Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
A Tale of Three Cities: Utica, Binghamton and Ithaca
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Upstate New York’s cities, many of which sit within or near the north-central Appalachians, have faced numerous challenges since the decline of area industries; but like other cities in the Appalachian region, they have confronted these challenges in innovative ways, often involving the participation of local colleges and universities. This paper will focus on three quite different upstate cities and address the influence that universities have had on their post-industrial development. Utica, located at the northern edge of the Appalachian Plateau (and the eponym of Utica Shale), was once one of the biggest producers of knit goods in the world. Binghamton, located on the Susquehanna River within the Appalachian Plateau, was the original headquarters of IBM. And Ithaca, also on the Plateau, was home to the Morse Chain Company as well as the Ithaca Gun Company. These and other industries are gone, and the three cities have felt their losses to different degrees. Utica was most adversely affected, largely because it was so dependent on its industries; Binghamton less so, largely because one of IBM’s legacies is the acclaimed public Binghamton University; and Ithaca least of all, because it has developed an elite artistic and intellectual identity closely linked with Cornell University. This paper will offer brief histories of the three cities, discuss their cultural contexts (referencing scholars who specialize in upstate New York, e.g. Alexander R. Thomas), and demonstrate how they exemplify the varying roles – both positive and problematic – that academia plays in struggling cities throughout Appalachia and beyond.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Timothy Di Leo Browne is a lecturer at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, in the School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies. His work focuses on cultural and linguistic contact in a variety of contexts, particularly between rural and urban populations and between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples of North America.
A Tale of Three Cities: Utica, Binghamton and Ithaca
Upstate New York’s cities, many of which sit within or near the north-central Appalachians, have faced numerous challenges since the decline of area industries; but like other cities in the Appalachian region, they have confronted these challenges in innovative ways, often involving the participation of local colleges and universities. This paper will focus on three quite different upstate cities and address the influence that universities have had on their post-industrial development. Utica, located at the northern edge of the Appalachian Plateau (and the eponym of Utica Shale), was once one of the biggest producers of knit goods in the world. Binghamton, located on the Susquehanna River within the Appalachian Plateau, was the original headquarters of IBM. And Ithaca, also on the Plateau, was home to the Morse Chain Company as well as the Ithaca Gun Company. These and other industries are gone, and the three cities have felt their losses to different degrees. Utica was most adversely affected, largely because it was so dependent on its industries; Binghamton less so, largely because one of IBM’s legacies is the acclaimed public Binghamton University; and Ithaca least of all, because it has developed an elite artistic and intellectual identity closely linked with Cornell University. This paper will offer brief histories of the three cities, discuss their cultural contexts (referencing scholars who specialize in upstate New York, e.g. Alexander R. Thomas), and demonstrate how they exemplify the varying roles – both positive and problematic – that academia plays in struggling cities throughout Appalachia and beyond.
