Cortland is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

Cortland County Cortland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population of Cortland County was 46,809. The county seat is Cortland. The county is named after Pierre Van Cortlandt, president of the convention ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Known as the Crown City, Cortland is in New York's

Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York region of New York State, consisting of counties west of the Catskill Mountains in Delaware County and geographically situated along or very near the northern border ...

region. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 17,556. 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 Pierre Van Cortlandt (January 10, 1721 – May 1, 1814) was an American politician who served as the first Lieutenant Governor of New York. He was first elected to the New York Assembly in March 1768 and served in that body as the representative ...

, the first lieutenant governor of New York. 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 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. It is open to the public and used by the Alumni Association to host college-related events and house visiting dignitaries. 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. From 1960 to 1992, Smith Corona typewriters were manufactured in Cortland. Cortland boasts a classic

octagon house Octagon houses were a unique house style briefly popular in the 1850s in the United States and Canada. They are characterised by an octagonal (eight-sided) Floor plan, plan, and often feature a flat roof and a veranda all round. Their unusual s ...

. 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. The Cortland 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 Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present) ...

, and

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Notable people

Carl Carmer Carl Lamson Carmer (October 16, 1893 – September 11, 1976) was an American writer of nonfiction books, memoirs, and novels, many of which focused on American myths, folklore, and tales. His most famous book, ''Stars Fell on Alabama,'' was an ...

, author * Charles Henry De Groat,

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

brigadier general * William Dillon, composer, lyricist, and vaudevillian *

Ronnie James Dio Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and ...

, former frontman for Rainbow and

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...

; street in Cortland is named for him (Dio Way) * Nancy Duffy, Syracuse news personality and founder of the Syracuse St. Patrick's Day Parade * Katharine May Edwards, Wellesley College professor and classics scholar
Alice Cately Etting
owner and manager of the city's Cately and Etting Wagon company from 1898 to 1916, developer of a device to raise and lower folding carriage covers and an organizer of the city's American Red Cross chapter. * Florence Campbell Fitzgerald, former Chairwoman of the Cortland County Board of Supervisors (now called the Cortland County Legislature), was the second woman in the state elected to lead a county board when she took office in 1969. *Col. Arnald Gabriel, Commander and Conductor of US Air Force Band, US Air Force Symphony Orchestra, and Singing Sergeants. * Chester Gillette, convicted of the 1906

murder of Grace Brown Grace Mae Brown (March 20, 1886 – July 11, 1906) was an American woman who was murdered by her boyfriend, Chester Gillette, on Big Moose Lake, New York, after she told him she was pregnant. The murder, and the subsequent trial of the suspect, a ...

of Cortland, his girlfriend, in highly publicized and controversial trial; executed in 1908. *

Milo Goodrich Milo Goodrich (January 3, 1814 – April 15, 1881) was a United States Representative from New York. Born in East Homer, Cortland County, he moved with his parents to Cortlandville in 1816. He attended the South Cortland district school, Cortla ...

, former US congressman. *

Charles W. Goodyear Charles Waterhouse Goodyear (October 15, 1846 – April 16, 1911) was an American lawyer, businessman, lumberman, and member of the prominent Goodyear family of New York. Based in Buffalo, New York, along with his brother, Frank, Charles was th ...

, businessman and railroad owner. *

Leidy Klotz Leidy Klotz (born July 14, 1978) is an American scientist and author who studies and writes about design and problem-solving. He is a professor of engineering and architecture at the University of Virginia. Klotz has published in scientific journ ...

, retired soccer player; professor, author. * Jim Mahady, former Baseball second baseman for the New York Giants. *

Dennis Mepham Dennis Mepham is a retired American soccer defender who played professionally in the North American Soccer League, American Soccer League, United Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League Youth Mepham attended Brighton High School where he ...

, retired soccer player. * Nathan Lewis Miller, former governor of New York. * Gideon C. Moody, former senator of

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...

. *

Mark Nauseef Mark Nauseef (born June 11, 1953), in Cortland, New York, is a drummer and percussionist who has enjoyed a varied career, ranging from rock music during the 1970s with his time as a member of the Ian Gillan Band and, temporarily with Thin Lizz ...

, musician. * Alton B. Parker, Democratic candidate for president in 1904. * Myrtie (or Myrtle) Pearl Pennoyer (1878-1953), a city philanthropist known for her volunteer work a
The King's Daughters Home for Children
the local chapter of the American Red Cross, creating a scholarship through the YWCA in memory of her daughter Laura, volunteering with the Cortland County Historical Society and the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Pennoyer was the adopted daughter of Cortland residents George and Lydia G. Pennoyer an
Pearl Street
located between Warren and Tompkins streets, is named after Pennoyer.
Andy Shay
head coach of lacrosse at Yale * Sime Silverman, publisher. * Eric Soderholm, former professional baseball player. * Dr. Julia H. Spalding, a doctor who started a homeopathic medical practice specializing in chronic illnesses in Cortland in 1883. * Elmer Ambrose Sperry, inventor of gyroscopic compass who held over 400 patents; USS ''Sperry'' is named after him. * Aljamain Sterling, UFC bantamweight, MMA fighter. * Joel Eric Suben, composer and conductor. * Raymond Gram Swing, journalist. *

Samuel Ringgold Ward Samuel Ringgold Ward (October 17, 1817 – ) was an African American who escaped enslavement to become an abolitionist, newspaper editor, labor leader, and Congregational church minister. He was author of the influential book ''Autobiograph ...

, African-American who escaped enslavement to become an abolitionist, newspaper editor and Congregational minister. * Susan West, the first female Supervisor on the Cortland County Board of Supervisors, was elected to that body in 1941. *Dr. Edith Irene Flower Wheeler, a city physician who worked in Cortland starting in 1922, served as the president of the Cortland County Medical Society and the vice-president of the Women's Medical Society of New York. * Spiegle Willcox, jazz trombone player, composer, and singer. *

Gary Wood Gary Fay Wood (July 9, 1942 – March 3, 1994) was an American football quarterback who played 63 games in the National Football League (NFL), for the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints, from 1964 until 1969. The quarterback was drafted f ...

, NFL quarterback.

Geography

Cortland is in west-central Cortland County at (42.600658, −76.181284). Cortland lies between

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy * Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' * Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York ** North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, M ...

and

Binghamton Binghamton () is a City (New York), city in the United States, U.S. state of New York (state), New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County, New York, Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier reg ...

; it is surrounded by the town of Cortlandville. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and , or 0.51%, is water. The Tioughnioga River, a tributary of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

, flows southward past the city.

Transportation

Roads and highways

Interstate 81, U.S. Route 11, and

New York State Route 281 New York State Route 281 (NY 281) is a north–south state highway in central New York in the United States. It extends for across Cortland and Onondaga counties. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 1 ...

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 north to

and south to

. NY-13 leads southwest to

Ithaca Ithaca most commonly refers to: *Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey'' *Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca *Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College Ithaca, Ithaka ...

Bus

Local public transportation by bus is provided by Cortland Transit. Greyhound and Trailways of New York provide the city with intercity bus service with connections to

, and points beyond. OurBus connects Cortland to Binghamton,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and other destinations. The closest

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

train station is in Syracuse.

Air

Air service is provided by

Cortland County Airport Cortland County Airport , is located west of Cortland, New York, United States. It was formerly named Cortland Municipal Airport. Facilities and aircraft Cortland County Airport is situated in the town of Cortlandville, west of the Cortland c ...

located west of the city.

Climate

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

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 18,740 people, 6,922 households, and 3,454 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 4,778.6 people per square mile (1,845.8/km²). There were 7,550 housing units at an average density of 1,925.2 per square mile (743.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.72%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 1.56%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.25% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.56% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or 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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

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

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $14,267. About 13.9% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, 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%

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 and the eight alderpersons that comprise the city's Common Council are: * Wayne Schutt, First Ward *Kathryn Silliman, Second Ward *Mary Clare Pennello, Third Ward *Pat Lane, Fourth Ward *Seth Thompson, Fifth Ward *Bill Carpenter, Sixth Ward *Troy Beckwith, Seventh Ward *Thomas Michales, Eighth Ward The City Clerk is Andy Jewett. The City Attorney is A.J. Meldrim.

Sports

In 2009, the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The ...

' training camp was moved from

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of New ...

in Hempstead to the SUNY Cortland campus. The camp drew in 34,000 visitors and brought nearly $4.26 million to the local economy. 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.

References

External links

City of Cortland official website

Cortland City School District

SUNY Cortland CollegeCortland Public History

Cortland business guide

The 1890 House Museum and Center for Victorian Arts

Cortland Rural Cemetery

Cortland Historical Society

Crown City Marketing
{{authority control County seats in New York (state) Cities in New York (state) Populated places established in 1791 Cities in Cortland County, New York 1791 establishments in New York (state)