Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Montezuma’s subject grades are an A− for cost of living and the outdoors; the weakest is a D− for walkability. On walkability, just 35 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse. 15% of the land in Montezuma is conserved, above both the New York town median (5.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area, at 934 acres. Montezuma has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Montezuma beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Montezuma is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,439 in 1860, 1,277 in 2010. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1904 and 4 maps from 1902 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Montezuma, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Montezuma.
1.8% of working residents work locally in Montezuma, against 10% in New York’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Montezuma’s average trip to work is 23 minutes. The top destinations are Auburn (25%), Syracuse (6%) and Aurelius (4%).
| Montezuma | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.8% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
17% of Montezuma adults report frequent physical distress. Montezuma beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 22% of Montezuma adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Montezuma | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Montezuma | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10% | 6% |
| More smokers | 17.7% | 11.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.1% | 12.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Montezuma has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 17° and about 109 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
6.6 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Montezuma Heritage Park: | 4.8 mi | 191 |
| 2. Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge | 1.1 mi | 793 |
| 3. Giardina Memorial Park | 0.3 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Montezuma.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
83% of households own their home in Montezuma.
| Montezuma | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $983 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Montezuma. Close and well known come first.
28 mi Stadium & arenaJMA Wireless Dome
27 mi LakeSeneca Lake
23 mi LakeCayuga Lake
25 mi LakeOnondaga Lake
26 mi MountainCumorah
33 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State ParkJMA Wireless Dome: Jimhoward03, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Seneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Onondaga Lake: R. A. Nonenmacher, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Taughannock Falls State Park: Michael C. Rygel, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Montezuma
About 1 of every 100 Montezuma residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Montezuma’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Montezuma on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
Montezuma is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,277 at the 2010 census. Located along the Seneca River, the Town is at the western border of Cayuga County and is northwest of Auburn. The Erie Canal was built through here, bringing new commerce, as did the railroad. National and state historic districts have been designated as related to the canal period, as well as national and state wildlife areas to preserve natural resources of the remaining areas of the Montezuma Swamp. Once one of the largest wetlands areas in the Northeast, it extended between the northern end of Cayuga Lake and almost reached the southern end of Lake Ontario.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $116,000, 78% below the New York typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
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