Binghampton, Memphis

Summer Ave in Binghampton (2010)

Binghampton (also spelled "Binghamton") is a neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee. It is named after Bingham Street, a street in this district. Binghampton is bordered by the CSX railroad in the North, Holmes Street in the East, Poplar Avenue in the South and East Parkway North and North Trezevant Street in the West. Neighborhoods surrounding Binghampton are Hollywood in the Northwest, Nutbush in the north east, Highland Heights in the east, Aulon in the south and Midtown in the west.

History

Binghampton began as an independent and racially integrated rural Memphis town in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Annexed by Memphis in 1919 when the city's growth pushed to the east, Binghampton eventually came to be surrounded by more affluent neighborhoods. Binghampton proper has experienced shifting character as a result of development, various stages of racial segregation, and a transition from owner to renter occupied housing.

Revitalization attempts

Broad Avenue (2010)

Sam Cooper Boulevard is a highway owned by the City of Memphis which intersects the Binghampton neighborhood. In 2006, citizens from the Binghampton neighborhood of Memphis voiced concerns about negative effects that the completion of the western portion of Sam Cooper Boulevard has had on the community. Claims were made that construction of the road between North Highland Street and East Parkway North cut the Binghampton area in half by creating "high-speed traffic" and "confusing traffic patterns". It was mentioned that the routing of Sam Cooper Boulevard to the south of Broad Avenue had "effectively made" the circa 1.4 miles (2.3 km) long stretch of Broad Avenue a "ghost town", creating vacant lots in the partly industrial area and an unsafe neighborhood.

The Memphis Flyer cites Robert Montague, executive director of the Binghampton Development Corporation: "When they built Sam Cooper, this area really got buried". Citizens suggested changes in the zoning and a re-design of the Broad Avenue area north of Sam Cooper Boulevard and south of Summer Avenue to re-vitalize that part of the neighborhood and attract business and residents.

The following year, trees and shrubs were planted alongside Sam Cooper Boulevard and in the median west of North Highland Street. A few decorative flowerbeds were also installed in the median of the road to enhance the parkway design of the road.

In August 2010, there are plans to add a Farmers' Market on the corner of Tillman and Sam Cooper after making cosmetic updates to an abandoned gas station. The site will allow for at least 14 vendors for the Mid-South to come and sell produce to this "food desert" community, while attracting patrons from the East Memphis area due to the convenient location.

Crime

Random shootings at cars (2004)

In 2004, it was reported by local newsmedia that several cars driving on Sam Cooper Boulevard had been shot at randomly in the section west of Tillman Street and east of North Hollywood Street in the Binghampton neighborhood. The Memphis Police Department (MPD) reported 13 shootings between August and October of that year. A spokesman of the MPD stated that only vehicle damage had occurred and that no persons were hurt in the shootings. Police recovered a nine millimeter bullet from the front door of one vehicle. A special police task force was assigned to the case. It is not known if the shooter was caught.