Cortland

Formed April 8, 1808 (42^nd county)

Cortland County (46,814), Cortland (17,557)

A masonry 1924 Classical Revival facility is on Greenbush Street at Court Street.  United States Highway 11 passes one block to the west of the site.  James Riely Gordon is the building architect.  The central high school was bought by the county to become the Administration Building in 1930.  Cortland County was established on April 8, 1808 from Onondaga County as the 42^nd county with Cortland as the only county seat.  The county and county seat are named for New York State Constitution Convention President Pierre Van Cortlandt.  Cortland County was the birthplace for 1 New York Governor, Nathan L. Miller. 

Cortland County government consists of an administrator, a sheriff, a comptroller, an attorney, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 17 Legislators (legislative.)  One County Court Judge serves Cortland County (judicial.)  Cortland County is in southern New York.  Albany, New York is northeast and Buffalo, New York is northwest of the county.  The county center is 11.4 miles East-Southeast of Cortland nearer Solon.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Onondaga, Madison, Chenango, Broome, Tompkins, Tioga, and Cayuga counties. 

The area of the county is 502 square miles.  It is 45 out of 62 in the state.  It ranks 51 out of 62 in population in the state.  It has a density of 93.3 persons per square mile making it 34 out of 62 in the state.  Cortland County has 48.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 81 travels north to south through the county from Onondaga County to Broome County.  United States Highway 11 parallels Interstate Highway 81 from Onondaga to Broome counties.  The county is a rectangle.  The City of Cortland is located in the west quarter of the county.  Cortland is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 37.5% of the county population.  The county and county seat are pronounced KOERT-LAND.  This county is in the Cortland Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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