History of Binghamton

Early history

The city was named after William Bingham, a wealthy Philadelphian who bought the surrounding land in 1792. Before that, the first known people of European descent to come to the area were the troops of Gen. John Sullivan in 1779, during the American Revolutionary War.

Binghamton was incorporated as a village in 1834 within the Town of Binghamton and became a city in 1867.

Binghamton was nicknamed the “Parlor City” for its neat streets and attractive homes, including many stately mansions. Now, ironically, many of those stately mansions are now “funeral parlors” (i.e., funeral homes.) During the late 1800s and early 1900s, many immigrants moved to the area, finding an abundance of jobs, leading them to call it the “Valley of Opportunity.”

Binghamton is noted as being the birthplace of both IBM and the Link flight simulator. Until the Cold War ended, the area never experienced an economic downfall, due in part to the generosity of employers (IBM and Endicott-Johnson) and also because of its defense-heavy industries. This concentration of the defense industry made the area the seventh most likely area in the nation for a nuclear attack during the Cold War, and the population peaked at around 85,000 in 1950.

Binghamton is known as the “Carousel Capital of the World” for its collection of historic carousels located in public parks around the area.

Famous residents

Famous people from Binghamton include Rod Serling (creator of The Twilight Zone) and Johnny Hart (cartoonist of B.C. and The Wizard of Id). Richard Deacon of The Dick Van Dyke Show also worked as an orderly in City Hospital, now known as Binghamton General Hospital. Artist Anthony Brunelli known for his photo-realistic landscapes of Broome County.

Binghamton scientist Edwin A. Link invented the flight simulator used for pilot training and video interface technology. David Sedaris (comedian), Anthony George (soap-opera actor) and Jack Sharkey (heavyweight boxing champion) were born in Binghamton. Elmar Oliveira also resided in Binghamton in his younger years and in 1979 when he became the first and only American ever to win the Gold Medal for violin at Moscow’s Tchaikowsky International Competition.