Our Community
The Elmira area offers its residents convenient living in a beautiful setting, a variety of cultural and recreational activities, one of the state's fastest-growing economies and a low cost of living.
Chemung County residents enjoy a cost of living below the national average. Housing is ample and affordable, with the average home selling at $80,000.
Chemung County enjoys low unemployment and is home to major employers such as Hardinge Inc., Schweizer Aircraft, Kennedy Valve and Sallie Mae. Corning Inc. and Dresser Rand are based in neighboring Corning.
The Elmira area boasts nearly 200 physicians representing more than 50 specialties. Excellent medical care revolves around two hospitals: Arnot Ogden Medical Center and St. Joseph's Hospital, with a combined total of nearly 600 beds.
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) wrote many of his finest works during summers spent in Elmira, the home of his wife Olivia. Twain is buried in Elmira's Woodlawn Cemetery, as are many of our other famous sons and daughters, plus veterans of every war since the Revolution including the only Confederate remains north of the Mason-Dixon line.
The Near Westside Neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a showcase of Victorian architecture. A major Civil War prison camp was located here.
General Sullivan's Revolutionary forces scored a decisive victory in the Battle of Newtown on the hills overlooking the Chemung River, which flows through the heart of the city.
Elmira is within easy driving distance of all major northeast cities: Philadelphia (214 mi.), New York City (227 mi.), Toronto (245 mi.), Pittsburgh (265 mi.), Washington, D.C. (272 mi.), and Cleveland (301 mi.). A full-service airport, the ElmiraCorning Regional Airport, is a 15-minute drive from most points in the county and offers daily service to major East Coast hubs.
Located at the gateway of New York's scenic Finger Lakes Region, residents and tourists alike enjoy swimming, boating, fishing, camping, hunting, skiing and sight-seeing, including the spectacular fall foliage.
Within an hour's drive are: Watkins Glen, with its famous gorge and International Raceway; the Finger Lakes (handprint of the "Great Spirit" according to Native American folklore); Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon and many of New York State's award-winning wineries.
Opportunities for advanced education are abundant and include Elmira College, Cornell University, Ithaca College, Binghamton University, Mansfield University and Corning Community College.
Among the cultural attractions enjoyed by area residents are the Clemens Center for the Performing Arts, Arnot Art Museum, Corning Museum of Glass, Chemung County Historical Museum, Center for Mark Twain Studies, Sullivan's Monument and Living History Center, the National Warplane Museum and the National Soaring Museum.
For the sports enthusiast, Elmira is home to professional baseball (the Pioneers) and hockey (the Jackals). The First Arena, home of the Jackals, also hosts concerts, expositions and large sales.