Homer is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Cortland County Cortland County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Cortland County was 46,809. The county seat is Cortland, New York, C ...

, New York, United States of America. The population was 6,405 at the 2010 census. The name is from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

poet

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

. The town of Homer contains a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

called

. The town is situated on the west border of Cortland County, immediately north of the city of Cortland.

History

The region was part of the

Central New York Military Tract The Military Tract of Central New York, also called the New Military Tract, consisted of nearly of bounty land set aside in Central New York to compensate New York's soldiers after their participation in the Revolutionary War. Establishment Th ...

, from which the cash-poor federal government granted land to soldiers of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

to pay them for their service. "Homer" was the name of one of the townships in the Military Tract, this name being assigned by a town clerk. The area was settled in 1791. The Town of Homer was established when

Onondaga County Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. Onondaga County is the core of the Syracuse, NY MSA. History The name ''Onondaga'' derives from ...

was formed in 1794.

was subsequently formed from Onondaga County. In 1835, the village of Homer set itself off from the town by incorporation.

Notable people

Isaac Atwater Isaac Atwater (May 3, 1818 – December 22, 1906) was an American jurist. Biography Born in Homer, New York, Atwater graduated from Yale University and then received his law degree from Yale Law School. Atwater was admitted to the New York bar ...

, Minnesota jurist * Alexander O. Babcock, Wisconsin politician * Sarah E. Beard, medical researcher *

Francis Bicknell Carpenter Francis Bicknell Carpenter (August 6, 1830 – May 23, 1900) was an American painter born in Homer, New York. Carpenter is best known for his painting ''First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln'', which is hanging in ...

, artist *

Patrick Conway Patrick "Patsy" Conway (July 4, 1865 – June 10, 1929) was a prominent American bandleader during the golden era of professional bands. He often was referred to as Pat Conway or Patsy Conway. Early life Conway was born in Troy, New York, but mo ...

, bandleader *

Dale Dorman Dale Dorman (September 2, 1943 – October 21, 2014) was an American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame radio disc jockey on WODS in Boston. Until September 15, 2008, he hosted ''The Breakfast Club with Dale Dorman'' weekday mornings from 5:30-9 AM. Dorma ...

, Boston radio and television personality * Adin P. Hobart, Wisconsin legislator * Linda A. Mason, Mercy Corps chairwoman; co-founder of

Bright Horizon ''Bright Horizon'' is an old-time radio soap opera in the United States. It was broadcast on CBS August 25, 1941 - July 6, 1945. The program initially had an alternate title, ''The Story of Michael West''. Format ''Bright Horizon'' was a spinoff ...

Children's Center *

Milo Goodrich Milo Goodrich (January 3, 1814 – April 15, 1881) was a United States House of Representatives, United States Representative from New York. Born in East Homer, New York, East Homer, Cortland County, New York, Cortland County, he moved with his pa ...

, Republican United States Representative * George L. Otis, Minnesota politician *

Arthur C. Sidman Arthur C. Sidman (August 3, 1863 – 16 August 1901) was the son of a blacksmithUS Census Records 1870, 1880 who became a popular American vaudeville performer and playwright. Early life Sidman was born on August 3, 1863,''Appleton’s Ann ...

, actor and playwright *

William Stoddard William Osborn Stoddard (1835–1925) was an American journalist, inventor, and author of memoirs, novels, poetry, and children's books. He was known for serving in the White House as a private secretary to Abraham Lincoln. Biography Stoddard wa ...

, secretary to President Abraham Lincoln during his years at the White House * Eugene A. Tucker, politician and jurist *

Eleazer Wakeley Eleazer Wakeley (June 25, 1822November 21, 1912) was an American lawyer, politician, judge, and pioneer of Wisconsin and Nebraska. He was a Nebraska District Court Judge, a justice of the Nebraska Territory's Supreme Court, and a delegate to Nebr ...

, Nebraska and Wisconsin politician and jurist * Solmous Wakeley, Wisconsin legislator *

Andrew Dickson White Andrew Dickson White (November 7, 1832 – November 4, 1918) was an American historian and educator who cofounded Cornell University and served as its first president for nearly two decades. He was known for expanding the scope of college curricu ...

, diplomat, educator, historian, first president of

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

* Orrin T. Williams, Wisconsin state court judge and legislator *

Catherine Bertini Catherine "Cathy" Bertini is an American public servant. She is the 2003 World Food Prize Laureate. She was the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program from 1992 to 2002. She served as the UN Under-Secretary for Management f ...

, 2003 World Food Prize Laureate & former Executive Director, United Nations World Food Program

Geography

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 the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.91%, is water. The western town line is the border of

Cayuga County Cayuga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,248. Its county seat and largest city is Auburn. The county was named for the Cayuga people, one of the Indian tribes in the Iroquois Confed ...

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island ...

, 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 ...

are north-south highways.

New York State Route 41 New York State Route 41 (NY 41) is a north–south state highway in Central New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an interchange with NY 17 (Future Interstate 86) in the town of Sanford in Broo ...

and

New York State Route 90 New York State Route 90 (NY 90) is a north–south state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. All but five of the route's are located in Cayuga County, with the remaining situated in Cortland County. Th ...

converge on Homer village from the west.

New York State Route 41A New York State Route 41A (NY 41A) is a north–south state highway in Central New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 41 in the Cortland County town of Homer to a junction with U.S. Route ...

converges on NY-41 in the northwest quadrant of Homer.

New York State Route 13 New York State Route 13 (NY 13) is a state highway that runs mainly north–south for between NY 14 in Horseheads and NY 3 west of Pulaski in Central New York in the United States. In between, NY 13 intersects with ...

cuts across the southeast quadrant. The East Branch and West Branch of the

Tioughnioga River The Tioughnioga River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Chenango River in central New York in the United States. It drains a dissected ...

flow southward through Homer. Lower and Upper Little York Lakes are fed and drained by the West Branch. All of the town except for its western edge is part 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 ...

watershed. The westernmost part of the town drains west to Fall Creek, part of the

Cayuga Lake Cayuga Lake (,,) is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest in surface area (marginally smaller than Seneca Lake) and second largest in volume. It is just under long. Its average width is , and it is ...

watershed that ultimately drains north to

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

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 incl ...

of 2000, there were 6,363 people, 2,446 households, and 1,746 families residing in the town. 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 RosenberPopul ...

was 126.3 people per square mile (48.8/km²). There were 2,603 housing units at an average density of 51.7 per square mile (20.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.11%

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 on ...

, 0.41%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

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 ...

, 0.22% Native American, 0.27%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.30% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.68% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.85% of the population. There were 2,446 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% 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 t ...

living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,321, and the median income for a family was $51,968. Males had a median income of $34,873 versus $23,656 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 town was $20,145. About 6.3% of families and 9.4% 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 t ...

, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Homer

*East Homer – A hamlet east of Homer village, located on NY-13. *East River – A hamlet southwest of East Homer. *

– The village of Homer is on the southern border of the town, north of Cortland on US-11 and NY-281. Homer is next to the West Branch of the Tioughnioga River. *Little York – A hamlet north of Pratt Corner on NY-281. *Pratt Corners – A hamlet north of Homer village on NY-281.

References

External links

Town of Homer official website

at Cortland County website
Homer Central School District

{{authority control Towns in Cortland County, New York 1794 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1794