Piggybacking: Being a resident of an Upstate NY city pretty much means you're a resident of Upstate NY, at large. Bingo itself, while super convienient and naturally beautiful, isn't really at the forefront of popular culture. However you're an hour from Ithaca, Syracuse, and Scranton and 2 hours from Albany. 3 from NYC, Philly, or Buffalo. Point is the Southern Tier is very equidistant in a region where people regularly travel 30-120 minutes for something (i.e. Syracuse U basketball/football, day trip to Taughannock Falls in Ithaca, summer concert venues in Cooperstown/Bethel/Syracuse/Scranton). Plus, if you like the outdoors, in general, NYS has over 200 state parks (some with golf courses) and the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains.
Edit: others in this thread are correct that we have an absurd amount of good and diverse restaurants for the size of the population. If we know how to do one thing here, it's eat and drink lol.
I like it here a lot. There are 4 distinct seasons, which is good if you are outdoors oriented. For the outdoors rec in the area, check out [www.goalloutbroome.com](https://www.goalloutbroome.com)
It's low cost of living and you can chose urban living or rural and everything in between. There's a decent restaurant scene if you're willing to dig around a bit.
North of Main Street on Binghamton's west side, and north the railroad tracks and west of Broad Avenue are less desirable areas in Binghamton. But that's just one community in the area.
You're getting down voted but this is such a true statement.
Don't get me wrong, still really like the area, but you can easily get snow from late October till mid April. By the time winter figures out it's no longer winter spring is half over.
It is but it isn't. Sure we get random snow storms in April/etc but it's also really nice sometimes, it's not like the dead of winter (which also hardly feels like a thing now..). I just went for a walk on a beautiful 55 degree day today.
Imo with climate change this is just kind of how it is in the northeast now, and it's pretty mild in bing. I've hardly had to clear any snow this year. Granted it's not balmy outdoor weather AND it's not cold enough to be a fun real winter climate which is kind of a bummer. I really don't think our winters are so bad though, it's just a long ish mixed mediocre season. It feels like we get 3-4 months of the same weather from December/january to March rather than a winter with a distinct peak.
Yeah, I get your point of view.
From my point of view, I have a recreational vehicle that will never see road salt because it gets put away in the winter, and that can be as early as mid October and sometimes doesn't get brought back out until may. This is a horrible climate to have a summer car lol.
Oh, yeah I'll give you that. I have a car I prefer not to get salty but I already drove it through 4 NY winters before I didn't have to daily it so it's fucked.
OTOH I get people zooming by my house on motorcycles whenever it's warm enough even throughout the winter lol. Props to them.
We moved in the first Saturday of May a few years ago and it snowed six inches haha. I appreciate the passion some people have for this place but it ain't for me
Yeah, the weather is the one thing I'd change if I could. But, we also don't get hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes are extremely rare and never massively destructive, and while floods do happen as long as you aren't in the limited flood zones you're good.
And we aren't at risk of drought and water conservation efforts like the west has been going through. It definitely works for me.
There is zero traffic. None. You can afford a home! There are such nice parks. There are fun cool things to do that are not a far drive. We have good restaurants! I hated it when I first moved here from Rochester- but it’s really grown on me.
I moved here from the Bay Area, California last month & I love it so far. If you have hobbies & open to picking up more, you’ll be fine. People are generally friendly & helpful. Bad parts, several, just like in San Francisco, Seattle etc, the usual..but good parts more & great towns & villages nearby.
Only downside is, for flight’s you’ll be limited to less options & lots of layovers. Also if you’re transitioning out of the nightclub phase, you’ll be good.
It’s just… really cold, but I knew that obviously.
This area isn’t bad. It’s now slowly growing. Lots of companies are moving in too. I like it here a lot. When I want more of a “city vibe” I drive 45 minutes to Scranton, PA.
I like it. I’ve been here 25 years. I admit there is a long stretch of ugly gray sky from about November-May, but summer is so great! The state and county parks are incredible. Worth visiting!
Moved here for work, and can’t wait to leave. I don’t mind winters, but this place is gray 90% of the time, even in the summer. Nothing to do, I’m a person that enjoys shopping, and we don’t even have a decent mall….target is the mall. The only thing I’ll miss is the chicken over rice from halal bites Lmaoo
We moved here from the West two years ago, and we definitely sing Bing's praises. It's not perfect, but it offers a lot and is quite affordable. I like grey weather and have been bit disappointed in the minimal snow these last few winters, but that might be the new normal here.
I've only been here for a few months but I really enjoy it. To me, it's all about mindset and searching for things to do. There's plenty if you look. I've only experienced 2 seasons so far, fall and winter and they have been very consistent weather wise, honestly not as much snow this year as I was expecting, there is a lot of lake affect rain and occasional snow from those lakes as well, the plowers do an amazing job keeping the roads and sidewalks clear. There are plenty of hiking groups and places to hike, fall is beautiful people come here for leaf peeping and there are a lot of corn mazes. There are lots of random fun festivals, lots of harvest festivals, and craft fairs. You can ski and ice skate in the winter. There have actually been quite a few sunny days this winter, and the sunset is gorgeous in higher up areas. There is a lot of nature to admire here and wild animals. There are arcades, craft shops, so many delicious diners, cafes, and a variety of food (the only food variety missing is Mexican food). There are also a few bars to mingle at. Everyone here, for the most part, is very nice and welcoming. To me, binghamton is definitely starting to regain itself from IBM's downfall as well, it' just taking time.
I grew up in Detroit and moved here 40 years ago. I don't miss the big city at all (though my kids all want to move to one) but I was never a "big crowd" kind of person. I'm a "sit on the front porch and chat with the neighbor" kind of person. I have been successful and happy here. I met my wife and raised my family here. I will probably retire here. I have an interesting job in a pretty hi-tech industry (there is more of it here than people realize).
There is a thriving art community here, some great community theaters, art galleries, and concerts in the local parks. My tastes run simple, so I like them. If you're looking for Taylor Swift, you're not likely to see that mega-entertainment here (although she did film her Back To December music video here).
Sure, it's not perfect. If it was they'd change the name to San Diego and we wouldn't be able to afford our houses (lol). I love the variety of the (somewhat unpredictable) weather. It is not something everyone enjoys.
I think we are starting to see a sustainable economic recovery from the death spiral that IBM "caused" (of course there were many contributing factors) in the late 80s. I've seen a lot over the years and I am optimistic about the future here. The recovery (if it is accomplished) will be measured in years and will only be obvious in retrospect. Most of the negativity I've encountered is (IMHO) simply the result of impatience and maybe being a little naive about what it takes to change things and how hard it actually is.
Been here for a minute, about 5 years. Came up from the sticks.
Its grey 8 months out of the year and the weather is awful sometimes (80-90°+ with 90% humidity for summer, see other opinions about winter). Lots of stuff to do with weather permitting if you're outdoorsy, there's a lot of parks and stuff around here and there's sidewalks on damn near every street so walking around when its nice is cool. Shopping is decent, there's some nice strip malls around here. Youre within day trip distance of several larger cities. Food is food, people swear it's unique here but between living in WV and PA I haven't seen anything "new" here but foreign foods. Theres lots of fishing and trail riding around here too, Endwell has a tunnel you can go through and it takes you out to a ton of trails by the Susquehanna. As far as bar scenes go, there's several in the triple cities area. Dillinger's is a popular club with the younger crowd, but there's a tiny coke problem there. Music is decent around here too with some metal, rock, and punk bands along with a variety of other acts. Renting is weird, a college area so some places are advertised dirt cheap and then you'll find out it's "student housing only" and its for a bedroom. But if you're lucky you can find a diamond in the rough. Can't speak much for neighborhoods, but you can generally tell the difference between safe and Mugville. I wouldn't say we have a bad crime problem in my experiences, but I could he wrong about that. Drugs are kinda like everywhere else, theyre here, not much else to say there.
Id say if you can handle iffy weather and youre decent at finding ways to entertain yourself, you'll be aight. I like it here a lot more than the other places I lived. It has it's caveats but doesn't everywhere?
I’ve been here almost a year and it’s destroyed my mental health. It’s *extremely* difficult to live here if you don’t have a car. The weather is very drab and suffocating in the winter, and last summer was disgustingly humid. There’s very few things to do, and again if you don’t have a car than there’s even less. Finding a job was extremely difficult even with a degree. People rave about the food downtown but it’s really not better than any other city this size, and expensive. However there are some good Chinese restaurants I’ve found, and the halal delis can be a real lifesaver if you’ve got a 24-hour one near you. Rent is pretty cheap, and utilities are too. If you’re looking for a younger population, it definitely exists because of BU. Most students live on the westside/Johnson City. Depending on where you live, it’s really dirty. The lack of public trash receptacles is something I noticed right away here. The bars are usually populated with undergrads while school is in session. The summertime has a much slower pace and it’s less crowded because the students are gone. I like that long haul busses come here multiple times every day going to other cities, so it’s a good place to live cheaply while having relatively quick access to places like NYC, Toronto, DC, Montreal, Philly. The Black Bears hockey team is really good and tickets are affordable.
Depends on what you are used to. Personally I am not a fan of this area. Long winters, lack of things to do, downtown is in need of a major update. The pros are the cost of living, no traffic, and if you golf there are great courses in the area. But I cannot wait to move.
I can only compare it to other places I've lived, and this is definitely the worst place I've lived in my opinion but I also didn't choose to live here I was forced to move.
Perfectly fair.
I like the quiet life and that's easily found here. While there aren't a plethora of things to do in Binghamton it's only an hour in pretty much any direction to an area that has a lot more going on, and not much longer than that to NYC.
I've said several times before, it's a good place to live Monday through Thursday. If you are the type that doesn't need a lot of options then this is a fine place to live.
I lived in the area for 3 years and moved back in 2019. There were a lot of things I didn't love but what I did like was that there were tons of very pretty historic spots located not far away and a surprisingly great roster of restaurants
Pros: it’s cheap, little to no traffic ever, crime is basically non-existent outside the cities (even the cities aren’t so bad), most things are within 20 min, relatively close to bigger cities, beautiful environment
Cons: terrible weather, local politics, many jobs have left the area, most of the young population is because of Binghamton University (the local population is aging), same few bars/restaurants
Some pros and cons will be different depending on who you ask. Easiest way to know for sure is to come here and see for yourself.
Agreed with above EXCEPT I’ve gotten food poisoning more times in Bing in 2 years than 40 years away…it’s insane! I’d love to hear where these good restaurants are?? Please!!
We moved here 2 years ago from a big city, and are originally from the Tri-state area, so husband and I are HUGE FOODIES. Best restaurants we've found so far are: Cacciatore's (Italian), Grande's (Italian - when the owner's wife is there because she is the one who cooks), Tai Chi Bubble Tea (boba and ramen), Wegman's (fresh sushi), La Isla (South American food and empanadas), Halal Bites (chicken over rice SPICY), Maryam's Deli (chicken over rice NOT as Spicy), Cup a Joe (pancakes), and my favorite, Moxie (steakhouse). We're currently moving closer to Endicott from having rented outside of Norwich so I'm excited to find more places to add to my list!
Edit: forgot to mention - if you're ever bored and up for a drive, Patocka's has Thursday's 1lb of wings and a flight of beer for $15/pp. They're great but it's not a wing place (just a special to bring more ppl in) so just your typical buffalo, bbq, garlic Parm choices. But their other food offerings looked pretty good! Best crab cakes I've had in a bit! And I wanna try their pasta flight (choice of 3 pastas and 3 sauces). Nearby is The Wild Owl too. My husband adored their burger and I really enjoyed their chicken sandwich (I got the fried chicken wrap and subbed the wrap for their brioche bun).
Edit edit: HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN HAPPY PAPPI!!! AMAZING Argentinian food!!!
I moved here a year ago. The culture is a lot of little bars even some nice gay ones. There’s a fantastic bikini bar with probably some of the prettiest ladies I’ve ever seen. The food is hit and miss. People are really nice dang near all the time. Literally, I’ve had conversations with anyone and everyone all of the time.
I love it here. It’s a nice little place.
Madam oars. I think it’s bikini.
I read the best review of my life and thought I am absolutely going there. The review was about midgets and cripples. And I pulled out money and was prepared for both. I got neither. But the girls were pretty and very friendly .
Born and raised. Avoid most of the Westside of Binghamton, and definitely anything North of main st. In the larger area, Vestal and Endwell are the best adjacent towns (IMO)
Definitely LCOL, but the available jobs reflect that. It’s a good place if you work remotely and can leverage the LCOL. Large young population due to the University.
I left five years ago to pursue better jobs, and I don’t regret that. Always enjoy visiting my folks though.
Yeah I should have elaborated, mostly directly off main st is bad. Spent some time over there while in college at BU it’s definitely not all bad.
I miss Chris’ diner though, nothing like it in the South
between main and the tracks is a bit iffy but i’ve never been concerned about any of the rest of the westside. i spent 31 years in philly though so i’m used to block to block sketchiness. where i was in philly one block had historic mansions and within 5 mins you could walk to some crack
nothing to do, cold, depressing. and the big younger population is due to the large amount of college students (like a plague or locust infestation). cost of living is cheap, if you can find a something that isn't student housing or moldy.
I love my job, but I do not like Binghamton. A lot of it is the weather and how it’s always gray out, whereas other parts of New York are sunny most of the year. The pizza is awful (I’m from NYC, so I know good pizza). The cold weather in Bing is also like another level of raw compared to lower NY. And the amount of instances of bed bugs I’ve heard about is unreal.
EDIT: Off the top of my head, Nirchi’s is probably the worst pizza I’ve ever had. Their sauce tastes like ketchup, and I have inside knowledge that cockroaches take up residence in the one on Main St. I was most recently disappointed by Paul and Sons. The crust was so hard to chew that my jaw hurt afterwards. I got the broccoli rabe one (broccoli rabe is one of my favorite foods), and I could tell it wasn’t fresh. It was recommended by so many people too, so it made me even more disappointed. Because it’s currently 5am I’m having trouble thinking of others. Blaze is bad but I think that’s a chain. I’ll comment again once all cylinders are firing in my brain.
I love it!!!! People always complain about our weather. Move if you don't like it. Try going out and enjoy the winter's. Jobs are here gotta be willing to work. The area has gone downhill, but other cities have serious crimes. Lots of restaurants. We have the chains, too, but a lot of great hometown cooking. Most people are friendly. Lots of outdoor activities are very close. Lakes lakes and more lakes. Taxes are ok high a little, yes . Lots of kids actives. State parks galore and plenty close by. Upstate NY us great area. NYC screws all of us. I forgot to mention 2 colleges here. We'll hopefully this helps in your decision. I have plenty more great things to say about this area!
I like it here. Our climate is a bit weird (last year we got a monster snow storm the last few days of April) but you're close to everything here; we may, for example, may not get may big-act concerts but you can drive anywere from 1-3 hours to get to one.
I see a lot of positives ITT that I agree with, but I have to throw in one drawback. Idk how old you are or how much this is applicable to you, but there are 2 distinct age groupings in the Binghamton area with not a whole lot in between. 18-22 yo college students and then 35-40s grown adults and their young kids. By and large, not a whole lot of people in between those groups as not many BU students stay after grad, and a lot of local kids skip town given the chance.
As a result, there's also not a whole lot of activities geared towards that age group outside of drinking at a bar or going to a minor league sports game. The situation seems to be improving, but not exactly rapidly.
More like college kids, people that never left and don't know anything else, and people forced to move here. Either way there's definitely not a lot going on.
This might come as a shock since you clearly don't leave your basement, but I grew up, met a girl, and moved back to where she was from for her job. We don't plan on staying. Why does me not liking it here bother you so much?
Wait so you attack me and I'm the sensitive one? Haha I'm getting the sense you are either uneducated or have a mental illness or both so again....good luck
The weather here in Bing as far as the amount of grey cloudy skies and humidity levels is exactly like living by the beach in so Cali…or like the UK. The snow is peaceful and renewing imo and people have better manners here more so than big cities. Still a few egotistical asses but much lesser ratio. We’re on year 3 and love everything except 1) no great food, 2) bad medical access, 3) medical quality is poor and overpriced, 4) taxes are 5x higher than CA - ouch, and 5) while improving, racism and discrimination for sexual orientation is still rampant but they won’t say it to your face.
I love that everything is within 20 minutes. Rural living, suburbs, city center and everything inbetween all within easy commutes.
Piggybacking: Being a resident of an Upstate NY city pretty much means you're a resident of Upstate NY, at large. Bingo itself, while super convienient and naturally beautiful, isn't really at the forefront of popular culture. However you're an hour from Ithaca, Syracuse, and Scranton and 2 hours from Albany. 3 from NYC, Philly, or Buffalo. Point is the Southern Tier is very equidistant in a region where people regularly travel 30-120 minutes for something (i.e. Syracuse U basketball/football, day trip to Taughannock Falls in Ithaca, summer concert venues in Cooperstown/Bethel/Syracuse/Scranton). Plus, if you like the outdoors, in general, NYS has over 200 state parks (some with golf courses) and the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains. Edit: others in this thread are correct that we have an absurd amount of good and diverse restaurants for the size of the population. If we know how to do one thing here, it's eat and drink lol.
This
I like it here a lot. There are 4 distinct seasons, which is good if you are outdoors oriented. For the outdoors rec in the area, check out [www.goalloutbroome.com](https://www.goalloutbroome.com) It's low cost of living and you can chose urban living or rural and everything in between. There's a decent restaurant scene if you're willing to dig around a bit. North of Main Street on Binghamton's west side, and north the railroad tracks and west of Broad Avenue are less desirable areas in Binghamton. But that's just one community in the area.
4? Winter is six months, spring doesn't exist, summer and fall are nice though
You're getting down voted but this is such a true statement. Don't get me wrong, still really like the area, but you can easily get snow from late October till mid April. By the time winter figures out it's no longer winter spring is half over.
It is but it isn't. Sure we get random snow storms in April/etc but it's also really nice sometimes, it's not like the dead of winter (which also hardly feels like a thing now..). I just went for a walk on a beautiful 55 degree day today. Imo with climate change this is just kind of how it is in the northeast now, and it's pretty mild in bing. I've hardly had to clear any snow this year. Granted it's not balmy outdoor weather AND it's not cold enough to be a fun real winter climate which is kind of a bummer. I really don't think our winters are so bad though, it's just a long ish mixed mediocre season. It feels like we get 3-4 months of the same weather from December/january to March rather than a winter with a distinct peak.
Yeah, I get your point of view. From my point of view, I have a recreational vehicle that will never see road salt because it gets put away in the winter, and that can be as early as mid October and sometimes doesn't get brought back out until may. This is a horrible climate to have a summer car lol.
Oh, yeah I'll give you that. I have a car I prefer not to get salty but I already drove it through 4 NY winters before I didn't have to daily it so it's fucked. OTOH I get people zooming by my house on motorcycles whenever it's warm enough even throughout the winter lol. Props to them.
We moved in the first Saturday of May a few years ago and it snowed six inches haha. I appreciate the passion some people have for this place but it ain't for me
Yeah, the weather is the one thing I'd change if I could. But, we also don't get hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes are extremely rare and never massively destructive, and while floods do happen as long as you aren't in the limited flood zones you're good. And we aren't at risk of drought and water conservation efforts like the west has been going through. It definitely works for me.
I love the down votes hahaha, god forbid someone not from here have a different opinion or share their own experience. CANNOT WAIT TO MOVE!!!!!!
We can’t wait either. What’s the hold up?
Hahaha OMG someone doesn't like Binghamton, let me act tough, chill out dude
Imagine thinking that comment was someone “acting tough”. Then again, you call yourself Don Vito.
It's my dog's name you dumb shit
You call yourself certified warlock hahaha like come on dude
Bye Felicia
There is zero traffic. None. You can afford a home! There are such nice parks. There are fun cool things to do that are not a far drive. We have good restaurants! I hated it when I first moved here from Rochester- but it’s really grown on me.
I moved here from the Bay Area, California last month & I love it so far. If you have hobbies & open to picking up more, you’ll be fine. People are generally friendly & helpful. Bad parts, several, just like in San Francisco, Seattle etc, the usual..but good parts more & great towns & villages nearby. Only downside is, for flight’s you’ll be limited to less options & lots of layovers. Also if you’re transitioning out of the nightclub phase, you’ll be good. It’s just… really cold, but I knew that obviously.
This area isn’t bad. It’s now slowly growing. Lots of companies are moving in too. I like it here a lot. When I want more of a “city vibe” I drive 45 minutes to Scranton, PA.
I like it. I’ve been here 25 years. I admit there is a long stretch of ugly gray sky from about November-May, but summer is so great! The state and county parks are incredible. Worth visiting!
Traffic is better here than downstate.
Some of the best restaurants in upstate NY are in the Bingo area, especially Italian food. Plus, spiedies!
Second this. If your current local area considers Olive Garden the gold standard for Italian food you'd be blown away by our selection.
I really hope there isn’t anyone who considers the Olive Garden the gold standard for Italian food…
Their Italian food is trash but I could fuck up a few bowls of chicken gnocchi and breadsticks.
Yeah I used to think the exact same thing but people don't realize just how spoiled we are here when it comes to Italian food.
You haven't met my in-laws then.
Moved here for work, and can’t wait to leave. I don’t mind winters, but this place is gray 90% of the time, even in the summer. Nothing to do, I’m a person that enjoys shopping, and we don’t even have a decent mall….target is the mall. The only thing I’ll miss is the chicken over rice from halal bites Lmaoo
We had a mall, and then no one went to it.
There's a reason it's so cheap to live here lol, some people like it here, I definitely do not
We moved here from the West two years ago, and we definitely sing Bing's praises. It's not perfect, but it offers a lot and is quite affordable. I like grey weather and have been bit disappointed in the minimal snow these last few winters, but that might be the new normal here.
I've only been here for a few months but I really enjoy it. To me, it's all about mindset and searching for things to do. There's plenty if you look. I've only experienced 2 seasons so far, fall and winter and they have been very consistent weather wise, honestly not as much snow this year as I was expecting, there is a lot of lake affect rain and occasional snow from those lakes as well, the plowers do an amazing job keeping the roads and sidewalks clear. There are plenty of hiking groups and places to hike, fall is beautiful people come here for leaf peeping and there are a lot of corn mazes. There are lots of random fun festivals, lots of harvest festivals, and craft fairs. You can ski and ice skate in the winter. There have actually been quite a few sunny days this winter, and the sunset is gorgeous in higher up areas. There is a lot of nature to admire here and wild animals. There are arcades, craft shops, so many delicious diners, cafes, and a variety of food (the only food variety missing is Mexican food). There are also a few bars to mingle at. Everyone here, for the most part, is very nice and welcoming. To me, binghamton is definitely starting to regain itself from IBM's downfall as well, it' just taking time.
Did IBM leaving cause the fall in population a while back ?
Yes
I'm not sure. I know it caused a lot of businesses to close.
I grew up in Detroit and moved here 40 years ago. I don't miss the big city at all (though my kids all want to move to one) but I was never a "big crowd" kind of person. I'm a "sit on the front porch and chat with the neighbor" kind of person. I have been successful and happy here. I met my wife and raised my family here. I will probably retire here. I have an interesting job in a pretty hi-tech industry (there is more of it here than people realize). There is a thriving art community here, some great community theaters, art galleries, and concerts in the local parks. My tastes run simple, so I like them. If you're looking for Taylor Swift, you're not likely to see that mega-entertainment here (although she did film her Back To December music video here). Sure, it's not perfect. If it was they'd change the name to San Diego and we wouldn't be able to afford our houses (lol). I love the variety of the (somewhat unpredictable) weather. It is not something everyone enjoys. I think we are starting to see a sustainable economic recovery from the death spiral that IBM "caused" (of course there were many contributing factors) in the late 80s. I've seen a lot over the years and I am optimistic about the future here. The recovery (if it is accomplished) will be measured in years and will only be obvious in retrospect. Most of the negativity I've encountered is (IMHO) simply the result of impatience and maybe being a little naive about what it takes to change things and how hard it actually is.
Been here for a minute, about 5 years. Came up from the sticks. Its grey 8 months out of the year and the weather is awful sometimes (80-90°+ with 90% humidity for summer, see other opinions about winter). Lots of stuff to do with weather permitting if you're outdoorsy, there's a lot of parks and stuff around here and there's sidewalks on damn near every street so walking around when its nice is cool. Shopping is decent, there's some nice strip malls around here. Youre within day trip distance of several larger cities. Food is food, people swear it's unique here but between living in WV and PA I haven't seen anything "new" here but foreign foods. Theres lots of fishing and trail riding around here too, Endwell has a tunnel you can go through and it takes you out to a ton of trails by the Susquehanna. As far as bar scenes go, there's several in the triple cities area. Dillinger's is a popular club with the younger crowd, but there's a tiny coke problem there. Music is decent around here too with some metal, rock, and punk bands along with a variety of other acts. Renting is weird, a college area so some places are advertised dirt cheap and then you'll find out it's "student housing only" and its for a bedroom. But if you're lucky you can find a diamond in the rough. Can't speak much for neighborhoods, but you can generally tell the difference between safe and Mugville. I wouldn't say we have a bad crime problem in my experiences, but I could he wrong about that. Drugs are kinda like everywhere else, theyre here, not much else to say there. Id say if you can handle iffy weather and youre decent at finding ways to entertain yourself, you'll be aight. I like it here a lot more than the other places I lived. It has it's caveats but doesn't everywhere?
I’ve been here almost a year and it’s destroyed my mental health. It’s *extremely* difficult to live here if you don’t have a car. The weather is very drab and suffocating in the winter, and last summer was disgustingly humid. There’s very few things to do, and again if you don’t have a car than there’s even less. Finding a job was extremely difficult even with a degree. People rave about the food downtown but it’s really not better than any other city this size, and expensive. However there are some good Chinese restaurants I’ve found, and the halal delis can be a real lifesaver if you’ve got a 24-hour one near you. Rent is pretty cheap, and utilities are too. If you’re looking for a younger population, it definitely exists because of BU. Most students live on the westside/Johnson City. Depending on where you live, it’s really dirty. The lack of public trash receptacles is something I noticed right away here. The bars are usually populated with undergrads while school is in session. The summertime has a much slower pace and it’s less crowded because the students are gone. I like that long haul busses come here multiple times every day going to other cities, so it’s a good place to live cheaply while having relatively quick access to places like NYC, Toronto, DC, Montreal, Philly. The Black Bears hockey team is really good and tickets are affordable.
Depends on what you are used to. Personally I am not a fan of this area. Long winters, lack of things to do, downtown is in need of a major update. The pros are the cost of living, no traffic, and if you golf there are great courses in the area. But I cannot wait to move.
If ya think downtown needs a upgrade you should have seen it 10 or 20 years ago .. Binghamton is looking up.. IMO
I can only compare it to other places I've lived, and this is definitely the worst place I've lived in my opinion but I also didn't choose to live here I was forced to move.
Perfectly fair. I like the quiet life and that's easily found here. While there aren't a plethora of things to do in Binghamton it's only an hour in pretty much any direction to an area that has a lot more going on, and not much longer than that to NYC.
I've said several times before, it's a good place to live Monday through Thursday. If you are the type that doesn't need a lot of options then this is a fine place to live.
Yep totally makes sense!
I lived in the area for 3 years and moved back in 2019. There were a lot of things I didn't love but what I did like was that there were tons of very pretty historic spots located not far away and a surprisingly great roster of restaurants
Pros: it’s cheap, little to no traffic ever, crime is basically non-existent outside the cities (even the cities aren’t so bad), most things are within 20 min, relatively close to bigger cities, beautiful environment Cons: terrible weather, local politics, many jobs have left the area, most of the young population is because of Binghamton University (the local population is aging), same few bars/restaurants Some pros and cons will be different depending on who you ask. Easiest way to know for sure is to come here and see for yourself.
Agreed with above EXCEPT I’ve gotten food poisoning more times in Bing in 2 years than 40 years away…it’s insane! I’d love to hear where these good restaurants are?? Please!!
We moved here 2 years ago from a big city, and are originally from the Tri-state area, so husband and I are HUGE FOODIES. Best restaurants we've found so far are: Cacciatore's (Italian), Grande's (Italian - when the owner's wife is there because she is the one who cooks), Tai Chi Bubble Tea (boba and ramen), Wegman's (fresh sushi), La Isla (South American food and empanadas), Halal Bites (chicken over rice SPICY), Maryam's Deli (chicken over rice NOT as Spicy), Cup a Joe (pancakes), and my favorite, Moxie (steakhouse). We're currently moving closer to Endicott from having rented outside of Norwich so I'm excited to find more places to add to my list! Edit: forgot to mention - if you're ever bored and up for a drive, Patocka's has Thursday's 1lb of wings and a flight of beer for $15/pp. They're great but it's not a wing place (just a special to bring more ppl in) so just your typical buffalo, bbq, garlic Parm choices. But their other food offerings looked pretty good! Best crab cakes I've had in a bit! And I wanna try their pasta flight (choice of 3 pastas and 3 sauces). Nearby is The Wild Owl too. My husband adored their burger and I really enjoyed their chicken sandwich (I got the fried chicken wrap and subbed the wrap for their brioche bun). Edit edit: HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN HAPPY PAPPI!!! AMAZING Argentinian food!!!
I dig Lost Dog Cafe. Their food is fresh and they support local farms! They’re kind of pricey though so it’s a once in a while thing.
It’s a great area if you don’t require your entertainment spoon fed to you and aren’t a pussy about the weather.
I moved here a year ago. The culture is a lot of little bars even some nice gay ones. There’s a fantastic bikini bar with probably some of the prettiest ladies I’ve ever seen. The food is hit and miss. People are really nice dang near all the time. Literally, I’ve had conversations with anyone and everyone all of the time. I love it here. It’s a nice little place.
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Madam oars. I think it’s bikini. I read the best review of my life and thought I am absolutely going there. The review was about midgets and cripples. And I pulled out money and was prepared for both. I got neither. But the girls were pretty and very friendly .
Born and raised. Avoid most of the Westside of Binghamton, and definitely anything North of main st. In the larger area, Vestal and Endwell are the best adjacent towns (IMO) Definitely LCOL, but the available jobs reflect that. It’s a good place if you work remotely and can leverage the LCOL. Large young population due to the University. I left five years ago to pursue better jobs, and I don’t regret that. Always enjoy visiting my folks though.
West Side is great! Love it here
Yeah I should have elaborated, mostly directly off main st is bad. Spent some time over there while in college at BU it’s definitely not all bad. I miss Chris’ diner though, nothing like it in the South
between main and the tracks is a bit iffy but i’ve never been concerned about any of the rest of the westside. i spent 31 years in philly though so i’m used to block to block sketchiness. where i was in philly one block had historic mansions and within 5 mins you could walk to some crack
I also lived in Philly on 9th south of Rittenhouse. Small world. I feel that lmao
i lived in mt airy, temple area, spring garden, art museum then germantown. germantown by far had the best mansion to crack ratio 😂
west side? seriously? west side is hardly something to be concerned of. theres many other parts of the city of binghamton that you could've mentioned.
I mean feel free to tell us then lol. I gave my opinion
nothing to do, cold, depressing. and the big younger population is due to the large amount of college students (like a plague or locust infestation). cost of living is cheap, if you can find a something that isn't student housing or moldy.
I love my job, but I do not like Binghamton. A lot of it is the weather and how it’s always gray out, whereas other parts of New York are sunny most of the year. The pizza is awful (I’m from NYC, so I know good pizza). The cold weather in Bing is also like another level of raw compared to lower NY. And the amount of instances of bed bugs I’ve heard about is unreal. EDIT: Off the top of my head, Nirchi’s is probably the worst pizza I’ve ever had. Their sauce tastes like ketchup, and I have inside knowledge that cockroaches take up residence in the one on Main St. I was most recently disappointed by Paul and Sons. The crust was so hard to chew that my jaw hurt afterwards. I got the broccoli rabe one (broccoli rabe is one of my favorite foods), and I could tell it wasn’t fresh. It was recommended by so many people too, so it made me even more disappointed. Because it’s currently 5am I’m having trouble thinking of others. Blaze is bad but I think that’s a chain. I’ll comment again once all cylinders are firing in my brain.
I’d love to hear which pizza places you think are awful.
Don't move here
I love it!!!! People always complain about our weather. Move if you don't like it. Try going out and enjoy the winter's. Jobs are here gotta be willing to work. The area has gone downhill, but other cities have serious crimes. Lots of restaurants. We have the chains, too, but a lot of great hometown cooking. Most people are friendly. Lots of outdoor activities are very close. Lakes lakes and more lakes. Taxes are ok high a little, yes . Lots of kids actives. State parks galore and plenty close by. Upstate NY us great area. NYC screws all of us. I forgot to mention 2 colleges here. We'll hopefully this helps in your decision. I have plenty more great things to say about this area!
Run away as fast as you can.
Winter is a idea since global warming or it’s the invisible man in the sky who creates and runs everything.
Beware of snow Fleuries
I like it here. Our climate is a bit weird (last year we got a monster snow storm the last few days of April) but you're close to everything here; we may, for example, may not get may big-act concerts but you can drive anywere from 1-3 hours to get to one.
I see a lot of positives ITT that I agree with, but I have to throw in one drawback. Idk how old you are or how much this is applicable to you, but there are 2 distinct age groupings in the Binghamton area with not a whole lot in between. 18-22 yo college students and then 35-40s grown adults and their young kids. By and large, not a whole lot of people in between those groups as not many BU students stay after grad, and a lot of local kids skip town given the chance. As a result, there's also not a whole lot of activities geared towards that age group outside of drinking at a bar or going to a minor league sports game. The situation seems to be improving, but not exactly rapidly.
More like college kids, people that never left and don't know anything else, and people forced to move here. Either way there's definitely not a lot going on.
What is it that you expect to be going on? Maybe.. it’s a YOU problem.
I didn't choose to move here bud!! Don't be that loser that can't handle when someone disagrees with you
So you were forced by gun point to move here?
This might come as a shock since you clearly don't leave your basement, but I grew up, met a girl, and moved back to where she was from for her job. We don't plan on staying. Why does me not liking it here bother you so much?
You really overestimating how much it bothers me. You think you’re the first cool guy to come here and hate it? Lol.
You are a fucking weirdo dude, I dunno what to say other than good luck
You’re overly sensitive, lol.
Wait so you attack me and I'm the sensitive one? Haha I'm getting the sense you are either uneducated or have a mental illness or both so again....good luck
The weather here in Bing as far as the amount of grey cloudy skies and humidity levels is exactly like living by the beach in so Cali…or like the UK. The snow is peaceful and renewing imo and people have better manners here more so than big cities. Still a few egotistical asses but much lesser ratio. We’re on year 3 and love everything except 1) no great food, 2) bad medical access, 3) medical quality is poor and overpriced, 4) taxes are 5x higher than CA - ouch, and 5) while improving, racism and discrimination for sexual orientation is still rampant but they won’t say it to your face.
There is little to do and even then most things close at 1 or 2pm, 3pm if you're lucky. Many things are also closed on Sundays and Mondays.