Southern Tier
Big Flats, New York
Big Flats is a hamlet — a community without a village government of its own — in Chemung County, part of New York's Southern Tier region, with about 5,600 residents at the 2020 census.
Like the rest of upstate New York, an assessed value here usually isn't the market value; the state's equalization rate reconciles the two. The local rate is below, and the STAR program can lower the school-tax part of the bill.
- Type
- Hamlet (CDP)
- County
- Chemung
- Region
- Southern Tier
- Population (2020)
- 5,555
Local Almanac
Notes in and around Big Flats
Short, sourced notes tied to this place, its county, or nearby communities.
This place · History & Culture
Big Flats Has an Airport-Edge Suburban Pattern
Big Flats reads as a Chemung County crossroads because airport, retail, and road access sit close to older town land.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Corning's Glass Identity Is a Real Civic Anchor
Corning's glass identity is grounded in a major museum collection that connects art, science, technology, and local industry.
Read this note ->Nearby · The Outdoors
Catlin State Forest Is a Quiet Old-Farm-Lane Walk
Catlin State Forest gives the town a low-key outdoor story of old farm lanes, woods, and a little extra walking.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Horseheads Carries a Hard Name
Horseheads' local identity ties Chemung Valley movement, canal-era Fairport, and a Revolutionary War naming story that should be told carefully.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Big Flats Is a Chemung River Town Before It Is an Airport Exit
Big Flats' official self-portrait ties the town to the Chemung River, parks, walking trails, preserves, and glider history.
Read this note ->Nearby · Home & Property
Big Flats Building Permits Need a Site Plan Early
Big Flats building permits are issued in set windows, and the town says required documents must be received and reviewed early.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Horseheads Keeps a Hard March in Its Name
Horseheads' unusual name carries a difficult Revolutionary-era military story behind it.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Big Flats Is Named For The Valley Shape
Big Flats' name is a geography lesson: the Chemung Valley widens into broad flatland that shaped settlement and local work.
Read this note ->Chemung County · History & Culture
Elmira Holds Twain's Study and Civil War Memory
Elmira's story blends Mark Twain's writing legacy with Woodlawn National Cemetery and a difficult Civil War chapter.
Read this note ->Property tax snapshot
About $18–$40 per $1,000 in Chemung County
Combined full-value rate — county + town/city + school district, per $1,000 of market value (FY2025). On a $300,000 home that's about $5,260–$11,893 a year before the STAR break. A hamlet has no government of its own — it's taxed at the rates of the town it sits in.
A planning estimate, not a bill. Your exact rate depends on your school district and any village. Confirm with the assessor.
Statewide links
Statewide starting points.
Good to know
- • Your assessed value usually isn't your market value — ask for the equalization rate.
- • Register for STAR; new applicants generally receive a credit instead of an automatic exemption on the bill.
- • Outside the cities, check the well, the septic, and the FEMA flood map before you buy.
Nearby
Nearby places
Tax rates: NYS Dept of Taxation & Finance (ORPTS), Real Property Tax Rates and Levy Data by Municipality, data.ny.gov dataset iq85-sdzs. (FY2025). Population: U.S. Census 2020. Reviewed June 2026. Source data ->
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