Triple Cities

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The Triple Cities is a colloquial phrase used by people in the Southern Tier region of New York State to refer to the agglomeration created by the cities of Binghamton, Endicott, and Johnson City (the latter two of which are technically villages).

[edit] Political Geography

The Triple Cities area is also sometimes called the "Greater Binghamton Area" as the city of Binghamton is the largest and most prominent of the three, with a population almost equal to the other two combined, and a much larger geographical area. The three incorporated areas are tightly squeezed together and can seem like a single large, albeit spread out, city. The three cities share a symbiotic relationship, though they retain their political and economic self identities. For example, many people living in Binghamton go shopping at the Oakdale Mall in Johnson City on a regular basis, and it's very common for someone living in one city to work or go to school in one of the other two.

Some have put forward the idea of merging the three into a single city, but it seems unlikely due to the politics of the area. While the triple cities term technically only refers to the three main cities mentioned, the Triple Cities area is also used by some to refer to the surrounding area of urban conurbation, including Endwell, West Corners, the Upper Front Street area (which is technically in the Town of Dickinson) and perhaps most notably, the Town of Vestal. Vestal is home to the Vestal Parkway which is a major commercial strip for the entire area, including housing one of the two major multiplex theaters in the area, and a number of shopping plazas, major chain stores, and eateries.

[edit] Transportation

The cities all sit together, parallel to the Southern Tier Expressway (New York State Highway 17, the main part of future Interstate 86 (east)). This along with a junction to Interstate 81 and U.S. Highway 11 along with New York State Route 12 (commonly called route 11, and route 12, or simply 11 and 12, respectively), form the main transportation routes for the area. NY 17 and I-81 are the high-speed roadways providing quick expressway access between the cities, while the other two serve as secondary, but important, gateways to the area (and notably US 11 which turns into Court Street in the city of Binghamton, and comes out the other end, linking up with NY 12).