Is Binghamton Really A Poor And Depressing City?

What's not to love about our new world of social media and the explosion of videos from almost everyone on the planet with a phone that can record to sites like YouTube?

It all has its advantages and unfortunately, dark sides as well. I enjoy watching videos on YouTube, especially ones that are about subjects and hobbies that I love. And there have been plenty of times I have checked out the "how-to" videos from time to time.

I also enjoy videos about our community. There are plenty out there. And then there are those videos that seem to give our communities a black eye. Are these vloggers correct in their assessment of the Binghamton area?

Recently a video was uploaded from 'From Here To There' on YouTube, with the title -"BINGHAMTON - The Poorest City In New York & One Of The Most Depressing Places In The USA."

Really? I thought that would be Elmira (sorry Queen City, I still love ya.) Anyway, the narrator begins with a shot of the now-closed Spot Diner on a foggy day, panning over to garbage strewn around a Tesla charging station to immediately give the area a gloomy, dirty, empty, and cloudy feel.

Regardless of whether we agree or disagree with the narrator, it would have been a good idea for him to learn how to correctly pronounce some of our names.

For example, the narrator pronounces the Chenango River, 'Cha-Nango,' and the Susquehanna River was pronounced as 'Sus-que-ha--nah.' Well, at least he pronounced Binghamton correctly, and we know many can't get that right.

From Here To There via YouTube

Another issue I had was the narrator's description of a nearly abandoned downtown as he drove through it. Well, it was a Sunday morning, so there's that. Not expecting a wave of traffic early on a Sunday morning.

He makes assumptions throughout the video of abandoned buildings that are in reality, not abandoned, but have businesses in them. I could go on with false assumptions, but take a look at the video below, for yourself and decide.

What do you agree and/or disagree with about this blogger's assessment of our Binghamton area?