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 of Cortlandville.

[3] Cortland, settled in 1791, was made a village in 1853 (rechartered in 1864), and incorporated in 1900 as New York's 41st city.

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.

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.

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 of Brockway Motor Company, a pioneering truck maker.

With graduate programs and research capacity, it has expanded into the State University of New York at Cortland.

[14] Greyhound and Trailways of New York provide the city with intercity bus service with connections to Syracuse, Binghamton, and points beyond.

Air service is provided by Cortland County Airport located west of the city.

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

In 2009, the New York Jets' training camp was moved from Hofstra University in Hempstead to the SUNY Cortland campus.