Southern Tier facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Southern Tier of New York
Region
Skyline of Binghamton, New York
Country	United States
State	New York
Region	Upstate New York
Counties	Allegany, Broome, Chenango, Chemung, Delaware, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins
Cities	Binghamton, Corning, Elmira, Hornell, Olean, Salamanca, Dunkirk, Jamestown, Vestal
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Area code	607, 585 & 716
Website	http://www.steg.com/

The Southern Tier is a special area in New York State. It's located along the state border with Pennsylvania. People often think of it as the counties around the cities of Binghamton, Elmira, and Corning. This region is right next to the Northern Tier in Pennsylvania. Together, these two areas are called the Twin Tiers.

Most of the Southern Tier is part of the Allegheny Plateau. This plateau is a high, flat area within the Appalachian Mountains. The eastern parts of the region are also near the western Catskill Mountains. Long ago, the Iroquois Confederacy lived here. After the American Revolutionary War, European settlers moved in. The land is hilly but fertile, with wide river valleys. This helped both factories and farms grow. Big companies like IBM and Corning Inc. started here. However, since the 1950s, many factory jobs have left. This means the area is now often seen as part of the Rust Belt.

Counties of the Southern Tier

The Southern Tier usually includes eight main counties. These counties have many important towns and cities.

The Southern Tier isn't an official region with fixed borders. Because of this, different groups might include different counties. For example, some groups consider Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, and Cortland counties to be part of the Southern Tier.

The New York State Division of Local Government Services includes fourteen counties in the Southern Tier. These are the same 14 counties that are part of the Appalachian Regional Commission. This commission was created in 1963 to help with economic growth in the Appalachian region.

Geography of the Region

Allegany State Park

The Southern Tier is mostly hilly, but not truly mountainous. The land can have gentle rolling hills or steep cliffs and valleys. The highest point in western New York is Alma Hill in Allegany County.

The Delaware, Susquehanna, and Allegheny River all flow through parts of the Southern Tier. The region is the northernmost part of Appalachia. It sits on the Allegheny Plateau. The western edge is marked by the Chautauqua Ridge. This ridge is part of the continental divide, which separates water flowing to the Great Lakes from water flowing to the Mississippi River.

The Southern Tier has strong geographic ties to Pennsylvania. Its early settlers came mostly from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and southern New York. This is different from northern New York, where many settlers came from New England.

History of the Southern Tier

The Southern Tier has a rich history. For a long time, it was home to the Iroquois Confederacy. They had major settlements along the Allegheny River and at Painted Post. Today, the Seneca Nation has a reservation along the Allegheny River, with its main center in Salamanca.

In the 1600s and 1700s, the colonies of New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania all claimed this land. However, they didn't try to settle it much at that time.

After the Revolutionary War, white settlers quickly moved into the region. The Southern Tier grew economically in the early 1800s. However, its hilly land made it harder to build canals and railroads compared to the flatter areas to the north. Still, canals like the Chemung and Chenango helped connect the region to the Erie Canal. These canals helped the economy grow and led to the building of railroads.

Railroads arrived with the Erie Railroad, which followed the rivers. This helped industry grow around the time of the American Civil War. The railroad and nearby forests (which provided fuel) attracted companies like Corning Glass Works in 1868.

In the first half of the 1900s, the region had many successful farms and small factory towns. But as manufacturing declined across the U.S., the Southern Tier was hit hard. It suffered even more than other parts of New York and Pennsylvania.

In the last 40 years, the region has received economic help from the Appalachian Regional Commission. This was thanks to U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Government money helped build highways like the Southern Tier Expressway. It also supported the growth of state colleges. The region has tried to attract new businesses and become a place for tourists and retirees. However, farming and manufacturing still face challenges.

Education in the Region

The Southern Tier has many colleges and universities. Binghamton University is one of the four main university centers in the SUNY system. Other four-year schools include St. Bonaventure University, Alfred University, Elmira College, and Houghton College.

There are also technical and community colleges. These include Alfred State College, Broome Community College, Corning Community College, and the State University of New York at Delhi.

Some other colleges near the region are Cornell University, Hartwick College, and Ithaca College.

Getting Around the Southern Tier

Southern Tier Expressway route marker

The Southern Tier Expressway is a major highway in the region. It is part of Interstate 86 and New York State Route 17. This highway connects to other major roads like U.S. Route 219 and Interstate 390. It also links to Interstates 81 and 88 in Binghamton.

The region has three regional airports. The Elmira-Corning Regional Airport has flights to cities like Atlanta and Washington D.C. The Greater Binghamton Airport offers flights to Detroit. The Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport connects to Pittsburgh.

Bus services are available along the main highway corridor. Companies like Coach USA and Trailways offer routes to New York City, Buffalo, and other cities. Local bus services also operate within and between towns.

In the past, passenger trains ran through the region on the Erie Railroad. These trains connected Chicago to New Jersey, with ferries to New York City. The last passenger train ran in 1970. Today, Amtrak does not serve the area. There have been ideas for high-speed rail in New York, but the hilly land of the Southern Tier makes it difficult.

Economy of the Southern Tier

Government services are the biggest employer in the Southern Tier. Manufacturing used to be very important, but it has declined. Still, factories exist in the larger towns. Corning Inc., a big materials company, has its main office in Steuben County. Broome County is known for high-tech industries. It's where IBM and flight simulation technology began. Other factories in the region make things like military aircraft and televisions.

The area also has natural gas from the Marcellus Formation. Crude oil has been taken from wells here for over a century. There is a lot of discussion about using hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to get more gas, but it is currently not allowed in New York.

Cummins, an engine company, has a large factory in Jamestown, NY. This factory makes many heavy-duty diesel engines each year.

Agriculture is also a big part of the economy. Farmers produce dairy products, vegetables, fruits, and wine grapes. Wine grapes usually grow on the edges of the Southern Tier, where the growing season is longer. The region also has two popular microbreweries: the Southern Tier Brewing Company and Ellicottville Brewing Company.

The western and northern parts of the Southern Tier are known as "ski country." The hilly land gets a lot of lake effect snow. Because of this, Ellicottville has become a popular ski town. It has resorts like Holimont and Holiday Valley, which attract many tourists, especially from Canada. In the 1960s, there were many more ski resorts in the region, but most have closed.

Culture and Entertainment

The Southern Tier is home to two professional symphony orchestras. These are the Binghamton Philharmonic and the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes. Binghamton also has youth and community orchestras. The Tri-Cities Opera Company performs operas in Binghamton.

Media and Sports

Most of the Southern Tier gets its TV from the Elmira-Corning or Binghamton markets. Some western counties get TV from Buffalo or Erie, Pennsylvania. Radio stations also serve these areas. Local newspapers include The Leader, the Elmira Star-Gazette, and the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin.

The Southern Tier has a varied history in sports. The Dick's Sporting Goods Open, a professional golf event, is held each summer in Endicott. Binghamton has a professional baseball team, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. It also has a hockey team, the Binghamton Black Bears. The Watkins Glen International Speedway, a famous racing track, is also in the region.

In the past, the Southern Tier had many minor league baseball teams. Today, collegiate summer baseball teams play in the region. One professional basketball team, the Elmira Colonels, played here in the 1950s.