008 |url=http://thedailystar.com/columns/x112901097/Binghamton-fire-spurred-improved-safety-laws |access-date=August 31, 2013 |archive-date=June 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628044329/http://www.thedailystar.com/columns/x112901097/Binghamton-fire-spurred-improved-safety-laws |url-status=live }}</ref> Major floods in 1935 and 1936 resulted in a number of deaths and washed out the Ferry Street Bridge (now the Clinton Street Bridge). The floods led the city to build flood walls along the length of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers.<ref name="broomehist" /><ref>{{cite journal |last=Coates |first=Donald |title=Geomorphology in legal affairs of the Binghamton, New York, metropolitan area |journal=GSA Special Papers |year=1976 |volume=174 |pages=111β148 |doi=10.1130/SPE174-p111 |series=Geological Society of America Special Papers |isbn=0-8137-2174-1}}</ref> During the [[Second World War]], growth continued as [[IBM]], which was founded in greater Binghamton, emerged as a global technology leader.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=IBM |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of New York State |editor1-last=Eisenstadt |editor1-first=Peter |editor2-last=Moss |editor2-first=Laura-Eve |publisher=Syracuse University Press |location=Syracuse, NY |isbn=978-0-815-60808-0 |year=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tmHEm5ohoCUC&pg=PA756 |access-date=August 31, 2013 |archive-date=April 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403021131/https://books.google.com/books?id=tmHEm5ohoCUC&pg=PA756#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Along with [[Edwin Link]]'s invention of the [[Link Trainer|flight simulator]] in Binghamton, IBM's growth helped transition the region to a [[high-tech]] economy. Other major manufacturers included [[Ansco]] and [[General Electric]].<ref name="bingcityhist" /> Until the [[Cold War]] ended, the area never experienced an economic downfall, due in part to its [[defense contractor|defense-oriented]] industries.<ref name="broomehist" /> The city's population peaked at around 85,000 in the mid-1950s.<ref name="bingtimeline">{{cite book |title=A Brief History of Binghamton, NY, The Parlor City |year=1984 |publisher=Binghamton Public Library |location=Binghamton, NY}}</ref> ===Decline and recovery=== [[File:BinghamtonTSLee2011.jpg|right|thumb|Flooding in 2011 due to the remnants of [[Tropical Storm Lee (2011)|Tropical Storm Lee]]]] Post-war [[suburb]]an development led to a decline in the city's population and the rapid growth of the towns of [[Vestal, New York|Vestal]] and [[Union, New York|Union]].<ref name="broomehist" /> Like many other [[Rust Belt]] cities, traditional manufacturers saw steep declines, though Binghamton's technology industry limited this impact. [[Urban renewal]] efforts to reverse these trends dominated construction in the city during the 1960s and early 1970s and led to the destruction of many ornate city buildings.<ref name="broomehist" /> The construction included the creation of [[Government Plaza, Binghamton|Government Plaza]], the [[Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena]], and the [[Brandywine Highway]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Heavey |first=James |title=$80,000,000 Public-Private Outlay Urged to Rebuild Mid-City Area |url=http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper4/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201961/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201961%20-%204061.pdf |access-date=August 31, 2013 |newspaper=The Evening Press |location=Binghamton, NY |date=March 22, 1961 |archive-date=January 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113212313/http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper4/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201961/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201961%20-%204061.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Five-Stage Plan Is Urged to Cushion Impact |url=http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper4/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201963/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201963%20-%200580.pdf |access-date=August 31, 2013 |newspaper=The Sunday Press |location=Binghamton, NY |date=January 13, 1963}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Fitchette |first=Woody |title=City Gets $6,363,571 Project 1 Renewal Aid |url=http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper4/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201968/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201968%20a%20-%205447.pdf |access-date=August 31, 2013 |newspaper=The Binghamton Press |date=November 13, 1968 |location=Binghamton, NY}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> While these projects failed to stem most of the losses, they established Binghamton as the region's government and cultural center.<ref name="broomehist" /> The city's population declined from approximately 64,000 in 1969 to 56,000 by the early 1980s.<ref name=psb>{{cite news |first=Jeff |last=Platsky |title=Former Binghamton Mayor Al Libous dies |url=http://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/2016/06/30/former-binghamton-mayor-al-libous-dies/86572176/ |work=[[Press & Sun-Bulletin]] |date=June 30, 2016 |access-date=July 16, 2016 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703063729/https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/2016/06/30/former-binghamton-mayor-al-libous-dies/86572176/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:Binghamton, New York skyline.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Binghamton's skyline]] As the Cold War ended in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union, defense-related industries in the Binghamton area began to falter, resulting in several closures and widespread layoffs<ref name="bingcityhist2">{{cite web |title=History |url=http://www.binghamton-ny.gov/history |work=City of Binghamton, New York |access-date=August 31, 2013 |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054455/http://www.binghamton-ny.gov/history |url-status=dead}}</ref> These were most notable at IBM, which sold its [[IBM Federal Systems|Federal Systems]] division and laid off several thousands of workers.<ref name="pewcenter" /> The local economy went into a deep recession, and the long-prevalent manufacturing jobs dropped by 64% from 1990 to 2013.<ref>{{cite news |last=Platsky |first=Jeff |title=Binghamton region gains 100 jobs, but manufacturing at all-time low |url=http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20130307/BUSINESS/303070048/Binghamton-region-gains-100-jobs-manufacturing-all-time-low |access-date=August 31, 2013 |newspaper=Press & Sun-Bulletin |location=Binghamton, NY |date=March 7, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130831191656/http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20130307/BUSINESS/303070048/Binghamton-region-gains-100-jobs-manufacturing-all-time-low |archive-date=August 31, 2013}}</ref> In the 21st century, the city has tried to diversify its economic base to spur revitalization. The local economy has slowly transitioned toward services and healthcare.<ref name="jobshift" /> Major emphasis has been placed on [[Binghamton University]], which built a downtown campus in 2007<ref>{{cite web |title=Campus Facilities |url=http://www.binghamton.edu/visiting-campus/campus-facilities.html |publisher=Binghamton University |access-date=August 31, 2013 |archive-date=April 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403174541/https://www.binghamton.edu/visiting-campus/campus-facilities.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and several student housing complexes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Binghamton & Regional Economy |url=http://www.binghamton-ny.gov/binghamton-regional-economy |publisher=City of Binghamton, New York |access-date=August 31, 2013 |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113020229/http://www.binghamton-ny.gov/binghamton-regional-economy |url-status=dead}}</ref> The increased downtown residential population and the university's plans to build additional student housing have spurred development of supporting businesses and a renewed focus on the riverfront.<ref name="downtownrevival">{{cite news |last=Robinson |first=David |title=A year of revival for downtown Binghamton |url=http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20121227/NEWS01/312270049/0/news01/Binghamton-had-a-significant-year-in-terms-of-turnaround- |access-date=August 31, 2013 |newspaper=Press & Sun-Bulletin |date=December 27, 2013 |location=Binghamton, NY |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130831192912/http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20121227/NEWS01/312270049/0/news01/Binghamton-had-a-significant-year-in-terms-of-turnaround- |archive-date=August 31, 2013}}</ref> Unfortunately, two severe floods have stymied the recovery: while most of the impact of the [[Mid-Atlantic United States flood of 2006]] was in the surrounding metropolitan area, the remnants of [[Tropical Storm Lee (2011)|Tropical Storm Lee]] topped city flood walls in September 2011, causing $1 billion of damage in greater Binghamton.<ref>{{cite web |last=Masters |first=Jeff |title=Tropical Storm Lee's flood in Binghamton: was global warming the final straw? |url=http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/tropical-storm-lees-flood-in-binghamton-was-global-warming-the-final |work=Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog |publisher=Weather Underground |access-date=August 31, 2013 |date=December 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831041512/http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/tropical-storm-lees-flood-in-binghamton-was-global-warming-the-final |archive-date=August 31, 2013}}</ref> On April 3, 2009, the [[2009 Binghamton shooting|deadliest mass shooting in New York history]] occurred at the [[American Civic Association (Binghamton)|American Civic Association]]'s offices in Binghamton.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Esposito |first1=Richard |last2=Thomas |first2=Pierre |last3=Goldman |first3=Russell |last4=Potter |first4=Ned |last5=Michels |first5=Scott |title=Binghamton Rampage Leaves 14 Dead, Police Don't Know Motive |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=7249853 |access-date=August 31, 2013 |newspaper=Nightline |agency=ABC News |date=April 3, 2009 |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055514/http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=7249853 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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