Nationally, Binghamton is recognized as the birthplace of IBM, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and the Raymond Corporation. The city is not known as one of the premier destinations for college students: some find the weather to be bothersome during the long and cold winter months, and other students complain about the lack of “going out options,” although many are satisfied with the available bars and clubs. Minor league baseball fans enjoy trips to NYSE Stadium to see the AA Binghamton Mets. In 2007, Binghamton was rated as among the nation’s best “green” cities by Country Home Magazine. The city of Binghamton is about a 3 hour drive from both New York City and Philadelphia and is served by the Greater Binghamton Airport.

Binghamton’s campus covers 887 acres and features 120 buildings. The newest facilities include an indoor University Events Center, home to a number of sporting events, concerts, and commencement ceremonies. From a birds-eye view, Binghamton’s main campus contains the shape of a brain: a portion of the campus is encircled by roads creating loops that form portions representing the cerebrum, cerebellum, spinal cord, and medulla. The university also boasts a 190-acre Nature Preserve on the south end of campus. Students sometimes hang out at the boardwalk constructed across one of the preserve’s many marshes overlooking the lake.

Binghamton’s residential communities are modeled after Oxford University’s collegiate system. In each community, a tenured faculty member called a Faculty Master guides the students, often dining and attending events and programs with them. There are seven residential communities: College in the Woods: -Seneca -Oneida -Onondaga -Iroquois Commons -Cayuga -Mohawk Dickinson: Students can select single-sex or co-ed floors in these dormitories -Champlain -Digman -Johnson -O’Connor -Rafuse -Whitney Hinman: -Cleveland Hall -Hughes Hall -Lehman Hall -Smith Hall -Roosevelt Hall Mountainview -Cascade -Hunter -Marcy -Windham Susquehanna: -Brandywine -Choconut -Glenwood -Nanticoke Newing -Broome Hall -Chenango Hall -Delaware Hall -Bingham Hall -Endicott Hall

In 2001, Binghamton’s Bearcats began competing in NCAA Division I athletics. Binghamton is also a member of the America East Conference. Recently, the university’s teams have enjoyed a wealth of success. In 2007, the men’s soccer team made it the America East Championship for the 5th consecutive year. Also, in 2006 the Bearcats were runners-up in the race for the Commissioner’s Cup, which ranks participating colleges by the overall success of their athletic programs. In 2008, Rory Quiller became the first Binghamton athlete to win a Division I National Championship in pole vaulting. He also was a three-time All-American during his athletic career. The Bearcats’ primary rivals are the SUNY Albany Great Danes. This is commonly known as the “I-88 rivalry.”