Cortland, New York | |
|---|---|
 Cortland, New York, from its Southside | |
 Location inCortland County and the state ofNew York | |
| Coordinates:42°36′2″N76°10′53″W / 42.60056°N 76.18139°W /42.60056; -76.18139 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Cortland |
| Settled | 1791; 234 years ago (1791) |
| Incorporated (village) | 1853; 172 years ago (1853) |
| Rechartered | 1864; 161 years ago (1864) |
| Incorporated (city) | 1900; 125 years ago (1900) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| • Mayor | Scott Steve (R) |
| • Common Council | |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.92 sq mi (10.14 km2) |
| • Land | 3.90 sq mi (10.09 km2) |
| • Water | 0.019 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,129 ft (344 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 17,556 |
| • Density | 4,508.5/sq mi (1,740.74/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 13045 |
| Area code | 607 |
| FIPS code | 36-18388 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0947499 |
| Website | cortland |
Cortland is acity and thecounty seat ofCortland County, New York, United States. Known as the Crown City, Cortland is in New York'sSouthern 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 ofCortlandville.
The city is within the formerCentral New York Military Tract. It is named afterPierre Van Cortlandt, the first lieutenant governor of New York.[3]
Cortland, settled in 1791, was made a village in 1853 (rechartered in 1864), andincorporated 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 ofBrockway Motor Company, a pioneering truck maker. Begun in 1875 as Brockway Carriage Works, it was taken over byMack 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 classicoctagon house.[8] TheCortland 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 theState 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]
TheCortland County Courthouse,Cortland County Poor Farm,Cortland Fire Headquarters,Cortland Free Library,First Presbyterian Church Complex,William J. Greenman House,Randall Farm,Tompkins Street Historic District,Unitarian Universalist Church, andUnited States Post Office are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[10][11]
Cortland is in west-central Cortland County at42°36′2″N76°10′53″W / 42.60056°N 76.18139°W /42.60056; -76.18139 (42.600658, −76.181284).[12] Cortland lies betweenSyracuse andBinghamton; it is surrounded by the town ofCortlandville.
According to theUnited 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]
TheTioughnioga River, a tributary of theSusquehanna River, flows southward past the city.
Interstate 81,U.S. Route 11, andNew York State Route 281 are north-south highways servicing the city.New York State Route 13 andNew York State Route 41 also serve the city. Via I-81 it is 40 miles (64 km) north toSyracuse and 40 miles (64 km) south toBinghamton. NY-13 leads southwest 18 miles (29 km) toIthaca.
Local public transportation by bus is provided byCentro, which replaced Cortland Transit on March 31, 2025.[14]Greyhound andTrailways of New York provide the city with intercity bus service with connections toSyracuse,Binghamton, and points beyond.OurBus connects Cortland to Binghamton,New York City, and other destinations. The closestAmtrak train station is in Syracuse.
Air service is provided byCortland County Airport located west of the city. The nearest commercial airport isIthaca Tompkins International Airport.
Cortland has a humid continental climate (KoppenDfb), 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) |
| Averageprecipitation 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] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 3,066 | — | |
| 1880 | 4,050 | 32.1% | |
| 1890 | 8,590 | 112.1% | |
| 1900 | 9,014 | 4.9% | |
| 1910 | 11,504 | 27.6% | |
| 1920 | 13,294 | 15.6% | |
| 1930 | 15,043 | 13.2% | |
| 1940 | 15,881 | 5.6% | |
| 1950 | 18,152 | 14.3% | |
| 1960 | 19,181 | 5.7% | |
| 1970 | 19,621 | 2.3% | |
| 1980 | 20,138 | 2.6% | |
| 1990 | 19,801 | −1.7% | |
| 2000 | 18,740 | −5.4% | |
| 2010 | 19,204 | 2.5% | |
| 2020 | 17,556 | −8.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[17] | |||
As of thecensus[18] of 2000, there were 18,740 people, 6,922 households, and 3,454 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,778.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,845.0/km2). There were 7,550 housing units at an average density of 1,925.2 per square mile (743.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.72%White, 1.56%African American, 0.25%Native American, 0.57%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.56% fromother races, and 1.33% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino 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% weremarried 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. Theper capita income for the city was $14,267. About 13.9% of families and 24.7% of the population were below thepoverty 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:
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:
The City Clerk is Andy Jewett. The City Corporation Counsel is Randall Lewis.
In 2009, theNew York Jets' training camp was moved fromHofstra University inHempstead 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]
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