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How tall do you need it to be? Do you have a preference for runners vs clumpers?

i definitly prefer runners and somewhere around 20'...thanks for the interest

Phyllostachys vivax is tall, fast growing, and hardy to -5 F.

If that's too tall, I'd also suggest Phyllostachys aureosulcata. Also fast growing, hardy to -10F, and will max out at about 25 feet.

I live on long Island myself and know for a fact Phyllostachys Aureosulcata (yellow groove bamboo what I transplanted a year ago to my backyard) does very well on Long Island. Any bamboo I have seen or noticed since I planted mine has been Phyllostachys Aureosulcata. There is a fully mature grove of it not far from where I live that has been there since I was a kid. The tallest ones are maybe 30-40 ft tall and about 2 out of every 10 have grown with a zig zag at the bottom of their culm/cane. They are known to be hardy down to -15. I have also just planted two new species a couple weeks ago. Phyllostachys Bambusoides A.K.A Japanese Timber Bamboo A.K.A Madake and Pseudosas Japonica "Akebonosuji".

A raised bed won't contain the rhizomes -- keep that in mind. Bissetii produces a LOT of rhizomes and culms (canes) and will become rootbound in a 3x2 planter very fast... after just a couple of years I'd guess.

3x2 is pretty small for any running bamboo, and you'll need to remove some portion of the plant every few years to rejuvenate it.

If your area is 3'x 2' bamboo is the wrong choice for you. The plant will only suffer and never inspire. It's like wanting to raise an elephant in 4'x 6' pen. Lay a sheet of plywood on the ground and that's the size area you need to give a bamboo plant to have it size up.

bamboozler, I agree to some extent, but 4x6 is a good rule of thumb for getting the full size of the species. You can get a respectable size in a smaller area than that. I've got plants in 20 gal. pots that have produced 3/4" diameter culms, 15+ feet tall. Most people are quite happy with that size.