Truth about the CITY of Binghamton

<p>Suny Binghamton is in VESTAL, NY not the run down slum binghamton. People generally think of bing as one of the safest cities in America its not, Its one of the safest metro areas and thats just because Tioga county the other county in the metro has incredibly low crime. Binghamton violent crime rate is 40% greater than the national average, The arrests of many Bloods gang members this year and the BPD said street gang activity in Broome County has risen DRAMATICALLY in this decade. It's the sex offender capitol of new york. 23.7% below poverty. I lived on Main St for three years I was robbed 6 times at gunpoint binghamton is a crap hole. Endicott and Johnson City are just as worse if youre going to suny Bing live in vestal stay clear of the city of binghamton.</p>

<p>What’s the point behind this post other than to scare people away from Binghamton? Yes, Bing the city has problems but so do most urban centers. As long as you’re careful about what you do and where you go, there shouldn’t ever be a problem. Basic rules that apply nearly everywhere you go that you aren’t sure about safety-wise are travel in groups, don’t act stupid, and don’t be obvious about any wealth you have. It’s simple. </p>

<p>Bing the city does have some redeeming qualities and there’s nothing inherently wrong with going here or living there as long as you’re careful. </p>

<p>No need to worry people about things that don’t require a lot of worrying about.</p>

<p>The point IS to scare people away from Binghamton, but not SUNY Binghamton. Im just saying the city leaders of Bing are good at manipulating people into thinking SUNY is in fact very related to the city of binghamton…its not.Im just saying if u go to SUNy stay in the nice, wealthy suburb of Vestal. The city dosent care about student safety at all, They are building student housing on Hawley street in downtown the second highest crime neighborhood in Bing it has a crime rate of 1200 compared to the national average of 400. Two streets over from Hawley St on Henry St the is a 52 unit apartment building the house sex offenders and MAXIMUM security prison parolees. I have family in the area and have been coming up to bing for 20 years now, the amount that it has changed is shocking and sad, its just not a nice place anymore, Its simply a poor drug ridden slum</p>

<p>Yea, I’ve found Binghamton to be awful, It’s ok to go to the bars on State St but if you get off of state st on any side street it awful and dangerous I’ve gotten off the major rds that are frequented by the general population(Main St, State St, Court St, Front St) probably 10 times and Ive experienced 4 shootings. It’s just not a nice or safe city, I dont know what it used to be like but I just find it awful and dangerous. I do however live in Vestal, and I LOVE Vestal, lots of stores nice housing very nice place. I agree with the OP SUNY Binghamton is a nice college but the city of Binghamton is an awful one (and I grew up as middle class in the city of Poughkeepsie so im not straight from a nice suburb).</p>

<p>okay, this is a bit of an exxageration. I have worked in downtown binghamton for 25 years. There are a few blocks that I wouldn’t go to alone at night, but most of the city is perfectly safe!! It is a CITY and therefore does have pockets of crime/poverty, but overall it is a decent city!
As far as the sex offender housing on Henry Street (across from the main post office). That is indeed true, but given that most of them are pedophiles…a college student hasn’t much to worry about. The reason why parole puts them in that building is that it is fairly non residential and concentrating them in one building makes them easier to monitor.
I do agree that if my D was going to SUNY B I would not have her live in the downtown new housing (privately owned).</p>

<p>The henry street housing isnt just for sex offenders though, other parolees including murders. I wouldnt want any of my loved ones to live on the west side either though, on main or anywhere north of main, Thorp, Edwards, Chapin etc since you work in Binghamton your probably aware of the bloods gang members arrest. The first ward has/is rapidly going down hill including a stretch this year where Baxter St and Prospect had four shootings in four nights. The north side is awful, Liberty St being the worst drive down liberty and there are loads of boarded up houses/crack houses. Munsell, Virgil and Doubleday all around liberty are not safe and the neighborhood is over 50% below poverty. Downtown around susquehanna columbus park and b mets stadium is just crap, prostitution, drugs running rampant. The southside is just as bad as downtown with the saratoga terrace housing projects being the center of all things crime in Binghamton. Really the only in city nice middle class neighborhood is The East Side on robinson by pudgies, but again then its very close to the north side. Then ofcourse theres the rich westside south of main.</p>

<p>Many parts of the West side/East side and Southside of Binghamton are very nice! There definitely are undesirable neighborhoods, but they can be avoided!</p>

<p>Yeah, I know that they can be avoided. Again im very positive on the actual university, I just feel The city leaders are very manipulative about the actual city, They cling to the metro areas crime rate when in reality its not a reflection on Binghamton at all. And I do strongly feel that there are many more bad neighborhoods than good, and even the good ones are very close to bad ones.</p>

<p>so can it be assumed that any are south of the river (the BU Side) is safe while any area north of the river is unsafe…as a generalization?</p>

<p>mikawells, no not really. there are many areas north of the river that are perfectly fine! and a few areas south of the river that aren’t!!</p>

<p>im going to be starting suny binghamton this spring as a junior. what are the top 5 safest places<streets or=“” towns=“”> in your opinion around BU?</streets></p>

<p>I’m a current student, I go out all the time. I walk from the farthest removed frat houses to the bars on state street on a more than weekly basis and have never experienced any problems. One frat, and a popular one, is located on the “dangerous” henry street that nycgirl mentions and i have been there many times, no problems whatsoever. Binghsmton is by no means a wealthy city, or a safe one, but anything a regular student would do in binghamton would likely take place in a perfectly safe environment.</p>

<p>“Suny Binghamton is in [the run-down slum] VESTAL, NY. not the run-down slum binghamton.” </p>

<p>Oh, and guys, don’t worry! The rapists on Henry Street are only pedophile child rapists, so you shouldn’t worry! Anyway, when you start getting frightened, you have to remember that not everyone on Henry Street is a rapist… There are murderers, too!</p>

<p>“Suny Binghamton is in [the run-down slum] VESTAL, NY. not the run-down slum binghamton.” </p>

<p>Oh, and guys, don’t worry! The rapists on Henry Street are only pedophile child rapists, so you shouldn’t worry! Anyway, when you start getting frightened, you have to remember that not everyone on Henry Street is a rapist… There are murderers, too!</p>

<p>None of this should matter for incoming freshmen. Just don’t go to downtown Bing if you don’t feel comfortable. And if one of the apparently copious amounts of pedophiles comes onto campus just knock one of the blue phones off the hook.</p>

<p>I went to SUNY Binghamton in the 90s and live there now. I have seen the EXTREME decline of the city. Despite what some are saying, there really is no safe area north of the city anymore. At least not in any area where students might be. In the area between Riverside and the river, maybe…but no one is renting those houses to students. The problem began when residents on the West Side fought to get rid of SUNY apartments. I guess thinking if they did, nice professional families would move in instead. But what happened was, the west side became a haven for the NYC drug dealers. When I first moved off campus, anything south of Main St. was considered fine. And some parts between Main and North as well. (the higher the concentration of SUNY students, the better) But slowly, that safe area has moved from Main to Seminary…to Leroy…to Ayres and all the way to Riverside now. MAYBE there are some areas more toward Lourdes hospital, but not many, and again, students are not getting those places. But no…south of the river is no better. In some places, much worse. The South Side was always worse. (The West Side used to be the best…perhaps it still is, but only because everything has slid down about 4 notches.) In the 90s, students had no problem walking home by themselves…even females…especially along Main St. But I could not imagine walking after 10:00 or so anymore. You WILL run into a drug dealer within 4 blocks of walking. They may not do anything to you, but yes, you will pass at least one. Just had drug dealers arrested in the apartment below me yesterday in fact. In what used to be an apartment with young to middle aged professionals. Had two sorority houses across the street, but they all got scared away so now they sit empty. Won’t be long before squatters move in, or the landlord gets desperate and rents to drug dealers. And by the way…it is not just the one building with the sex offenders…nor is it just pedophiles. Type in pretty much any address and search a 1 mile radius and you will find over a HUNDRED registered sex offenders nearby.</p>

<p>To put things in perspective…in just the last 8 years since out corrupt and incompetent mayor was elected the first time, the national and state average for both violent crime and property crime has decreased by about 10%. But in Binghamton, it has increased by over 20%. That is a HUGE difference.</p>

<p>Stay on campus. Sure, the new apartments downtown are safer since they are security buildings with fencing. But they are also RIDICULOUSLY overpriced. There are some moderately priced apartments in Vestal, like behind Campus Plaza or Target. And you MIGHT be able to find something decent in Endwell, though you would really need a car for that. Buses do go there, but not as many or as frequent.</p>

<p>Oh…if you MUST live off campus in Binghamton, do research on the landlords. Try to find a LOCAL landlord that has just 1 or two properties to supplement a regular income. Not an out of town company who earns their living solely through renting. Check ads, especially Craigslist. If they actively seek out people on government assistance, STAY AWAY. Those that not only accept Section 8 tenants but actively seek them out KNOW they are renting to drug dealers. So not only will your neighbors be criminals, but the apartments will be substandard. The landlords seek out undesirables because they figure they won’t call Code Enforcement if there is no hot water. Stay away from Coolidge Properties, for example. (As in, don’t rent from them, and don’t rent in a place near one of their properties.) Half of the major drug arrests of the last 6 months have been in a Coolidge Property. And we are not talking a little marijuana here. Full blown heroin crack and crystal meth.</p>

<p>Speaking of that…it is not a bad idea to take a meth kit along to a place you are thinking about renting. Even if the landlords are decent, they could have gotten screwed over by a previous tenant who used it to cook meth. You don’t want to breathe that in for 9 months…</p>

<p>The whole city of Binghamton is really not safe. I used to fear for my life every time I got off the bus to down town Binghamton. Some of the people who live there are extremely sketchy and they have no qualms about approaching you for any reason.
Most of the students who live down town don’t help their case by flaunting their polo shirts, Ray ban sunglasses, and BMW cars in the heart of the city. They are basically asking to get jumped. Downtown Binghamton is a big lion’s den. There is danger lurking in every corner. It’s just not safe to be in that area. Most of my friends who had lived downtown experienced some form of burglary.</p>

<p>Even the safe University Plaza Apartments near campus can’t ward off all the sketchy townies from entering. It’s seriously creepy. I dreaded going home on the bus. Once I had to stay at Bing over the summer and I have to say that the town is swarming with creepers once the students leave. </p>

<p>Yes, it’s a great school and all. But you have to be careful and stand your ground. Some of them will back off if you show that you aren’t afraid of them.</p>

<p>Oh…and another reason why it is important to get he word out that Binghamton is not safe (and no…it is not just some streets…it is everywhere now) is because the idiots at SUNY are now making plans to put so many classrooms off campus, some in the WORST sections of towns, that it is quite possible that a student will have o be in a ghetto to class. Possibly waiting for a bus next to drug dealers or at the very least drug addicts who will think nothing of mugging you to get the money for their next fix. Don’t bother applying to their new Pharmacy School they have planned. It is going to be built in the worst section of the worst city in the area, where a cop was just murdered. Gee…THANKS SUNY Binghamton!</p>

<p>Yikes, and we are down to Bing vs. UVM. A tale of 2 very different cities.</p>