Corning is a city located in Steuben County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 10,842. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany, New York financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company that developed the community.
The City of Corning is at the western edge of the Town of Corning, from which it was set apart as a village in the 1830s. It was incorporated as a city in 1890.
The city is the headquarters of Corning Inc., formerly Corning Glass Works, a manufacturer of glass and ceramic products for industrial, scientific and technical uses.
It is also home to the Corning Museum of Glass, which houses one of the world's most comprehensive collections of glass objects from antiquity to the present. The museum houses The Rakow Library, one of the world's major glass research centers.
The city's other major cultural attraction is the Rockwell Museum of Western Art. It contains an important collection of Western American painting and sculpture assembled over the past 40 years by Robert F. and Hertha Rockwell.
The city has been cited several times by American Style magazine as one of the top arts destinations in the U.S. -- most recently in June 2005.
Since 1979, Corning Country Club has annually hosted The Corning Classic, a stop on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour.
Corning is located at 42°8'53" North, 77°3'25" West (42.148142, -77.05697).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.5 km2 (3.3 mi2). 8.1 km2 (3.1 mi2) of it is land and 0.4 km2 (0.2 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 5.18% water. Just upstream from Corning, the Cohocton River and the Tioga River merge to form the Chemung River which flows through downtown. The river was an important source of power in the early history, and is part of the attractiveness of the region today. The river is prone to floods, as rain water runs off quickly from the steep hillsides of the area, the worst recent flood being in 1972, as the remnants of Hurricane Agnes dropped fifteen or more inches of rain in the area within a short time. The entire downtown area was flooded, with severe damage. Downtown has been refurbished and has become somewhat gentrified.
As of the census of 2000, there are 10,842 people, 4,996 households, and 2,667 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,346.0/km2 (3,489.5/mi2). There are 5,509 housing units at an average density of 683.9/km2 (1,773.1/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 93.94% White, 2.84% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 0.79% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 4,996 households out of which 26.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% are married couples living together, 12.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 46.6% are non-families. 40.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.14 and the average family size is 2.89.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $32,780, and the median income for a family is $46,674. Males have a median income of $39,805 versus $27,489 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,056. 13.0% of the population and 9.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 18.4% of those under the age of 18 and 3.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.