Endicott, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Endicott, New York
Village
Endicott Post Office
Nickname(s):  The Magic City
Map highlighting Endicott's location within Broome County.
Endicott, New York Location in New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Broome
Town	Union
Incorporated	1906; 119 years ago (1906)
Area
• Total	3.20 sq mi (8.28 km2)
• Land	3.19 sq mi (8.27 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	840 ft (256 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	13,667
• Density	4,278.96/sq mi (1,652.18/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	13760, 13761, 13763
Area code(s)	607
FIPS code	36-24515
GNIS feature ID	0949657

Endicott is a small town, called a village, located in Broome County, New York, United States. In 2020, about 13,667 people lived there. It is part of the larger Binghamton area. The village is named after Henry B. Endicott, who helped start the Endicott Johnson Corporation, a shoe-making company. He called the community the "Home of the Square Deal."

Endicott is in the town of Union. It is west of the city of Binghamton. The Greater Binghamton Airport is nearby. Endicott is one of the "Triple Cities," along with Binghamton and Johnson City.

History of Endicott

The village of Endicott started as two separate villages. One was called Union village, which became a town for farmers along the Susquehanna River in the 1790s. The other was Endicott, which began as a "company town" built for the Endicott Johnson Corporation. This company grew to be the biggest shoe company in the world by World War I. Because it grew so fast, Endicott was nicknamed The Magic City. In 1921, the two villages joined together and became one village called Endicott.

The Endicott Johnson Shoe Company

The Endicott Johnson Corporation started from a shoe company in Binghamton in 1854. In 1890, the company moved to a new area. Financial problems led to the company being sold to Henry Bradford Endicott. He started the Endicott Shoe Company and later partnered with George F. Johnson in 1899. The village of Endicott is named after Henry B. Endicott.

George F. Johnson was a very smart businessman. Under his leadership, the company became very successful. He used a new machine that could stitch shoe parts together. This meant that for the first time, many people could make shoes quickly. Before this, shoes were made by hand by skilled cobblers.

As more shoe orders came in, the company needed to grow. They bought land in Endicott and built many factories. They also planned out the streets for the new town. Many immigrants, especially from southern and eastern Europe, came to Endicott to work for the company. At its busiest, Endicott-Johnson employed about 20,000 people in the early 1920s.

George F. Johnson had a special policy called the "Square Deal." The company helped workers buy land to build their homes. They also provided fun places for workers and medical care, which was very unusual at that time. Stone arches were built in 1920 to remember this "Square Deal." You can still see them on Route 17C at the entrances to Endicott and Johnson City.

The company faced challenges during the Great Depression in the 1930s. However, because shoes were always needed, they did better than many other businesses. During World War II, the company made shoes for the military, which helped them grow even more. After George F. Johnson passed away in 1948, the company struggled to keep up with new fashion trends and cheaper shoes made in other countries. This led to the closing of the Endicott factories over time.

IBM: The Birthplace of Computers

Endicott is also famous as the "Birthplace of IBM". The company, first called Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR), started in Endicott on June 16, 1911. It was formed by joining several companies that made machines using punched cards. These cards had holes that machines could "read" to process information.

The company changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) in 1924. Its new leader, Thomas J. Watson, saw that processing data had huge potential. IBM sold its machines to banks, businesses, and government offices. By the 1930s, IBM was a world leader in data processing. They even had a contract for the original Social Security system.

With encouragement from George F. Johnson, IBM built its own factory complex in Endicott. This complex grew quickly in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Endicott was the main place for all IBM's manufacturing, research, and development until after World War II.

During World War II, IBM helped by making arms like pistols. They also provided data processing for the military. After the war, IBM focused on electronic data processing, which was a big change. IBM's engineers in Endicott created reliable computers for government groups, banks, and large companies in the 1950s. This led to an information revolution and made IBM one of the most successful companies in the world.

As IBM grew, new homes were built in areas like Endwell and Vestal. IBM's employment in the region reached about 16,000 people in the mid-1980s. Over time, IBM built more research centers in other nearby towns. In 2002, IBM sold its Endicott manufacturing site. While IBM continued to have some research and development jobs in Endicott for a while, they eventually closed their last facilities there in October 2023.

Several historic places in Endicott are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include two old carousels.

The Triple Cities College, a part of Syracuse University, started in Endicott in 1946. It used buildings given by IBM and Endicott-Johnson. This college later became Harpur College and then Binghamton University (BU). BU moved to Vestal and has grown a lot. The Cider Mill Playhouse in Endicott is now a community theater.

The EnJoie Golf Course in Endicott used to host the PGA Tour's B.C. Open golf tournament. Famous golfers like Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods played there. The tournament ended in 2006. Since 2007, Endicott has hosted the Dick's Sporting Goods Open, which is part of the Champions Tour.

Geography of Endicott

The village of Endicott is located on the north side of the Susquehanna River. The Southern Tier Expressway (NYS Route 17) also runs nearby.

Endicott is found at these coordinates: 42°6′11″N 76°3′17″W / 42.10306°N 76.05472°W / 42.10306; -76.05472.

The village covers a total area of about 8.3 square kilometers (3.2 square miles). Only a very small part of this area, about 0.01 square kilometers, is water.

People in Endicott

In 2010, there were 13,392 people living in Endicott. There were about 6,058 households. The village had a mix of different backgrounds. About 86.64% of people were White, 6.96% were African American, and 1.75% were Asian. About 4.44% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

In the early 1900s, many people from Italy came to Endicott to work in the Endicott-Johnson shoe factories. They settled on the North Side of the village. Today, this area is known as Little Italy and still has a large Italian population.

Environmental Efforts

In the past, some industrial activities in Endicott led to concerns about chemicals in the soil and water. For example, IBM used cleaning agents for computer parts. Over time, some of these chemicals were released into the ground.

Scientists later found an underground area where some chemicals were present. The main chemical was trichloroethylene (TCE). Local officials and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have been working to clean up this area. They have used methods like heating the ground and pumping out affected groundwater to reduce the chemicals. Tests show that the drinking water in Endicott is safe.

Schools in Endicott

Endicott is served by the Union-Endicott Central School District. This district manages several schools:

• Union-Endicott High School (Grades 9–12)
• Linnaeus W. West/ Tiger Ventures School (Grades 8-12)
• Jennie F. Snapp Middle School (Grades 6–8)
• Ann G. McGuinness Elementary (Grades K–5)
• Charles F. Johnson, Jr. Elementary (Grades K–5)
• George F. Johnson Elementary (Grades K–5)
• Thomas J. Watson, Sr. Elementary (Grades K–5)

After a flood in 2011, Linnaeus W. West Elementary became Owego Elementary. Ann G. McGuinness Elementary then became a K-5 school, and all 6th graders moved to Jennie F. Snapp Middle School. As of 2016, Linnaeus W. West is now a high school.

Famous People from Endicott

See also

In Spanish: Endicott (Nueva York) para niños