Did you know that the Southern Tier of New York is home to one of the oldest rivers in the entire world?

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It’s pretty amazing when you consider that most of us travel daily along what is the longest river on the east coast without even realizing its significance. That river is the Susquehanna.

Geologists believe that the Susquehanna River is over 300 million years old and that it was formed during the Carboniferous Period.

During the Carboniferous Period, the world was covered with thick and swampy forests which over time became peat. Eventually, the peat became coal. That coal is what gave the Carboniferous Period its name.

Even more incredible to consider is that the Susquehanna River is older than the Appalachian Mountains and the Bald Eagle Mountains. As a matter of fact, the Susquehanna River was already flowing before those mountains were formed.

While the 444-mile-long Susquehanna River is primarily located in Pennsylvania, it does flow through Binghamton where it picks up the Chenango River. The Susquehanna River is also the longest river in the United States that has no commercial boat traffic.

Binghamton can thank the Susquehanna River for its major role in the development and growth of our city as it was used for shipping products which lent to the local industry boom.

In 1997, the Susquehanna River was designated as one of the American Heritage Rivers by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. American Heritage Rivers receive special attention from government agencies in the areas of “natural resource and environmental protection, economic revitalization, and historic and cultural preservation.”

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