Binghamton: Carousel Capital of the World (nickname)

Binghamton, in Broome County, New York, is called the “Carousel Capital of the World.” George F. Johnson (1857-1948), a shoe manufacturer in the Triple Cities area, donated six carousels between 1919 and 1934. The carousels—the largest collection of this kind in the world—are still operational.
 
The nickname “Carousel Capital of the World” was promoted in the 1990s. Other Binghamton nicknames include “Bingo” and “Parlor City.”
 
   
Wikipedia: Binghamton, New York
Binghamton /ˈbɪŋəmtən/ is a city in, and the county seat of, Broome County, New York, United States. It lies in the state’s Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers. Binghamton is the principal city and cultural center of the Binghamton metropolitan area (also known as Greater Binghamton, or historically the Triple Cities), home to a quarter million people. The population of the city itself, according to the 2010 census, is 47,376.
 
Wikipedia: George F. Johnson
George Francis Johnson (1857–1948) was an American businessman.
   
Greater Binghamton (NY) Convention & Visitors Bureau
Our Carousels Then:
Between 1919 and 1934, George F. Johnson (1857 – 1948), shoe manufacturer and great benefactor, donated six beautiful carousels to our local parks. Johnson’s commitment to recreation was always more than just good business. He felt carousels contributed to a happy life and would help youngsters grow into strong and useful citizens. Because of his own poor childhood, “George F.” believed carousels should be enjoyed by everyone and insisted that the municipalities never charge money for a magic ride.
(...)
Our Carousels Now:
Greater Binghamton has the only carousel collection of this kind in the world. Of the fewer than 150 antique carousels remaining in the United States and Canada, six are in Greater Binghamton, New York.
 
30 June 1991, Syracuse (NY) Herald American, Stars sec., pg. 7, col. 1:
Binghamton: the carousel capital
Six hand-carved classics offer free rides
BY STEVE LIBBY
Copley News Service
   
Google Books
Journal of Proceedings of the County Legislature of the County of Broome, State of New York
Broome County, N.Y. County Legislature
1992
Pg. C-33:
Broome County Chamber of Commerce installs signage welcoming travelers to the Binghamton Regional Airport, Broome County N.Y. “Carousel Capital of the World.”
   
Sports Illustrated (February 14, 1994)
A Life in the Shadows
Since 1947 Dick Baldwin has shunned the big time to coach small-college hoops in upstate New York
By Alexander Wolff
(...)
But the Division I merry-go-round never held much appeal for this denizen of greater Binghamton, the Carousel Capital of the World, which sits astride the Susquehanna River just north of the Pennsylvania line.
 
Google Books
New York Curiosities:
Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff
By Cindy Perman
Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press
2008
Pg. ?:
YOU ARE NOW…ENTERING…THE HORSEY ZONE
Binghamton
Touring Binghamton can be a little dizzying. That’s because the area is home to not one, not two, but six carousels! The region even refers to itself as the “Carousel Capital of the World.”
 
City Dictionary
Carousel Capital of the World
Binghamton is the Carousel Capital of the World because of its six historic carousels. Since they were donated with the understanding that they would always operate admission-free, children are “free” to ride the carousel at Ross Park Zoo if they pick up a piece of litter beforehand.
Posted by: Anonymous on Dec 03, 2009