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Broome County, New York facts for kids

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Broome County
Broome County Courthouse
Broome County Courthouse
Flag of Broome County
Flag
Official seal of Broome County
Seal
Map of New York highlighting Broome County
Location within the U.S. state of New York
Map of the United States highlighting New York
New York's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  New York
Founded 1806
Named for John Broome
Seat Binghamton
Largest city Binghamton
Area
 • Total 715.52 sq mi (1,853.2 km2)
 • Land 705.77 sq mi (1,827.9 km2)
 • Water 9.7 sq mi (25 km2)  1.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 198,683
 • Density 281.6/sq mi (108.7/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 19th, 22nd

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

The county is part of the Binghamton, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Broome County is the site of 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 Albany County. This was an enormous 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 includes 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 in honor of the general, Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of Quebec, 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.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 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.

Broome County is located in south-central New York, directly north of the border with Pennsylvania in a section of the state called the Southern Tier. The Chenango River joins the Susquehanna River, which flows through the county.

The western half of the county is hilly but has wide valleys that accommodate Binghamton and its suburbs. In the northern portion Interstate 81 takes advantage of another glacial valley. To the east, however, the terrain becomes much more rugged as the land tilts up to the Catskills.

The highest elevation is a U.S. National Geodetic Survey benchmark known as Slawson atop an unnamed hill in the Town of Sanford. It is approximately 2087 feet (636 m) above sea level. 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 at the Pennsylvania state line.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

  • I-81
  • I-86 / NY 17
  • I-88
  • US 11
  • NY 7
  • NY 7A
  • NY 7B
  • NY 12
  • NY 17C
  • NY 26
  • NY 79
  • NY 363
  • NY 369
  • NY 434

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1810 8,130
1820 14,343 76.4%
1830 17,579 22.6%
1840 22,338 27.1%
1850 30,660 37.3%
1860 35,906 17.1%
1870 44,103 22.8%
1880 49,483 12.2%
1890 62,973 27.3%
1900 69,149 9.8%
1910 78,809 14.0%
1920 113,610 44.2%
1930 147,022 29.4%
1940 165,749 12.7%
1950 184,698 11.4%
1960 212,661 15.1%
1970 221,815 4.3%
1980 213,648 −3.7%
1990 212,160 −0.7%
2000 200,536 −5.5%
2010 200,600 0.0%
2015 (est.) 196,567 −2.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the census of 2000, there were 200,536 people, 80,749 households, and 50,225 families residing in the county. The population density was 284 people per square mile (110/km²). There were 88,817 housing units at an average density of 126 per square mile (49/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 [1]. 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.

In the county, the population was spread out with 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.

Communities

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

City

Towns

Villages

Census-designated places

Hamlets

Notable people

  • John Allen, dentist and inventor of new denture method
  • Ira Cook (1821-1902), Iowa land surveyor and businessman, born in Broome County
  • 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 Lived 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.
  • Rebecca Krohn, ballet dancer. Born in Broome County.

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

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Broome para niños

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