Broome County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 198,683. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

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

Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York, Upstate region of New York (state), New York State, geographically situated along or very near the state border with Pennsylvania. Definitions of the region vary wide ...

region of the state. The county is part of the Binghamton, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is home to

Binghamton University The State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University or SUNY Binghamton) is a public university, public research university in Binghamton metropolitan area, Greater Binghamton, New York, United States. It is one of the four uni ...

, one of four university centers in the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...

(SUNY) system.

History

When counties were established in the

Province of New York The Province of New York was a British proprietary colony and later a royal colony on the northeast coast of North America from 1664 to 1783. It extended from Long Island on the Atlantic, up the Hudson River and Mohawk River valleys to ...

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 Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

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 Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Cumberland, historic county *Cumberl ...

, 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 The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the highest point in Ne ...

and the area west of the West Branch of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

. The area then designated as Tryon County now is organized as 37 counties of New York State. The county was named for

William Tryon Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...

, 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 American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, the name of Tryon County was changed to Montgomery County, for General

Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish-born American military officer who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and ...

, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, 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 Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben,

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

, 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. On March 28, 1806, Broome County was formed by splitting several towns off from Tioga County. At the time, this included all of Broome County's current area, as well as the then-named town of Tioga (renamed the town of Owego in 1813) and the town of Berkshire. Small portions of land were lost to Cortland County and Tompkins County in 1815 and 1817, respectively. The towns of Owego and Berkshire were returned to Tioga County on March 21, 1822, establishing the present-day boundaries of Broome County.

Geography

Broome County lies on the southern line of New York. Its southern border abuts the northern boundary of the state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. The

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

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 The Chenango River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in central New York in the United States. It drains a dissec ...

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 Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

counties.Broome County NY
- Google Maps (accessed June 14, 2019) The county's western portion is hilly, with wide valleys that accommodate Binghamton and its suburbs. In the northern portion,

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...

traverses a wide glacial valley. The eastern part of the county is much more rugged, as the land rises to the

Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province and subrange of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined a ...

. The terrain generally slopes to the west. The county's highest point is in the southeast 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 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 A contour line (also isoline, isopleth, isoquant or isarithm) of a Function of several real variables, function of two variables is a curve along which the function has a constant value, so that the curve joins points of equal value. It is a ...

. The lowest point is above sea level, along the Susquehanna River, at the Pennsylvania state line. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.4%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Chenango County – northeast * Delaware County – east * Wayne County, Pennsylvania – southeast *

Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania Susquehanna County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 38,434 Its county seat is Montrose, Pennsylvania, Montro ...

– south * Tioga County – west * Cortland County – northwest

Protected areas

Source: * 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

Lakes

Source: * 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

Major highways

* * / Quickway * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Demographics

2020 census

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, there were 200,536 people, 80,749 households, and 50,225 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 88,817 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.33%

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.28%

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, .19% Native American, 2.79% Asian, .03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, .79% from other races, and 1.59% from two or more races. 1.99% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 the census. 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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $19,168. About 8.80% of families and 12.80% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, 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 A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfb'') and the

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

is mainly 5b.

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 2024). The more recent elections had favored the Democratic candidate, until

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

carried the county in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, the first Republican to win the county since

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

carried Broome with 50.5% of the vote in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

. In 2024, the county went for Democrat

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

, although she only managed to carry it by a 379-vote plurality. In Broome County, Democratic strength comes primarily from Binghamton and its suburbs, such as Johnson City and Endicott, while Republicans dominate the outer, rural parts of the county. 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

Legislature

The Broome County Legislature consists of 15 members. The 15 legislature members are elected from individual districts. As of 2024, there are 9 Republicans and 6 Democrats.

Party affiliation

Law enforcement

In Broome County, law enforcement services are provided by local, county, state, and federal law enforcement professionals. At the federal level: *

United States Marshals Service The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the United States federal judi ...

(located in the federal courthouse in downtown Binghamton) * Customs and Border Protection (Greater Binghamton Airport located in Johnson City) * Transportation Security Administration (Greater Binghamton Airport located in Johnson City) * Federal Protective Service (federal & GSA properties located in Downtown Binghamton) At the state level: * New York State Police * New York State Court Officers *

New York State Park Police The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) is a government agency, state agency within the New York State Executive DepartmentParks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law § 3.03. "The office of parks, ...

* New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police * New York State University Police (Binghamton University) * SUNY Broome Office of Public Safety ** Peace officers At the county level: * Broome County office of sheriff * Broome County district attorney ** Criminal investigators ** School resource officers contracted through the DA's office * Broome County Government Security Division (NYS peace officers with quasi-law enforcement status, including powers of arrest and carrying firearms. They are located at county property, as well as county events.) At the local level: * Binghamton Police Department * Endicott Police Department * Johnson City Police Department * Vestal Police Department * Port Dickinson Police Department Additionally, the 536-bed Broome County Jail is operated by the Broome County sheriff's office. The Broome County Law Enforcement Academy facilitates the New York State-mandated basic course for police officers, which includes over 700 hours of instruction. All municipal police officers and deputy sheriffs within Broome County attend this academy. In addition, oftentimes officers from outside Greater Binghamton attend the academy. The academy frequently hosts officers from the Elmira-Corning area,

Syracuse metropolitan area The Syracuse Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area comprising three counties in central New York, with the city of Syracuse as its core. The three counties are Onondaga, Madison, and Oswego ...

, and other regions within New York State.

Education

The primary institutes of higher education in Broome County include: *

(enrollment 18,500) * Broome Community College (BCC or SUNY Broome) * Davis College – a private

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

college founded in Johnson City, though the campus is now defunct and sits empty.

Communities

Larger settlements

† – County seat ‡ – Not wholly in this county

Towns

* Barker * Binghamton * Chenango * Colesville * Conklin * Dickinson * Fenton * Kirkwood * Lisle *

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

* Nanticoke * Sanford *

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...

* 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 Nineveh ( ; , ''URUNI.NU.A, Ninua''; , ''Nīnəwē''; , ''Nīnawā''; , ''Nīnwē''), was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul (itself built out of the Assyrian town of Mepsila) in northern ...

* Pleasant Hill * Port Crane * Quinneville * Summit Hill * West Chenango * Wyman Corner

Census-designated places

* Chenango Bridge * Endwell * Glen Aubrey

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 (b. 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,Life & Times Part 2
/ref> 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 (b. 1939), karate and judo grand master, author, actor, resides in Broome County *

Camille Paglia Camille Anna Paglia ( ; born April 2, 1947) is an American academic, social critic and Feminism, feminist. Paglia was a professor at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia), University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1984 until ...

(b. 1947), philosopher, author, born in Broome County * Alice Freeman Palmer (1855–1902), educator, born in Broome County * Amy Sedaris (b. 1961), actress, author, playwright, born in Broome County * David Sedaris (b. 1956), comedian, essayist, playwright, born in Broome County *

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his Anthology series, anthology television series ''The Twilight Zone (1 ...

(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

Notes

References

External links

Broome County, New York

Broome County Oral History Project, Binghamton University Libraries
{{authority control Binghamton metropolitan area 1806 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1806