Broome County, New York

Broome County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 198,683.[2][3] Its county seat is Binghamton. The county was named for John Broome, the state's lieutenant governor when Broome County was created.

Broome County
County
Broome County Courthouse
Flag
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of New York
New York's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°08′13″N 75°53′18″W
Country United States
State New York
Founded1806
Named forJohn Broome
SeatBinghamton
Largest cityBinghamton
Government
 • County ExecutiveJason T. Garnar
Area
 • Total715.52 sq mi (1,853.2 km2)
 • Land705.77 sq mi (1,827.9 km2)
 • Water9.7 sq mi (25 km2)  1.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total198,683[1]
 • Density281.6/sq mi (108.7/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts19th, 22nd
Websitewww.gobroomecounty.com

The county is part of the Binghamton, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is home to Binghamton University, one of four university centers in the State University of New York (SUNY) system.

History

When counties were established in the Province of New York in 1683, the present Broome County was part of the enormous Albany County, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. This county was reduced in size on July 3, 1766, by the creation of Cumberland County, and further on March 16, 1770, by the creation of Gloucester County, both containing territory now in Vermont.

On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one remaining under the name Albany County. One of the other pieces, Tryon County, contained the western portion (and thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately five miles west of the present city of Schenectady, and the county included the western part of the Adirondack Mountains and the area west of the West Branch of the Delaware River. The area then designated as Tryon County now is organized as 37 counties of New York State. The county was named for William Tryon, colonial governor of New York.

In the years prior to 1776, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to Canada. In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War, the name of Tryon County was changed to Montgomery County, for General Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of Quebec, thus replacing the name of the hated British governor.

In 1789, Montgomery County was reduced in size by the splitting off of Ontario County. The actual area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present county, also including the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben, Wyoming, Yates, and part of Schuyler and Wayne Counties.

In 1791, Tioga County split off from Montgomery County, along with Herkimer and Otsego Counties. Tioga County was at this time much larger than the present county and included the present Broome and Chemung Counties and parts of Chenango and Schuyler Counties.

In 1798, Tioga County was reduced in size by the splitting off of Chemung County (which also included part of the present Schuyler County) and by the combination of a portion with a portion of Herkimer County to create Chenango County.

In 1806, the present-day Broome County was split off from Tioga County.[4]

Geography

Broome County lies on the southern line of New York. Its southern border abuts the northern boundary of the state of Pennsylvania. The Susquehanna River flows southward through the eastern part of the county, enters Susquehanna County in Pennsylvania, then re-enters Broome and flows northwestward to meet the Chenango River at Binghamton. The combined flow moves west-southwestward into Tioga County to the west. The West Branch Delaware River flows southward along the lower portion of the county's east border, delineating that portion of the border between Broome and Delaware counties.[5]

The county's western portion is hilly, with wide valleys that accommodate Binghamton and its suburbs. In the northern portion, Interstate 81 traverses a wide glacial valley. The eastern part of the county is much more rugged, as the land rises to the Catskill Mountains. The terrain generally slopes to the west.[6] The county's highest point is in the northwest of the county, a U.S. National Geodetic Survey benchmark known as Slawson atop an unnamed hill in the Town of Sanford. It is approximately 2087 feet[7] (636 m) above sea level.[8] An area due east on the Delaware County line in Oquaga Creek State Park also lies within the same elevation contour line. The lowest point is 864 feet (263 m) above sea level, along the Susquehanna River, at the Pennsylvania state line.

The county has a total area of 716 square miles (1,850 km2), of which 706 square miles (1,830 km2) is land and 9.7 square miles (25 km2) (1.4%) is water.[9]

Adjacent counties
  • Chenango County – northeast
  • Delaware County – east
  • Wayne County, Pennsylvania – southeast
  • Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania – south
  • Tioga County – west
  • Cortland County – northwest

Protected areas
  • Aqua-Terra Wilderness Area
  • Beaver Flow State Forest (part)
  • Beaver Pond State Forest
  • Cascade Valley State Forest
  • Cat Hollow State Forest
  • Chenango Valley State Park
  • Dorchester County Park
  • Greenwood County Park (part)
  • Hawkins Pond State Forest
  • Marsh Pond State Forest
  • Nathaniel Cole County Park
  • Oquaga Creek State Park (part)
  • Skyline Drive State Forest
  • Triangle State Forest
  • Whitney Point Multiple Use Area (part)
  • Whittacker Swamp State Forest

[5]

Lakes
  • Agwaterra Pond
  • Blueberry Lake
  • Chenango Lake
  • Deer Lake
  • Fly Pond
  • Hawkins Pond
  • Hust Pond
  • Laurel Lake
  • Lily Lake
  • Nanticoke Lake
  • Oquaga Lake
  • Otselic River
  • Potato Creek
  • Sky Lake
  • Summit Lake

[5]

Major highways
  • I-81
  • I-86 / NY 17 / Southern Tier Expressway/Quickway
  • I-88
  • US 11
  • NY 7
  • NY 7A
  • NY 7B
  • NY 12
  • NY 12A
  • NY 17C
  • NY 26
  • NY 38B
  • NY 41
  • NY 79
  • NY 206
  • NY 235
  • NY 363
  • NY 369
  • NY 434

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18108,130—
182014,34376.4%
183017,57922.6%
184022,33827.1%
185030,66037.3%
186035,90617.1%
187044,10322.8%
188049,48312.2%
189062,97327.3%
190069,1499.8%
191078,80914.0%
1920113,61044.2%
1930147,02229.4%
1940165,74912.7%
1950184,69811.4%
1960212,66115.1%
1970221,8154.3%
1980213,648−3.7%
1990212,160−0.7%
2000200,536−5.5%
2010200,6000.0%
2020198,683−1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12]
1990–2000[13] 2010[14] 2020[15]

2020 census
Broome County, New York – Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[14] Pop 2020[15] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 173,074 156,173 86.28% 78.60%
Black or African American alone (NH) 8,850 11,547 4.41% 5.81%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 328 413 0.16% 0.21%
Asian alone (NH) 7,019 9,337 3.50% 4.70%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 60 64 0.03% 0.03%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 242 864 0.12% 0.43%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 4,249 10,000 2.12% 5.03%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 6,778 10,285 3.38% 5.18%
Total 200,600 198,683 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census,[16] there were 200,536 people, 80,749 households, and 50,225 families in the county. The population density was 284/1/sqmi (109.7/km2). There were 88,817 housing units at an average density of 125.8/sqmi (48.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.33% White, 3.28% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 2.79% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.59% from two or more races. 1.99% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.1% were of Irish, 13.3% Italian, 12.3% German, 11.6% English, 6.4% American and 5.7% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.[17] 91.4% spoke English, 2.0% Spanish and 1.1% Italian as their first language.

There were 80,749 households, out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.60% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.80% were non-families. 31.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.97.

The county population contained 23.00% under the age of 18, 11.00% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,347, and the median income for a family was $45,422. Males had a median income of $34,426 versus $24,542 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,168. About 8.80% of families and 12.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.90% of those under age 18 and 7.20% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

Broome has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) and the hardiness zone is mainly 5b.

Binghamton, New York
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
2.5
 
 
29
16
 
 
2.3
 
 
32
17
 
 
3
 
 
41
25
 
 
3.4
 
 
54
36
 
 
3.6
 
 
66
46
 
 
4.3
 
 
74
55
 
 
3.7
 
 
78
60
 
 
3.5
 
 
77
58
 
 
3.6
 
 
68
51
 
 
3.3
 
 
57
40
 
 
3.3
 
 
45
31
 
 
2.8
 
 
33
21
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: [18]

Government and politics

For the past few decades, Broome County has been a swing county. Since 1964 the county has selected Democratic and Republican party candidates at approximately the same rate in national elections (as of 2016). The more recent elections had favored the Democratic candidate, until Donald Trump carried the county in 2016, the first Republican to win the county since Ronald Reagan in 1984. Joe Biden carried Broome with 50.5% of the vote in 2020.

United States presidential election results for Broome County, New York[19]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 43,800 47.08% 47,010 50.53% 2,221 2.39%
2016 40,943 47.57% 39,212 45.56% 5,917 6.87%
2012 37,641 46.15% 41,970 51.46% 1,954 2.40%
2008 40,077 45.11% 47,204 53.14% 1,556 1.75%
2004 43,568 47.41% 46,281 50.37% 2,041 2.22%
2000 36,946 42.43% 45,381 52.11% 4,757 5.46%
1996 31,327 36.09% 44,407 51.15% 11,080 12.76%
1992 34,653 34.71% 43,444 43.51% 21,749 21.78%
1988 47,610 49.41% 48,130 49.95% 625 0.65%
1984 58,109 60.47% 37,658 39.19% 322 0.34%
1980 39,275 43.99% 37,013 41.46% 12,992 14.55%
1976 50,340 55.53% 39,827 43.93% 491 0.54%
1972 55,736 59.84% 37,154 39.89% 245 0.26%
1968 46,872 52.48% 37,451 41.93% 4,988 5.58%
1964 32,048 35.16% 59,021 64.76% 70 0.08%
1960 56,467 59.44% 38,462 40.49% 62 0.07%
1956 67,024 74.27% 23,217 25.73% 0 0.00%
1952 64,738 71.38% 25,833 28.48% 119 0.13%
1948 43,110 60.73% 25,654 36.14% 2,222 3.13%
1944 44,013 58.52% 31,056 41.29% 137 0.18%
1940 44,013 57.70% 32,092 42.07% 179 0.23%
1936 36,945 54.65% 29,708 43.94% 950 1.41%
1932 32,751 57.97% 22,802 40.36% 941 1.67%
1928 39,860 65.25% 19,563 32.02% 1,669 2.73%
1924 28,262 67.70% 9,289 22.25% 4,198 10.06%
1920 24,759 68.96% 9,251 25.77% 1,893 5.27%
1916 11,445 53.34% 8,906 41.51% 1,105 5.15%
1912 7,949 43.55% 6,533 35.79% 3,770 20.66%
1908 10,705 58.15% 6,671 36.24% 1,032 5.61%
1904 10,853 59.53% 6,480 35.55% 897 4.92%
1900 10,397 58.00% 6,652 37.11% 877 4.89%
1896 10,630 63.75% 5,461 32.75% 583 3.50%
1892 8,259 52.36% 6,040 38.29% 1,474 9.35%
1888 8,405 53.70% 6,447 41.19% 801 5.12%
1884 7,182 52.95% 5,780 42.61% 602 4.44%

Broome County's offices are housed in the Edwin L. Crawford County Office Building of Government Plaza located at 60 Hawley Street in Downtown Binghamton.

Executive
Broome County Executives
Name Party Term
Edwin L. Crawford Republican 1969–1976
Donald L. McManus Democratic 1977–1980
Carl S. Young Republican 1981–1988
Timothy M. Grippen Democratic 1989–1996
Jeffrey P. Kraham Republican 1997–2004
Barbara J. Fiala Democratic 2005–Apr. 15, 2011
Patrick J. Brennan Democratic Apr. 16, 2011–Dec. 31, 2011
Debra A. Preston Republican Jan. 1, 2012–Dec. 31, 2016
Jason T. Garnar[20] Democratic Jan. 1, 2017–

Legislature

The Broome County Legislature consists of 15 members.[21] The 15 legislature members are elected from individual districts. Currently, there are 9 Republicans and 6 Democrats.

Broome County Legislature
District Legislator Title Party Residence
1 Stephen J. Flagg Republican Colesville
2 Scott D. Baker Republican Windsor
3 Kelly F. Wildoner Republican Binghamton
4 Kim A. Myers Democratic Vestal
5 Daniel J. Reynolds Chairman Republican Vestal
6 Greg W. Baldwin Republican Endicott
7 Matthew J. Pasquale Republican Endicott
8 Jason E. Shaw Republican Endwell
9 Matthew J. Hilderbrant Republican Whitney Point
10 Cindy O'Brien Majority Leader Republican Chenango
11 Susan V. Ryan Democratic Binghamton
12 Karen M. Beebe Democratic Johnson City
13 Robert Weslar Minority Leader Democratic Binghamton
14 Mary Kaminsky Democratic Binghamton
15 Mark R. Whalen Democratic Binghamton

Party affiliation
Voter registration as of February 21, 2020[22]
Party Active voters Inactive voters Total voters Percentage
Democratic 44,335 5,694 50,029 37.59%
Republican 41,318 3,895 45,213 33.97%
Unaffiliated 23,535 4,051 27,586 20.73%
Other[nb 1] 8,980 1,273 10,253 7.70%
Total 118,168 14,913 133,081 100%

Law enforcement

As of 2021, the sheriff of Broome County is David E. Harder.[23] Along with Onondaga County, New York, Broome County was sued in 2017 over placing juvenile inmates in solitary confinement.[24]

Education

The primary institutes of higher education in Broome County include:

  • Binghamton University (enrollment 16,000)
  • Broome Community College (BCC)
  • Davis College – a private Christian college in Johnson City

Communities
Map of Broome County, New York showing towns and villages. For map key, click on image.

Larger Settlements
# Location Population Type Area
1 †Binghamton 47,376 City Greater Binghamton
2 Johnson City 15,174 Village Greater Binghamton
3 Endicott 13,392 Village Greater Binghamton
4 Endwell 11,446 CDP Greater Binghamton
5 Chenango Bridge 2,883 Hamlet/CDP Greater Binghamton
6 ‡Deposit 1,663 Village East
7 Port Dickinson 1,641 Village Greater Binghamton
8 Whitney Point 964 Village North
9 Windsor 916 Village East
10 Glen Aubrey 485 CDP North
11 Lisle 320 Village North

† – County Seat

‡ – Not Wholly in this County

Towns
  • Barker
  • Binghamton
  • Chenango
  • Colesville
  • Conklin
  • Dickinson
  • Fenton
  • Kirkwood
  • Lisle
  • Maine
  • Nanticoke
  • Sanford
  • Triangle
  • Union
  • Vestal
  • Windsor

Hamlets
  • Castle Creek
  • Center Lisle
  • Chenango Bridge
  • Chenango Forks
  • Glen Castle
  • Hawleyton
  • Hillcrest
  • Hydeville
  • Itaska
  • Kattelville
  • Newmans Corners
  • Nimmonsburg
  • North Fenton
  • Nineveh
  • Pleasant Hill
  • Port Crane
  • Quinneville
  • Summit Hill
  • West Chenango
  • Wyman Corner

Census-designated places
  • Binghamton University
  • Chenango Bridge
  • Endwell
  • Glen Aubrey

Notable people
  • John Allen, dentist and inventor of new denture method[25]
  • Ira Cook (1821–1902), Iowa land surveyor and businessman, born in Broome County[26]
  • Daniel S. Dickinson (1800–1866), US Senator, lived in Broome County
  • John Ducey (1969– ), actor, born in Broome County
  • Barzillai Gray (1824–1918), judge, born in Broome County
  • Robert Harpur (1731–1825), colonial teacher, politician, pioneer, for whom Harpur College (now Binghamton University) was named, settled at Harpursville
  • Johnny Hart (1931–2007), cartoonist, creator of B.C. and co-creator of The Wizard of Id, born in Broome County
  • George F. Johnson (1857–1948), industrialist, philanthropist, co-founder of Endicott-Johnson Co., lived in Broome County
  • Willis Sharpe Kilmer (1867–1940), industrialist and entrepreneur,[27][28][29] lived in Broome County
  • Rebecca Krohn, ballet dancer, born in Broome County
  • Edwin A. Link (1904–1981), inventor, raised in Broome County
  • David Ross Locke (1833–1888), Civil War journalist, born in Broome County
  • Ron Luciano (1937–1995), baseball umpire, author, born in Broome County
  • Billy Martin (1928–1989), baseball player, manager, retired to Broome County
  • Leonard Melfi (1932–2001), author, playwright, born in Broome County
  • William L. Mercereau (1866–1957), businessman, superintendent of carferries, born in Broome County
  • Mary Blair Moody (1837–1919), physician, anatomist, born in Broome County
  • Hidy Ochiai (1939– ), karate and judo grand master, author, actor, resides in Broome County
  • Camille Paglia (1947– ), philosopher, author, born in Broome County
  • Alice Freeman Palmer (1855–1902), educator, born in Broome County
  • Amy Sedaris (1961– ), actress, author, playwright, born in Broome County
  • David Sedaris (1956– ), comedian, essayist, playwright, born in Broome County
  • Rod Serling (1924–1975), screenwriter, playwright, raised in Broome County
  • Jack Sharkey (1902–1994), born Joseph Paul Cukoschay, world heavyweight boxing champion, 1931–33, born in Broome County

See also

Notes
  1. Included are voters affiliated with the Conservative Party, Green Party, Working Families Party, Independence Party, Women's Equality Party, Reform Party, and other small parties.

References
  1. "US Census 2020 Population Dataset Tables for New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  2. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Broome County, New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  3. "Broome County, New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  4. A Brief History of Broome County (accessed 14 June 2019)
  5. Broome County NY - Google Maps (accessed 14 June 2019)
  6. "Find an Altitude/Broome County NY". Google Maps. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  7. "Hiking in Broome County". cnyhiking.com.
  8. Another website lists the Benchmark's elevation as 2,080' (634m) ASL: Slawson Benchmark, New York (PeakBagger.com) Accessed 14 June 2019
  9. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  10. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  12. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  13. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  14. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Broome County, New Yorkk". United States Census Bureau.
  15. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Broome County, New York". United States Census Bureau.
  16. "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  17. "U.S. Census website". Retrieved March 4, 2008.
  18. "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  19. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
  20. "County Executive - Jason T. Garnar". Broome County, N.Y. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  21. "Welcome to the Broome County Legislature". Broome County, N.Y.
  22. "NYSVoter Enrollment by County". New York State Board of Elections. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  23. "Sheriff". Broome County. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  24. Feuer, Alan (July 31, 2017). "Upstate County Jails Are Challenged for Sending Juveniles to Solitary". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  25. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
  26. "Ringgold County IAGenWeb Project". iagenweb.org.
  27. History of the City of Binghamton
  28. Life & Times Part 1
  29. Life & Times Part 2

Further reading
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