Virgil is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Cortland County, New York, United States. The population was 2,401 at the 2010 census. The name is from the Roman poet

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...

. The town is in the southwestern part of Cortland County and is south of the city of Cortland.

History

The region was part of the Central New York Military Tract used to pay soldiers of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. "Virgil" was the name of one of the townships of the Military Tract, this name being assigned by a clerk interested in the

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

. Virgil was first settled ''circa'' 1792. The town was formed from the town of

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient 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. Despite doubts about his autho ...

in 1804. Virgil was reduced by the formation of the towns of Harford and Lapeer in 1845. Virgil also lost territory to the towns of Cortlandville and

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

. In 1865, the population was 2,009.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.08%, is water. The eastern half of the town drains mainly via Gridley Creek to the Tioughnioga River, which flows southwards and is part of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

watershed, which empties into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

through the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

. Water from a small southern part of the town flows south towards the East Branch of Owego Creek, also part of the Susquehanna watershed. The western half of the town, part of the Allegheny Plateau, drains primarily via Virgil Creek, as well as other streams, westward to Fall Creek, part of the Cayuga Lake watershed leading north towards

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 (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

and thence to the Atlantic Ocean via the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Virgil Creek, which shares a through-valley with Gridley Creek, is notable for rising above the Valley Heads Moraine and cutting through it from above. The western town line is shared with Dryden in Tompkins County. Most of the eastern town line is shared with

. The northern and part of the eastern town boundaries are shared with Cortlandville; the eastern part follows the Tioughnioga River. The southern town line separates Virgil from Harford and Lapeer. U.S. Route 11 and Interstate 81 in New York pass near the eastern town line by the Tioghnioga River. New York State Route 215, which begins in Cortland, ends at the intersection with New York State Route 392 in the hamlet of Virgil. New York State Route 13 cuts across the northwestern corner of the town.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 2,287 people, 833 households, and 623 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 982 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.46%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.61%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.13% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population. There were 833 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.08. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $42,292, and the median income for a family was $45,402. Males had a median income of $31,974 versus $23,788 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $19,024. About 5.2% of families and 6.7% 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 ...

, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Virgil

*East Virgil – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

in the southeastern part of the town on NY-392. *Franks Corners – A location in the southwestern part of the town. *Gee Hill – An area on the western edge of the town, originally settled by John Gee and his family in 1795. This was the third settlement in the town. * Greek Peak Mountain Resort – A

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

area on NY-392, east of Virgil hamlet. *Hollenbeck Hollow – A valley near the western town line. *Hollenbeck's Cidermill – Hollenbeck's was founded by Mr. and Mrs. Hollenbeck. It is near the center of Virgil and opened in 1932. *Messengerville (also known as "State Bridge") – A hamlet at the eastern town line where NY-392 terminates at its intersection with U.S. Route 11. * Skyline Raceway Motorsports Park – Auto racing faciliy *

– The hamlet of Virgil at the junction of Routes NY-215 and NY-392. Virgil Creek flows through this community. *Virgil Elementary School is on Church Street and Route 392 in the center of Virgil. The playground is the only park in Virgil. The playground has a walking trail featuring exercise places. It was extended with a gazebo on the new trail. The new trail goes to the courthouse and does not have schoolchildren go there during school hours.

Notable person

* Martha B. O'Donnell (1836-1925) — temperance activist, suffragist, newspaper and magazine editor and publisher

References

External links

Town of Virgil official website

at Cortland County website
Cortland City School District

{{authority control Towns in Cortland County, New York Towns in New York (state)