Binghamton, County seat in Broome County, New York State.
Binghamton sits at the meeting point of the Susquehanna River and Chenango River in a valley surrounded by hills in southern New York State. Downtown extends north from the two rivers with streets that follow a grid and older brick buildings housing shops, offices and restaurants.
The settlement was originally called Chenango Point and was incorporated as a city in 1834 after William Bingham acquired the land in 1786. Over the following decades the place grew into a center for shoe manufacturing with many factories producing until the mid-twentieth century.
The local dish known as a spiedie consists of marinated meat cubes served on skewers, and you can still find it in restaurants around town. Each year thousands of people come to a multi-day festival where bands play and visitors can taste different versions of this regional food.
The transportation center sits near downtown and offers bus connections to larger cities in the northeast such as New York City and Philadelphia. Most points of interest downtown can be reached on foot while a car is useful for trips to the surrounding hills.
Edwin Link developed the first flight simulator here in 1929 in a small building at the edge of town. This device allowed pilots to train under controlled conditions on the ground for the first time before flying a real aircraft.
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