cortland (Syracuse, Ithaca, Dryden: low income, real estate, crime rate)

[jenniet620]

we are from long island and are considering moveing up to cortland and would greatly appreciate it if any one from the area could give us some information about the area

[firsttimer]

Cortland is truly a nice small town with a vibrant main street (although parts of it are one way - a little strange!) - restaurants, library, shops, banks, etc. It has a good school district; I used to teach there. It's within 45 min. of Syracuse, so if you want more shopping choices or work opportunities, it's available.

Check out these websites:

http://www.cortland.org
http://www.cortlandschools.org

Good luck!

[Mollikins]

Cortland is an old area, mostly known for being the highest city (1,130 feet above sea level) in the state, hence the name "The Crown City."

It has retained most of it's old-time feel in the midst of an ever changing economy. Speaking of which, the economy is not the strongest as this city has seen some major financial difficulty (case in point the loss of Brockway/Mack Trucks, SCM, Rubbermaid, Grumman Boats among the most notable). But it always manages to keep growing !

Probably the major employers in the area are CMH (Cortland Memorial Hospital), SUNY @ Cortland (Cortland State University) and Pall Trinity. There is other employment thru retailers (WalMArt, Big Lots, Price Chopper, Tops, P&C Foods, Aldi's), hospitality (Holiday Inn, Super 8, etc), restaurants & pubs downtown and the area public school system.

Cortland lies almost mid-way between Ithaca and Syracuse, making it convenient for commuters to these other larger cities. It has the convenience of I-81 which runs along the northeastern border of the city.

There are MANY smaller communities which are situated all around Cortland such as : Cortlandville, McLean, Groton, Dryden, Homer, Little York, Preble, East Homer, Truxton, Marathon, Polkville, and McGraw -- so the possilbilities for real estate prospects are good.

The winters are rough -- plain & simple. It can start getting COLD at night (like hovering around the freezing mark) as early as late Sept & the flurries can show up as early as Halloween & stick around as late as May. But if yer a snowbunny, you'd love it as there are 4 ski centers within a 25 mile radius.

Hope this info has been helpful to you ! If you need/want any further insight just PM me.

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Pretty good sumation Mollikins. Sounds like Cortland to me. btw, Ithaca/Cortland has become an official Metropolitan Statistical Area. Can't really speak about the school system, but I know the crime rate is low.

[Mollikins]

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

^ Pretty good sumation Mollikins. Sounds like Cortland to me. btw, Ithaca/Cortland has become an official Metropolitan Statistical Area. Can't really speak about the school system, but I know the crime rate is low.

Hmmmmmmm, I've never thought of Cortland being anything "statistical" other than economically challenged & mid way between Ithaca & the 'Cuse. What kind of stats are ya talking about, if you don't mind sharing ??

[Ex-Ithacan]

The census bureau has a designation for cities: Metropolitan Statistical Area. This means there can be special federal funding available. It's based primarily on size and importance to an area. I belive there are about 325 MSAs. Ithaca & Cortland were combined to form one MSA. Hard to believe they're a metro region, but the feds say so.

As far as statistics with the designation, I believe the demographics from the census are included with other MSAs when determining who gets highway funds and low income benefits and mass transit funds, etc.

[Mollikins]

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

The census bureau has a designation for cities: Metropolitan Statistical Area. This means there can be special federal funding available. It's based primarily on size and importance to an area. I belive there are about 325 MSAs. Ithaca & Cortland were combined to form one MSA. Hard to believe they're a metro region, but the feds say so.

As far as statistics with the designation, I believe the demographics from the census are included with other MSAs when determining who gets highway funds and low income benefits and mass transit funds, etc.

Then they "missed"appropriated those funds as far as Cortland goes -- the roads are riddled with potholes ... no wait, I meant CRATERS ..., the area has no low-income housing (unless things changed in the last 3 yrs) and mass transit ??? Ohhhhhhhhhh, you meant the YELLOW busses !

[paulscott]

It is a nice little city and the area around it is very scenic. You will like it.

[MLG]

Lets put it this way...it was fun to go to college here, but I would never want to live here permanently and raise a family here!

[homeward bound]

MLG,

Could you explain why you wouldn't want to live and raise a family in Cortland?

Thanks.