Hornell is a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in
Steuben County,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, United States. The population was 8,259 at the 2020 census.
The city is named after the Hornell family, early settlers.
The City of Hornell is surrounded by
Town of Hornellsville. Hornell is about south of
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
and is near the western edge of Steuben County.
Hornell is nicknamed the "Maple City" after the large
maple
''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...
trees that once grew throughout the town and covered the surrounding hills of the Canisteo Valley. Hornell has the largest
Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...
parade and celebration in the area, bringing many out to welcome spring and show their green.
History
What is now Hornell was first settled in 1790 under the name "Upper Canisteo", to distinguish it from the community of
Canisteo, then known as "Lower Canisteo". The family of Benjamin Crosby were the first settlers in what is now Hornell. The area was incorporated as 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 ...
in 1820, as "Hornellsville." The name comes from early settler George Hornell Jr, who built the first
gristmill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...
here.
![Hornell NY St Patricks Day](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Hornell_NY_St_Patricks_Day.jpg)
The City of Hornell was chartered in 1888 as the "City of Hornellsville," (having been first organized as the "Village of Hornellsville" in 1852). The name was changed to Hornell in 1906.
Major flooding in 1936 put parts of the city under water, prompting the creation of a system of levees to prevent future serious flooding issues.
The former city park, Union Park, was destroyed by the highway construction of the 1970s.
In 1950, Hornell had a population just above 15,000 people. It had two radio stations,
WWHG
WWHG (105.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial mainstream rock radio station licensed to Evansville, Wisconsin and serving the areas of Madison, Wisconsin, Madison and Janesville, Wisconsin, Janesville. The station is owned by Scott Thompson, ...
and
WLEA
WLEA (1480 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. Licensed to Hornell, New York, United States, the station serves the Canisteo Valley area, and is a part of the Elmira Corning Radio Market The station is currently owned by PMJ ...
, and three movie theaters - the ''Steuben'' and the ''Majestic'' were located on Broadway, the ''Hornell'' on Main Street.
The current mayor of Hornell is Republican John Buckley.
The
Hornell Armory
Hornell Armory is a historic National Guard armory building located at Hornell in Steuben County, New York. It is a brick and stone castle-like structure built in 1894. It was designed by architect Isaac G. Perry. The three-story main structure h ...
,
Hornell Public Library
Hornell Public Library is a historic library building located at Hornell in Steuben County, New York, USA. It was designed in 1908 and dedicated in 1911, with funds provided by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It is one of 3,000 such libraries ...
,
Adsit House
Adsit House was a historic house located at 34 Main Street in Hornell, Steuben County, New York.
Description and history
It was a two-story, L-shaped brick dwelling constructed in stages between 1828 and 1880. The original section constructe ...
,
Lincoln School,
St. Ann's Federation Building, and
United States Post Office
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
Railroads and Hornell
Hornell had four rail lines, though the companies operating the railroads often changed names, routes, and ownership:
* The main Erie Railroad line, connecting New York City (terminal in
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...
) and
Dunkirk, New York
Dunkirk is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. It was settled around 1805 and incorporated in 1880. The population was 12,743 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Dunkirk i ...
.
* Erie's Buffalo line. This began as the Attica and Hornellsville Railroad (1845–1851), which became part of the
Buffalo and New York City Railroad
Buffalo most commonly refers to:
* Bubalina, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo
* Bison, including the American buffalo
* Buffalo, New York
Buffalo or buffaloes may also refer to:
Animals
* Bubalina, a subtribe of the t ...
, which extended the line to Buffalo and operated it from 1852 to 1861, when it was acquired by Erie. Hornell was the junction and transfer point for the two main branches of the Erie.
* A line running to the northeast, from a separate depot on Seneca St. near Adsit,
connecting Hornell via
Wayland with
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
. The company was the Geneva Southwestern and Hornellsville Railway (1872–1875), then the Geneva and Hornellsville Railway (1875–1876), and the Geneva, Hornellsville and Pine Creek Railway (1876–1879), and the Rochester, Hornellsville and Lackawanna Railroad (1886–1889), then the
Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad) was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey (and by ferry with New York City), a distance of . Incorporated in ...
, or Lackawanna for short. Later the
Pittsburg, Shawmut and Northern Railroad
The Pittsburg, Shawmut & Northern Railroad also known as the Shawmut Line, was a Class I railroad company operating passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in central Pennsylvania and western New York. The line was financially trou ...
ran on this route one train in each direction per day, connecting Hornell with
Angelica
''Angelica'' is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland, Lapland, and Greenland. They grow t ...
to the west and
Wayland to the north.
* The Hornellsville Electric Railway Company and Hornellsville & Canisteo Railway Company, consolidated in 1909 as the
Hornell Traction Company
The Hornell Traction Company was an electric streetcar company serving Hornell and Canisteo, New York, between 1892 and 1926.
Beginnings
The Hornellsville Electric Railway Company was formed December 16, 1891; President was Charles Adsit, Secretar ...
, provided service to
North Hornell,
Canisteo, and within the city, linking the Lackawanna and Erie depots, from 1892 until 1926.
Some grading was done in 1872–1873 for a proposed but unbuilt Rochester, Hornellsville, and Pine Creek railroad.
The most important railroad in Hornell was the
New York and Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...
, or ''Erie'' for short. It arrived in Hornell in 1850 and began public service on May 14, 1851. President
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...
, himself a native of western New York, and Secretary of State
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison, ...
rode through Hornell on the inaugural train.
Hornell was a central location on the ''Erie'', making it a favorable location for the railroad's repair yards. According to an 1882 traveler's guide to the Erie Railroad, in Hornell "There are an immense amount of side-tracks, ample engine-houses, repair-shops, and other railroad structures, as the village is the dividing-point of the Susquehanna and Western Divisions, and the point of junction of the Buffalo Division of the Erie Railway.... It has banks, newspapers, a nourishing library association, which maintains a course of popular lectures, and is one of the most efficient and attractive institutions of the kind in the interior of the State. There are churches of various denominations, and a population of about 9,000. The cars destined for Buffalo, Niagara Falls, etc., are here detached from those going west via Salamanca or Dunkirk. At the station is a spacious dining-saloon, where meals are served to travelers at regular hours."
In 1895 the ''Erie'' constructed "at the foot of Pine Street...an immense stock barn" for the large number of cattle being shipped east on its trains.
Hornell during the railroad period (1860–1960)
For the next hundred years Hornell enjoyed prosperity, with its steam engine shop doing the repairs for the entire ''Erie'' line. The most important point in town was the train station, which survives and since 2005 houses th
Hornell Erie Depot Museum Next to it were the police station and fire department, at the beginning of Broadway, a wide street with stores, a luncheonette, and the ''Steuben'' and ''Majestic'' Theaters. Heading south, Broadway ended at Canisteo Street just before it passed under the tracks, a route served for some decades by the
Hornell Traction Company
The Hornell Traction Company was an electric streetcar company serving Hornell and Canisteo, New York, between 1892 and 1926.
Beginnings
The Hornellsville Electric Railway Company was formed December 16, 1891; President was Charles Adsit, Secretar ...
. The underpass was closed, save for a pedestrian passage, when the Route 36 arterial was built.
At the five-way intersection just north of the underpass, where Broadway began, Canisteo Street ran northwestward. Near its southern end (now covered by the Route 36 arterial), was Hornell's largest hotel, the New Sherwood, the offices of the
Hornell Evening Tribune and above it those of its radio station
WWHG
WWHG (105.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial mainstream rock radio station licensed to Evansville, Wisconsin and serving the areas of Madison, Wisconsin, Madison and Janesville, Wisconsin, Janesville. The station is owned by Scott Thompson, ...
. On the east side was a storefront
Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
station (service Elmira – Corning – Bath – Hornell – Batavia – Buffalo, no direct service to
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
); on the west side was Hornell's main park, Union Park, destroyed by the Hornell Arterial, with the city's high school (middle school after new high school built), containing the city's largest auditorium, and other businesses. Main Street, with the Hornell Theater,
WLEA
WLEA (1480 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. Licensed to Hornell, New York, United States, the station serves the Canisteo Valley area, and is a part of the Elmira Corning Radio Market The station is currently owned by PMJ ...
's studios, Koskie's music store, and other businesses, connected the two now-separated streets (Broadway and Canisteo/Seneca). Main St. extended east to Hornell's
Carnegie Library (the
Hornell Public Library
Hornell Public Library is a historic library building located at Hornell in Steuben County, New York, USA. It was designed in 1908 and dedicated in 1911, with funds provided by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It is one of 3,000 such libraries ...
), Hornell's largest grocery store,
Loblaw's, the
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
, with the only public swimming pool in the city, various medical and dental offices, and finally (turning south and crossing the Canisteo River), the Erie repair shops. North of Main Street the downtown area extended another block with the city's pharmacy, Jacobson's, a shoe store, the
United States Post Office
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
(all now
009 009 may refer to:
* OO9, gauge model railways
* O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport
* 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California
* British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent
* BA 009, see British Airways Flight 9
* ...
vacant), and the
Steuben Trust Company (bank). In the block north of Main Street, Church Street had Hornell's synagogue,
Temple Beth-El (closed), and at the intersection with Genesee Street four churches, one on each corner; two survive today (2017). Further north on Seneca Street were Hornell's best restaurant, The Big Elms, Hornell's baseball field (from 1942 to 1957 Hornell had a minor-league team), and car dealers. The current high school is adjacent to the baseball field. The city ended at the
Canisteo River
The Canisteo River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Tioga River in western New York in the United States. It drains a dissected pla ...
, where a bridge led to the village of
North Hornell.
Yet things were not idyllic in Hornell. In 1922, after a recruitment talk by "
KKK
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
organizer C. S. Fowler...at the local
Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...
hall, the Klan announced its existence by igniting a huge cross on the side of a mountain, a demonstration evidently intended to intimidate the community's sizable immigrant population."
Hornell in the post-railroad period (1960–present)
Hornell has struggled to regain its former prosperity. The population is half what it was in 1960, and still declining. Passenger service, in severe decline, ended completely by 1959. (The former station has been refurbished and, since 2006, is the Hornell Erie Depot Museum.) The railroad came upon further hard times as trucking picked up more and more of the freight business. In October 1960, the ''Erie'' merged with the
Lackawanna to form the
Erie Lackawanna
The Erie Lackawanna Railway , known as the Erie Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. The official motto of the line was "The Friendly Service Route" ...
. Diesel engines, replacing older steam engines, required less maintenance;
[ consequently, many of the staff were laid off. The Erie Accounting Office, in Hornell, was closed and its work transferred to the Lackawanna headquarters in ]Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...
. In 1972, flooding from Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes in 1972 was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, ...
destroyed about of roadbed along the Canisteo River
The Canisteo River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Tioga River in western New York in the United States. It drains a dissected pla ...
, removing all hope of reoperating the railroad line southeast of Hornell. The Erie Lackawanna filed for bankruptcy soon after.
The former ''Erie'' repair shops were completely closed for years. They were later reopened to service EMD diesels and perform bodywork and painting. Yet later, they were operated by General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
for a short time, followed by Morrison-Knudsen.
Today, the Hornell shops are a major employer, serving as Alstom
Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...
's main North American assembly and manufacturing site, at which AC traction motors, railway cars, and passenger locomotives are produced. Car bodies are shipped disassembled
"Avengers Disassembled" is a 2004 crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics involving the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Captain America, Spider-Man and Thor. The beginning of Brian Michael Bendis's ''Avengers'' run, it depicts the destructi ...
from São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
, Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, and assembled in Hornell. Alstom won a contract worth $194 million to completely overhaul PATCO Speedline
The PATCO Speedline (signed in Philadelphia as the Lindenwold Line and also known colloquially as the PATCO High Speed Line) is a rapid transit route operated by the Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO), which runs between Philadelphia, Pe ...
's light rail fleet, beginning in 2011. In 2013, the facility was contracted to build 34 light rail vehicles for OC Transpo
OC Transpo, officially the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission, is the public transit agency for the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It operates an integrated hub-and-spoke system including light metro, bus rapid transit, conventional ...
. In 2020, the plant began production of Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's second generation Acela
The ''Acela'' ( ; originally the ''Acela Express'' until September 2019) is Amtrak's flagship service along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in the Northeastern United States between Washington, D.C. and Boston via 13 intermediate stops, includin ...
high-speed trains.
In January 2021, the plant won a $1.8bn contract to build new passenger railcars for Metra
Metra is the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 242 stations on 11 rail lines. I ...
, which is expected to create 250 additional jobs.
Highway construction
Route 36 Arterial
Hornell's central layout changed significantly when the New York Route 36
New York State Route 36 (NY 36) is a north–south state highway in the western part of New York in the United States. The highway extends for from the Pennsylvania state line at Troupsburg, Steuben County northward to Ogden, Monro ...
arterial was built about 1972. Prior to that, Route 36, Hornell's main north–south highway, was routed along Seneca Street (to the north) and Canisteo Street (to the south). Neither of these streets were adequate for the increased automobile and truck traffic which accompanied the decline of the railroad, and they could not be easily expanded. Canisteo Street also had a significant bottleneck (originally the "Canisteo Subway" on the Hornell-Canisteo trolley, pictured on a postcard, above) where the route went under the Erie Railroad tracks, just south of downtown. Route 36 between Hornell and Canisteo, also inadequate, could not be expanded due to the adjacent Canisteo River.
The decision was made to replace the route with an arterial, west of Seneca Street on the north side, crossing the downtown and exiting Hornell east of Canisteo Street on the south side. "The highway required the demolition of 245 houses and many commercial buildings, split the city in half, and sacrificed Hornell's Union Park."[ The four-lane route was continued to Canisteo. Unconnected fragments of the former Route 36 from Hornell to Canisteo survive; in Hornell it starts from East Avenue, east of the river, and heading north from the Village of Canisteo it is today Dineen/McBurney Road.
The impact of the relocation of Route 36 on central Hornell was profound. Much of the south end of the downtown was destroyed, either physically or economically. Seneca Street and Broadway, formerly important commercial streets, became deserted side streets. (See United States Post Office (Hornell, New York).) It is not fondly remembered, and it was something wanted by the trucking industry and its customers, not the local working class.
]
The Southern Tier Expressway (
New York Route 17
New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in Mina and follows the Souther ...
, now Interstate 86)
When the decision was made in the 1960s to upgrade the western portion of New York Route 17 to expressway status, it was decided to route the expressway through the Hornell area, as it was considered to have more prospects for development than Greenwood Green wood is unseasoned wood.
Greenwood or Green wood may also refer to:
People
* Greenwood (surname)
Settlements
Australia
* Greenwood, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region
* Greenwood, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth
C ...
and Jasper
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
, along the old route (now New York Route 417
New York State Route 417 (NY 417) is an east–west state highway located in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It begins at exit 20 of the Southern Tier Expressway ( Interstate 86 or I-86 and NY 17) in t ...
). Interstate 86 runs from I-90 near Erie, Pennsylvania across New York's Southern Frontier to Windsor, NY. It crosses Route 36 between Hornell and Arkport
Arkport is a village in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 844 at the 2010 census. The name comes from the barges used to ship products through the village. The postal code is 14807.
The Village of Arkport is in the Town ...
. It is today Hornell's main highway.
Geography
Hornell is located at (42.3244, -77.6603). Hornell is at an altitude of 1,160 feet (354 meters) above sea level.
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 city has a total area of , all land.
Hornell is on the Canisteo River
The Canisteo River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Tioga River in western New York in the United States. It drains a dissected pla ...
and surrounded by the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range (; also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less devel ...
.
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 9,019 people, 3,596 households, and 2,218 families residing in the city. 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 3,309.0 people per square mile (1,275.6/km2). There were 4,100 housing units at an average density of 1,504.2 per square mile (579.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.73% 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 ...
, 2.38% 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 ...
, 0.23% Native American, 0.57% 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 ...
, 0.04% 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 ...
, 0.38% 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 0.67% 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 ...
or 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 1.29% of the population.
There were 3,596 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% 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, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,184, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $31,727 versus $18,854 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 city was $14,419. About 18.7% of families and 21.4% 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 32.1% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
Parks and recreation
There are several parks in the city of Hornell including:
* Maple City Park is adjacent to the Hornell High School and is maintained by both the school district and the city. It includes tennis courts, a baseball field, softball field, multiple half-basketball courts, a playground, a 6-lane rubber track, and a turf field (football and soccer). It is the home of the Hornell Dodgers
The New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1978 and sanctioned by the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball, National Amateur Baseball Federation and Major League Baseball. Each NYC ...
NYCBL baseball team and the Hornell Red Raider athletic teams. Hornell's annual "Music Under the Stars" drum and bugle corps
Drum and bugle corps is a name used to describe several related musical ensembles.
* Drum and bugle corps (modern), a musical marching unit
* Drum and bugle corps (classic), musical ensembles that descended from military bugle and drum units retu ...
event also takes place on the turf field at this site. Prior to the construction of the high school, the park was the home of the minor league baseball team Hornell Dodgers
The New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1978 and sanctioned by the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball, National Amateur Baseball Federation and Major League Baseball. Each NYC ...
(1942–1957).
* Veterans Memorial Park at James Street (formerly known as simply James St. Park) has many sports fields, pavilions, the city pool, and several playgrounds. Fourth of July
Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...
celebrations, including fireworks, are located at this park.
* Michael C. Fucci Memorial Park at Shawmut is where the Hornell skate park
A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, qua ...
is located. Many youth football and baseball games are also played on the fields. There was, at one time, an effort for Rails to Trails to create a bike/hike trail from this park northwestward.
Education
There are four public schools and one private school in Hornell:
* Hornell High School (public, grades 7–12)
* Intermediate School (public, grades 3–6)
* North Hornell School (public, grades 3PreK–2): located in the village of North Hornell, but still part of the Hornell City School District
* Columbian School (public, Head Start): also location of administrative offices
* St. Ann's Academy (private, grades PreK–6): independent Catholic school that opened in 2012 after St. Ann's Catholic School (K–8) was closed by the Diocese of Rochester
The current Superintendent of Schools is Jeremy Polatti.
In June 2007, the ''Hornell Evening Tribune'' newspaper announced that a school planning committee is proposing a $100 million project to re-organize the schools and improve assessment results.
Transportation
Hornell is served by Hornell Area Transit buses.
New York State Route 21
New York State Route 21 (NY 21) is a state highway extending for about through the western part of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 417 in the village of Andover, ...
conjoined with New York State Route 36
New York State Route 36 (NY 36) is a north–south state highway in the western part of New York in the United States. The highway extends for from the Pennsylvania state line at Troupsburg, Steuben County northward to Ogden, Monro ...
passes through the city, which is just south of the Southern Tier Expressway
New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in Mina and follows the Souther ...
( Interstate 86 / New York State Route 17
New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in Mina and follows the Souther ...
). County Roads 65, 68 and 109 also lead into the city.
The city is served by two railroads: it is on Norfolk Southern
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway (U.S.), Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the ...
's Southern Tier Mainline and is the eastern terminus of the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad.
Hornell Municipal Airport
Hornell Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) north of the central business district of Hornell, a city in Steuben County, New York, United States. It is included in the National Pla ...
(KHTF) is located a few miles north of the city on Route 36.
Notable people
* John William Barber
John William Barber (May 21, 1920 – June 18, 2007) was an American jazz tubist. He is considered by many to be the first person to play tuba in modern jazz. He recorded with Miles Davis on the albums ''Birth of the Cool'', ''Sketches of Spain'' ...
(1920–2007), jazz tubist
* Gene Burns
Gene Burns (December 3, 1940 – May 25, 2013) was an American talk radio host. He hosted ''Dining Around with Gene Burns'', a food wine and travel program, which aired Saturdays on NewsTalk 810 AM in San Francisco. He also hosted ''The Gene Bu ...
(1940–2013), talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
host
* Bob Crane
Robert Edward Crane (July 13, 1928 – June 29, 1978) was an American actor, drummer, radio personality, and disc jockey known for starring in the CBS situation comedy ''Hogan's Heroes''.
Crane was a drummer from age 11, and he began his ente ...
(1928–1978), Radio Broadcaster WLEA
* Bill Dugan
William H. Dugan (born June 5, 1959) is an American former professional American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, and the New York Giants. Dugan played college football a ...
(born 1959), professional football player
* Frank Kelly Freas
Frank Kelly Freas (August 27, 1922 – January 2, 2005) was an American science fiction and fantasy artist with a career spanning more than 50 years. He was known as the "Dean of Science Fiction Artists" and he was the second artist inducted by ...
(1922–2005), science fiction artist
* John Keel
John Alva Keel, born Alva John Kiehle (March 25, 1930 – July 3, 2009) was an American journalist and influential UFOlogist who is best known as author of '' The Mothman Prophecies''.
Early life
Keel was born in Hornell, New York, the son of a ...
(1930–2009), author
* Bob Morton (1934–2015), Washington state legislator
* Thomas Murphy (1915–2006), CEO of General Motors (1974-1980)
* Iddo Netanyahu
Iddo Netanyahu ( he, עדו נתניהו; born July 24, 1952) is an Israeli physician, author, and playwright. He is the younger brother of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, and Yonatan Netanyahu, a highly decorated soldier who wa ...
(born 1952), Israeli physician, author and playwright
* Bill Pullman
William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. He made his film debut in ''R ...
(born 1953), actor
* Vice Adm. Lyndon Spencer (1898–1981), U.S. Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...
officer
* M. Louise Stowell (1861–1930) artist
* Mike Waufle (born 1954), professional football coach
* James A. Wetmore
James Alfonso Wetmore (November 1863 – March 14, 1940) was an American lawyer and administrator, best known as the Acting Supervising Architect of the U.S. Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department from 1915 through 1933 ...
(1863–1940), US acting Supervising Architect
* Wanda D. Kirkum (1973–1991), formerly unidentified murder victim
Media
;Print
* The Evening Tribune
;Radio
* WLEA
WLEA (1480 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. Licensed to Hornell, New York, United States, the station serves the Canisteo Valley area, and is a part of the Elmira Corning Radio Market The station is currently owned by PMJ ...
- AM 1480
* WCKR - FM 92.1
* WKPQ
WKPQ (105.3 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Hornell, New York, United States, the station serves the Elmira-Corning area including the Canisteo valley and northern Pennsylvania. The station is currently ow ...
- FM 105.3
* WWHG
WWHG (105.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial mainstream rock radio station licensed to Evansville, Wisconsin and serving the areas of Madison, Wisconsin, Madison and Janesville, Wisconsin, Janesville. The station is owned by Scott Thompson, ...
(defunct)
* WHHO
WHHO (1320 AM) was a radio station broadcasting a sports talk format. Licensed to Hornell, New York, United States, the station served the Elmira- Corning area. The station was owned by Bilbat Radio, Inc. (at the time of closure, wholly owned b ...
(defunct)
See also
* Glenwood Inn (Hornellsville, New York)
The Glenwood Inn was "one of the best known summer resorts in this section of the state and Hornell's leading place of recreation". Glenwood Park was south of Hornellsville (after 1906, Hornell) and north of Canisteo, at Midway Court, in the h ...
* Hornell Traction Company
The Hornell Traction Company was an electric streetcar company serving Hornell and Canisteo, New York, between 1892 and 1926.
Beginnings
The Hornellsville Electric Railway Company was formed December 16, 1891; President was Charles Adsit, Secretar ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
City of Hornell, New York
Hornell Area Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control
Cities in New York (state)
Populated places established in 1790
Cities in Steuben County, New York
1790 establishments in New York (state)