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Small city

Living in Cortland, NY

Cortland is a small city of 17,450 people in Cortland County, New York. It's about 20 miles from Ithaca, NY and 83 miles from Rochester, NY, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 79°F and winter highs 30°F, with about 81 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $153k and rent runs about $975 a month.

17,450people
$153kTypical home
$975/moRent
79° / 30°Summer / winter
81"Snow
185Sunny days
149Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small city of 17,450
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 4,481 people per sq mi
  • 83 mi to Rochester, NY
  • 20 mi to Ithaca, NY
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $153k (≈$962/mo)
  • Median rent $975/mo
  • Median household income $59k
  • Property tax about 2.7% of value
  • 4.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 79°F
  • Winter highs around 30°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 59°F)
  • 185 sunny days a year (45 totally clear)
  • 180 cloudy days a year
  • 60 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 149 days a year with rain or snow
  • 81" of snow a year
  • 28 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 36 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Low violent crime (224 per 100k)
  • Above-average property crime (2,630 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 27
  • 25% of households have kids
  • 13% are 65 or older
  • 27% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 24% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 19 min
  • 11% walk or take transit to work
  • 16 mi to ITH airport
  • 35 mi to SYR (major hub)
  • 33 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 47% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1947
  • 87% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Hilly terrain
  • Elevation 1,119 ft
  • 145 mi to the ocean
  • 13 mi to a big lake
  • 19 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 7 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 2 mi to the nearest campground
  • 21 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 133 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 31 bars within 25 mi
  • 48 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 2 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 10 museums within 25 mi
  • 6 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • Farmers market in town

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 33% of New York districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 97 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 3 mi to the nearest vet
  • 16 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 5 congregations per 10k people
  • College in town

Politics

  • Cortland County: R+6 in 2024
  • New York: D+13 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Low tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Moderate flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Very low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Cortland

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