The Town of Solon

Introduction

The Town of Solon is in the geographic center of Cortland County, and is located approximately four miles east of the City of Cortland. State Route 41, Trout Brook and Cheningo Creek run through the Town. The Town consists of many small valleys with those formed by Trout Brook and Cheningo Creek having excessively steep valley walls.

History of the Town

Solon was originally part of the Central New York military tract, surveyed in 1798, and created by the State to pay soldiers for their service in the Revolutionary War. Most of the Town's early settlers came from New England and its population peaked in 1840 at 2,311.

Population Characteristics

The population of the Town has been declining, reaching a low of 486 in 1940, but since 1950 it has been increasing to 1,008 residents as of 1990. According to the 1990 census – there were 33.9 persons per square mile, about 2 percent of the County's total population, 267 families, and a median age of 30.5.

Physical Characteristics

Natural Resources: The Town covers 29.72 square miles, or about 5.9 percent of the County. The primary natural resources include farmland, Trout Brook, and Cheningo Creek.

Developed Resources: Residential land use occupies about 19.51 percent of all land in the Town. Commercial land use occupies about .09 percent, Community Service land use (churches, schools, etc.) occupy about 3.38 percent, and Recreational and Seasonal land use occupies about .05 percent of the land. Agriculture land use uses 47.45 percent, Private Forest lands occupy 6.61 percent, and State/County owned forests, parks, and wetlands occupy 15.26 percent. Only about 7.65 percent of the land is vacant.

Industry Characteristics: Agriculture is the main industry of Solon.

Transportation

The main highway serving Solon is State Route 41. Major regional airports are located in Syracuse and Binghamton. The Cortland County Municipal Airport – Chase Field is useful for small private planes. Intra- and interstate bus services are furnished by Greyhound, Trailways, Oneonta, and by Cortland County Bus Lines.

Community Facilities and Services

Utilities: Electric service is provided by Nation Grid.

Water and sewer: Water is supplied primarily from individual drilled wells and household sewage is primarily taken care of by septic tanks.

Education: Educational services are provided by the McGraw School District and the southeastern corner of the Town of Cincinnatus. SUNY Cortland and Tompkins Cortland Community College are all within driving distance.

Police: The Town is served by the Cortland County Sheriff's Department and the New York State Police, with substations in Cortland and Marathon.

Fire/Emergency: The Town is served by three fire departments – McGraw, Cincinnatus, and Truxton, and is serviced by the emergency number 911.

Health Care: The nearest physicians and dentists are in the Village of McGraw, City of Cortland, and through the Rural Services Cortland-Chenango Center in Cincinnatus. For full hospital services, the nearest location is the Cortland Regional Medical Center in the City of Cortland. Home health care services are available from five organizations out of the City of Cortland.

Recreational and Tourist Attractions: There is an abundance of recreational opportunities, such as hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing on the 2,582 acres of State Forest lands within the Town. There is a Camp Owahta Education Center, owned by the Cortland County Cooperative Extension Association that serves as a resident outdoor environmental education center for youth in Cortland County and the Central New York region.