Corning, New York | |
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| Nickname: Crystal City | |
  Corning, New York Location within the state of New York Show map of New York Corning, New York Corning, New York (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:42°8′53″N77°3′25″W / 42.14806°N 77.05694°W /42.14806; -77.05694 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Steuben |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor | William M. Boland, Jr (D) |
| • City Manager | Mark L. Ryckman |
| • City Council | |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.26 sq mi (8.45 km2) |
| • Land | 3.08 sq mi (7.99 km2) |
| • Water | 0.18 sq mi (0.46 km2) |
| Elevation | 932 ft (284 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 10,551 |
| • Density | 3,421.5/sq mi (1,321.04/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 14830-14831 |
| Area code | 607 |
| FIPS code | 36-18256 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0947476[3] |
| Website | Corning, New York |
Corning is a city inSteuben County, New York, United States, on theChemung River. The population was 10,551 at the2020 census. It is named forErastus Corning, anAlbanyfinancier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company that developed the community. The city is best known as the headquarters ofFortune 500 companyCorning Incorporated, formerly Corning Glass Works, a manufacturer ofglass andceramic products for industrial, scientific and technical uses. Corning is roughlyequidistant fromNew York City andToronto, being about 220 miles (350 km) from both.[4]
The city of Corning is situated at the western edge of thetown ofCorning and in the southeast part ofSteuben County.
It is also home to theCorning Museum of Glass, which houses one of the world's most comprehensive collections of glass objects from antiquity to the present. The museum houses the Rakow Library,[5] one of the world's major glass research centers.
The city's other major cultural attraction is theRockwell Museum. It contains an important collection of Western American painting and sculpture assembled over the past 40 years by Robert F. and Hertha Rockwell. The city has been cited several times byAmerican Style magazine as one of the top twenty-five small city arts destinations in the U.S. – most recently in June 2010.[6] Many of the cultural events and historic landmarks in the city are in Corning'sGaffer District.
Corning Country Club annually hosted theCorning Classic, a stop on theLadies Professional Golf Association tour, from 1979 to 2009. The city has commercial air service available atElmira/Corning Regional Airport in the nearby town ofBig Flats.
Corning is also home to the 2006 New York State Class A high school football champions.[7]
In 2006, the city council approved public water fluoridation. In 2007, a petition was launched to ban this practice by local resident Kirk Huttleston which eventually became known as Proposition 1.[8] Proposition 1 passed the ban by a close vote of 1,287 to 1,222, according to unofficial results, leading to a full ban on public water fluoridation in 2008.[9]
In 2013, Rand McNally's list of best small towns in America named Corning the "Most Fun" town out of all the list's finalists.[10]
The first settlement in the town of Corning was made near the site of the future city in 1796. The community was incorporated as avillage in 1848. Corning was incorporated as a city in 1890. As theglass industry developed, Corning became known as the "Crystal City" which was supported by companies such as Hawkes, Sinclair, and Hunt - which produced some of the finest American Brilliant Periodcut glass between 1880 and 1915.[11]
The Corning area's first real industry waslumber. The first settlers used the area's river systems to transport logs and finished lumber in fleets downstream to buyers. This gave rise to large mills which helped to develop the area. Rafting of lumber began to wane as timber was depleted. At one time the mills of the Corning area were reputed to be among the biggest in the world. After the lumber was depleted the great mills moved north to new forests.
East, across theChemung River from Corning, liesGibson, the site of a feeder canal for theChemung Canal system. Some of Corning's early prosperity came from the feeder canal system exposure. Canal cargoes from Corning includedsoft coal,timber,tobacco,grain, andwhiskey. From April 22 to December 11, 1850, the canal season that year, the newspaper reported that 1,116 boats left the port of Corning. Tolls for the year totaled $54,060.39. Among items shipped were 46,572,400 pounds of coal. The canal's best peacetime year was 1854 when 270,978 tons of freight were hauled. TheCivil War brought an abnormal amount of business, with a peak of 307,151 tons hauled in one year.[12]
After the Civil War, an industrial boom occurred in the region.Ingersoll Rand opened during this period inPainted Post, just north of Corning.
Corning became arailroad town in the 1880s, many smaller railroad lines busily weaving webs of tracks connecting the major trunk line to smaller communities. In 1912, theCorning train wreck three miles east of Corning in Gibson left 39 dead.
TheJenning's Tavern,Corning Armory,Market Street Historic District,Southside Historic District,World War Memorial Library, andUnited States Post Office are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[13]
The flood of 1972 was a major event for the area. On June 22, 1972, the storm that had beenHurricane Agnes struck theSouthern Tier of New York. The storm combined with a storm system fromOhio to drop six to eight inches (200 mm) of rain in theChemung River basin. This ultimately overwhelmed the flood control systems of the time, and the Chemung River broke through the dam system on Friday, June 23 at 4:00 a.m. By 9:00 a.m. the river crested and began to recede. In the Corning area, eighteen people were killed and untold millions of dollars of damage was incurred. The river receded within hours, leaving mud which can still be found in basements of homes and businesses in Corning, and there is a section of theCorning Museum of Glass that indicates on the wall how high the flood waters rose.
Just upstream from Corning, theCohocton River and theTioga River merge to form theChemung River which flows through downtown.[14] The river was an important source ofpower in the early history, and is part of the attractiveness of the region today.
The river is prone to floods, as rain water runs off quickly from the steep hillsides of the area. In 1972 the remnants ofHurricane Agnes dropped fifteen or more inches of rain in the area within a short time causing extensive flooding. Eighteen people were killed in the immediate Corning-Painted Post area. The entire downtown area was flooded, with severe damage.[citation needed] Flooding is now controlled by a system of dams upstream from Corning.
I-86 (theSouthern Tier Expressway),NY 17,NY 352,NY 414, andNY 415 are major highways connecting in Corning. County Road 40 leads into the city from the south and County Road 41 from the north.I-99 andUS 15 proceeds southward from Painted Post, west of Corning.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km2), of which, 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) of it (5.18%) is water.
| Climate data for Corning, New York (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1992–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 66 (19) | 71 (22) | 86 (30) | 91 (33) | 94 (34) | 95 (35) | 98 (37) | 100 (38) | 97 (36) | 84 (29) | 76 (24) | 69 (21) | 100 (38) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 52.0 (11.1) | 51.3 (10.7) | 62.6 (17.0) | 77.9 (25.5) | 86.7 (30.4) | 87.3 (30.7) | 89.7 (32.1) | 86.1 (30.1) | 84.7 (29.3) | 74.5 (23.6) | 64.8 (18.2) | 53.7 (12.1) | 90.9 (32.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 29.5 (−1.4) | 32.6 (0.3) | 41.5 (5.3) | 55.2 (12.9) | 67.6 (19.8) | 74.9 (23.8) | 79.1 (26.2) | 77.2 (25.1) | 70.1 (21.2) | 57.7 (14.3) | 44.9 (7.2) | 34.2 (1.2) | 55.4 (13.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 20.8 (−6.2) | 22.7 (−5.2) | 30.5 (−0.8) | 42.9 (6.1) | 54.6 (12.6) | 62.8 (17.1) | 67.1 (19.5) | 65.6 (18.7) | 58.4 (14.7) | 46.9 (8.3) | 35.8 (2.1) | 26.7 (−2.9) | 44.6 (7.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 12.2 (−11.0) | 12.8 (−10.7) | 19.6 (−6.9) | 30.5 (−0.8) | 41.6 (5.3) | 50.6 (10.3) | 55.1 (12.8) | 54.0 (12.2) | 46.7 (8.2) | 36.2 (2.3) | 26.6 (−3.0) | 19.2 (−7.1) | 33.8 (1.0) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −5.3 (−20.7) | −5.5 (−20.8) | 2.3 (−16.5) | 18.5 (−7.5) | 27.3 (−2.6) | 37.6 (3.1) | 45.0 (7.2) | 44.0 (6.7) | 34.9 (1.6) | 25.2 (−3.8) | 13.7 (−10.2) | 5.5 (−14.7) | −9.6 (−23.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) | −18 (−28) | −15 (−26) | 6 (−14) | 22 (−6) | 33 (1) | 39 (4) | 41 (5) | 26 (−3) | 20 (−7) | −1 (−18) | −13 (−25) | −20 (−29) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.34 (59) | 1.92 (49) | 2.99 (76) | 3.37 (86) | 3.05 (77) | 4.18 (106) | 3.69 (94) | 3.86 (98) | 4.18 (106) | 3.60 (91) | 2.85 (72) | 2.66 (68) | 38.69 (983) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 11.8 (30) | 11.3 (29) | 13.6 (35) | 2.2 (5.6) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 4.1 (10) | 10.0 (25) | 53.2 (135) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 6.9 (18) | 8.1 (21) | 9.8 (25) | 1.7 (4.3) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 2.3 (5.8) | 5.0 (13) | 13.5 (34) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 14.8 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.1 | 14.0 | 13.6 | 12.7 | 12.2 | 11.6 | 14.2 | 13.6 | 15.3 | 161.2 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 11.1 | 9.4 | 7.1 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 3.5 | 8.7 | 41.9 |
| Source:NOAA (mean maxima/minima 2006–2020)[15][16] | |||||||||||||
As of thecensus[17] of 2010, there were 11,183 people in 5,114 households residing in the city. The population density was 3,626.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,400.0/km2). There were 5,519 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 91.8%White, 3.2%Black orAfrican American, 0.3%Native American, 1.8%Asian,Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.4% of the population. 4.1% speak a language other than English at home.
In 2000, there were 4,996 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% weremarried couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.6% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,780, and the median income for a family was $46,674. Males had a median income of $39,805 versus $27,489 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $22,056. About 9.1% of families and 13.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over. In 2010, 20.4% were below the poverty line.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 4,018 | — | |
| 1880 | 4,802 | 19.5% | |
| 1890 | 8,590 | 78.9% | |
| 1900 | 11,061 | 28.8% | |
| 1910 | 13,730 | 24.1% | |
| 1920 | 15,820 | 15.2% | |
| 1930 | 15,777 | −0.3% | |
| 1940 | 16,212 | 2.8% | |
| 1950 | 17,684 | 9.1% | |
| 1960 | 17,085 | −3.4% | |
| 1970 | 15,792 | −7.6% | |
| 1980 | 12,953 | −18.0% | |
| 1990 | 11,938 | −7.8% | |
| 2000 | 10,842 | −9.2% | |
| 2010 | 11,183 | 3.1% | |
| 2020 | 10,551 | −5.7% | |
| Sources: 1790–1950,[18] 1960–1980,[19] 1990–2000[17] | |||
While the town of Corning and surrounding areas lean Republican, the city of Corning leans Democratic, voting for bothBarack Obama andHillary Clinton in recent presidential elections.[citation needed]
Democrat Joseph Nasser served for many years as Corning's mayor, and the Nasser Civic Center, headquarters of city government, bears his name. On November 6, 2007,Tom Reed, the head of the city's Republican Party, was elected.[20][21] He completed his two-year term on December 31, 2009. Richard Negri was elected in November 2009 and took office January 1, 2010. Negri's second term expired December 31, 2013.
It is in New York's 53rd Senate District, represented byTom O'Mara, a Republican. Corning is in the 136th Assembly District, represented byPhil Palmesano, also a Republican.
Corning is inNew York's 23rd congressional district, which is currently represented by RepublicanNick Langworthy.Amo Houghton, the area's long-serving U.S. congressman, was amoderate Republican.
Since 1995, the City of Corning has operated under theCouncil-Manager form of government, with the City Manager serving as the chief executive officer. The first City Manager was Suzanne Kennedy, who served until July 1997. In July 1997, Mark L. Ryckman was appointed as the city's second City Manager. The city council consists of eight members. One member is elected from each of the eight wards.
The Corning-Painted Post (Consists of the City of Corning, and the Village ofPainted Post) School District currently has six public elementary schools, one public middle school, and one public high school located in the greater Corning area.
In 2010 a referendum was passed that reconfigured the school district's secondary schools; both of the previous middle schools combined and moved into the former "West High School" building while both of the high schools combined at the former "East High School" campus. This reconfiguration / building project was finished by the beginning of the 2014–2015 school year.
In addition to the public and private school options, the Corning-Painted Post District also partners with a regional P-Tech school (known as "The Greater Southern Tier STEM Academy") and sends selected students to a grade 9-14 program on their campus.[22]
Public elementary schools include:
Public middle schools include:
Public high schools include:
Private schools in Corning include:
Higher education in Corning includes:
Corning has threesister cities, as designated bySister Cities International:
Kakegawa,Shizuoka, Japan (formerly Osuka which was annexed by Kakegawa)
Lviv, Ukraine
San Giovanni Valdarno,Tuscany, Italy
Municipalities and communities ofSteuben County, New York,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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