Cortland, New York

Coordinates: 42°36′2″N 76°10′53″W / 42.60056°N 76.18139°W / 42.60056; -76.18139
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Cortlandt, New York.

Cortland, New York
Common Council
Members' List
Area
FIPS code
36-18388
GNIS feature ID0947499
Websitecortland.org

Cortland is a city and the county seat of Cortland County, New York, United States. Known as the Crown City, Cortland is in New York's Southern Tier region. As of 2024, the estimated population of Cortland, New York, is 17,196, reflecting a decline of approximately 1.82% since the 2020 census, which recorded 17,515 residents.[2]

The city of Cortland, near the county's western border, is surrounded by the town of Cortlandville.

History

The city is within the former Central New York Military Tract. It is named after Pierre Van Cortlandt, the first lieutenant governor of New York.[3]

Cortland, settled in 1791, was made a village in 1853 (rechartered in 1864), and incorporated in 1900 as New York's 41st city. When the county was formed in 1808, Cortland vied with other villages to become the county seat. Known as the "Crown City" because of its location on a plain formed by the convergence of seven valleys, Cortland is 1,130 feet (340 m) above sea level. Forty stars representing the 40 cities incorporated before Cortland circle the State of New York and Crown on the city's official seal. The seven points of the crown represent the seven valleys surrounding Cortland. The 41st star in the center of the crown illustrates Cortland as the incorporated city closest to New York's geographic center.

Cortland's leading industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was the Wickwire Brothers wire-drawing mill, noted for its production of wire hardware cloth for use as window screens. The extent of the Wickwires' wealth is demonstrated in the two magnificent mansions they commissioned. The Victorian Chateauesque-style home of Chester Wickwire is now operated as the 1890 House Museum & Center for Victorian Arts. Charles Wickwire's 1912 home is now owned and operated by the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association.[4] It is open to the public and used by the Alumni Association to host college-related events and house visiting dignitaries.[5]

Cortland was also the location of Brockway Motor Company, a pioneering truck maker. Begun in 1875 as Brockway Carriage Works, it was taken over by Mack Trucks in 1956 and survived until 1977. The city continues to host an annual show of Brockway trucks.[6]

From 1960 to 1992, Smith Corona typewriters were manufactured in Cortland.[7]

Cortland boasts a classic octagon house.[8] The Cortland Rural Cemetery is styled as a garden setting and is still in operation.

In 1868, Cortland became the home of the Cortland Normal School, which gradually developed into a four-year college. With graduate programs and research capacity, it has expanded into the State University of New York at Cortland.

In 2006, Cortland's historic clock tower burned down. It was later rebuilt, with spaces in the building for both businesses and apartments.[9]

The

Tompkins Street Historic District, Unitarian Universalist Church, and United States Post Office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[10][11]

Notable people

Geography

Cortland is in west-central Cortland County at 42°36′2″N 76°10′53″W / 42.60056°N 76.18139°W / 42.60056; -76.18139 (42.600658, −76.181284).[12] Cortland lies between Syracuse and Binghamton; it is surrounded by the town of Cortlandville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 3.92 square miles (10.14 km2), of which 3.90 square miles (10.09 km2) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2), or 0.51%, is water.[13]

The Tioughnioga River, a tributary of the Susquehanna River, flows southward past the city.

Transportation

Roads and highways

Interstate 81, U.S. Route 11, and New York State Route 281 are north-south highways servicing the city. New York State Route 13 and New York State Route 41 also serve the city. Via I-81 it is 40 miles (64 km) north to Syracuse and 40 miles (64 km) south to Binghamton. NY-13 leads southwest 18 miles (29 km) to Ithaca.

Bus

Local public transportation by bus is provided by Centro, which replaced Cortland Transit on March 31, 2025.[14] Greyhound and Trailways of New York provide the city with intercity bus service with connections to Syracuse, Binghamton, and points beyond. OurBus connects Cortland to Binghamton, New York City, and other destinations. The closest Amtrak train station is in Syracuse.

Air

Air service is provided by Cortland County Airport located west of the city. The nearest commercial airport is Ithaca Tompkins International Airport.

Climate

Cortland has a humid continental climate (Koppen Dfb), with cold, snowy winters and warm summers.

Climate data for Cortland, New York
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 68
(20) 		65
(18) 		85
(29) 		90
(32) 		93
(34) 		96
(36) 		100
(38) 		98
(37) 		100
(38) 		90
(32) 		81
(27) 		68
(20) 		100
(38)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 30.6
(−0.8) 		32.8
(0.4) 		41.9
(5.5) 		54.1
(12.3) 		67.6
(19.8) 		76.3
(24.6) 		81.0
(27.2) 		79.4
(26.3) 		70.7
(21.5) 		59.0
(15.0) 		46.2
(7.9) 		35.1
(1.7) 		56.2
(13.5)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 15.2
(−9.3) 		15.7
(−9.1) 		24.1
(−4.4) 		34.4
(1.3) 		45.3
(7.4) 		54.3
(12.4) 		58.8
(14.9) 		56.9
(13.8) 		49.3
(9.6) 		39.3
(4.1) 		31.7
(−0.2) 		21.5
(−5.8) 		37.2
(2.9)
Record low °F (°C) −25
(−32) 		−26
(−32) 		−13
(−25) 		11
(−12) 		23
(−5) 		32
(0) 		39
(4) 		35
(2) 		27
(−3) 		18
(−8) 		2
(−17) 		−17
(−27) 		−26
(−32)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.74
(70) 		2.49
(63) 		3.12
(79) 		3.22
(82) 		3.28
(83) 		4.08
(104) 		3.37
(86) 		2.98
(76) 		3.97
(101) 		3.17
(81) 		3.49
(89) 		3.41
(87) 		39.32
(999)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 19.7
(50) 		19.2
(49) 		13.2
(34) 		4.0
(10) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		.3
(0.76) 		8.2
(21) 		22.3
(57) 		86.9
(221)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 17.4 14.3 14.3 13.4 12.1 11.8 10.6 10.2 11.5 12.6 15.2 16.8 160.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 9.1 7.0 4.5 1.7 0 0 0 0 0 .1 3.2 7.6 33.2
Source 1: NOAA (normals 1971–2000),[15]
Source 2: The Weather Channel (extremes)[16]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18703,066—
18804,05032.1%
18908,590112.1%
19009,0144.9%
191011,50427.6%
192013,29415.6%
193015,04313.2%
194015,8815.6%
195018,15214.3%
196019,1815.7%
197019,6212.3%
198020,1382.6%
199019,801−1.7%
200018,740−5.4%
201019,2042.5%
202017,556−8.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]

As of the

Latino
of any race were 1.72% of the population.

There were 6,922 households, out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.1% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.3% under the age of 18, 28.4% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,478, and the median income for a family was $39,167. Males had a median income of $29,857 versus $21,614 for females. The

poverty line
, including 24.8% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2015 the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Cortland, New York were:

  • English - 15.6%
  • Irish - 10.8%
  • Italian - 9.7%
  • German - 8.4%
  • "American" - 5.7%
  • Dutch - 2.2%
  • Scottish - 2.1%
  • French (except Basque) - 1.8%
  • Polish - 1.8%[19]
Cortland, New York
Downtown Cortland

Government

Cortland's government consists of a mayor, who is elected at large, and an eight-member city council. One member is elected from each of the eight voting wards. As of January 2022, the mayor was Mayor Scott Steve[20] and the eight alderpersons that comprise the city's Common Council are:

  • Wayne Schutt, First Ward[21]
  • Kathryn Silliman, Second Ward[21]
  • Mary Clare Pennello, Third Ward[21]
  • Pat Lane, Fourth Ward[21]
  • Seth Thompson, Fifth Ward[21]
  • Bill Carpenter, Sixth Ward[22]
  • Troy Beckwith, Seventh Ward[22]
  • Thomas Michales, Eighth Ward[22]

The City Clerk is Andy Jewett. The City Attorney is A.J. Meldrim.

Sports

In 2009, the New York Jets' training camp was moved from Hofstra University in Hempstead to the SUNY Cortland campus. The camp drew in 34,000 visitors and brought nearly $4.26 million to the local economy.[23] In 2010, the Jets signed a three-year contract with SUNY Cortland. In 2015, they moved back to their own facility in Florham Park, New Jersey.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "Cortland, New York Population 2024". worldpopulationreview.
  3. ^ Company, Chicago and North Western Railway (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 59. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ The 1890 House Museum, the1890house.org. Accessed October 29, 2022.
  5. ^ SUNY(State University of New York) Cortland Alumni House. Accessed October 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Brockway Truck Preservation Association, brockwaytrucks.org. Accessed October 29, 2022.
  7. ^ Bradsher, Keith (July 22, 1992). "Smith Corona Plant Mexico Bound". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Octagon House Inventory Archived May 10, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, octagon.bobanna.com. Accessed October 29, 2022.
  9. ^ "3rd anniversary of Cortland clock tower fire - NewsChannel 9 WSYR". Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  10. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  11. ^ "National Register of Historic Places". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 8/15/11 through 8/19/11. National Park Service. August 26, 2011.
  12. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  13. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Cortland city, New York". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  14. ^ Home, Way2Go Cortland. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  15. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on August 14, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  16. ^ "Monthly Averages for Cortland, NY (13045)". The Weather Channel. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  17. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  18. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  19. ^ "American FactFinder - Results". Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  20. ^ "Mayor's Office | Cortland, NY". www.cortland.org. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  21. ^ a b c d e "Common Council | Cortland, NY". www.cortland.org. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  22. ^ a b c "Common Council | Cortland, NY". www.cortland.org. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  23. ^ "NY Jets, SUNY Cortland negotiating team's return for training camp". February 17, 2010.
  24. ^ "Jets among unaffected with NFL teams to remain at their facilities for training camp". Jets Wire. June 3, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2021.

Further reading

  • Raus, Edmund J. Banners South: Northern Community at War (2011), about Cortland.
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