Ithaca (New York, Syracuse, Binghamton: apartment, low crime, townhouses)

[hellohowru]

I am thinking about moving to Ithaca. Please can someone tell me what kind of employment opportunities there are in the area, and if there is a state community college in the area. I have looked at photos of the area and it looks very pretty. I have also heard there is very low crime and it is a nice place to live in general. I have an apartment reserved for me at the Meadows at Westbrook. Is it nice there? Thanks

[Ex-Ithacan]

Though I haven't lived there in years, I'll try to help out some. Job market is usually quite tight. Unemployment hovers around 3%. If you check out Cornell University's website (the biggest employer in the county), there are usually openings available in many fields. What kind of job are you looking for?
There is Tompkins-Cortland Community College ( a place I attended when I got out of the Navy) about 10 miles outside downtown Ithaca in the Village of Dryden. Part of the state system, and there are even dorms there now. I'm not familiar with the Meadows at Westbrook. If you are talking about the Meadows townhouses in Lansing, I've heard they're not bad, and located in the middle of the suburban sprawl area near the airport (in Lansing).
Crime is indeed quite low, but not unknown. Drugs generally contribute to what crime problems there are. Most sections of the city are safe day and night.
Even though the weather can be a downer at times (lots of snow in the winter, and clouds much of the rest of the year), the area itself is beautiful. A large lake (Cayuga), lots of creeks,streams and waterfalls (Ithaca is Gorges), and plenty of outdoor recreational opportunities.
It's a liberal city surrounded by more conservative areas. Let me know if you have more specific questions, or would like a general overview of any other topics.

Perhaps I can get some of my pics up to give you an idea.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Not the greatest quality, and at different times of year, but here's some pics of Ithaca.

1. Ithaca Falls , near Ithaca High School


2. Swimmers a ways upstream from the falls(taken from pedestrian bridge)


3. Cayuga Lake taken from Ithaca College


4. Collegetown (my old neighborhood) near Cornell University


5. Young girl on the Commons in downtown Ithaca


6. The Commons


7. The Commons


8. Seneca Street in downtown


9. Ithaca College


10. Downtown and Collegetown


11. Cornell University


Hope you get some idea of the place from these crummy pics.

[Lauri_25ny]

Ithaca is Berkeley of the East.

I work in Ithaca on the hill. (up by the airport)
Personally, I don't like it, and only go there to work. But that's just me. I prefer shopping in the Binghamton/Vestal/JC area.
Ithaca is a nice place, it's just not for me. I would never tell someone that it's lousy, because it isn't. It's a preference thing.

[nikkiyc]

Hey Ex-Ithacan, nice pics! I love being able to see pictures of places I haven't been. I see you live in Maryland now, how do you like it? I'm from Syracuse myself, but currently in South Carolina, for now (my husband is in the Army). I hate it here!

[Ex-Ithacan]

Thanks nikkiyc. I've actually lived in MD for the last 25 years. Met my wife here, and settled near Chesapeake Beach. We live a couple of miles from the Bay. I work in DC so the commute is a bit of a bear, but I do like MD. Sorry to hear you aren't enjoying SC. I've been through there many times and liked some of the places I've been to (Charleston comes to mind right away). Syracuse, much like most of upstate, has had problems economically in the last couple of decades. I do hope upstate can turn it around, but with the tax situation, I don't see it happening any time soon.

[nikkiyc]

Well I'm in Columbia, SC, which has the rudest people I've ever experienced. However, I hear Charleston is nice, and other areas of SC, so I think it's just Columbia I don't like! I'm just curious about Maryland, my 2 stepdaughters live in Laurel, and my husband's aunt lives in Aberdeen Proving Ground, and I also have another Army friend in Frederick. And with most of our familiy in Syracuse, and some more in Raleigh, NC, I think it might be a nice in-between place to live, and we'd be close to his daughters. Although with him currently in the Army, I'm thinking too far into the future!

[ecs66]

If you're an ultra-liberal athiest, Ithaca is the place for you!

[deedee ramone]

Ithaca is exactly how a college town in the southern tier of New York should be (juxtaposed to the abyss of Binghamton). The job market is tight most of the year because of the number of able-bodied, eager young individuals living/studying there.

It has a decent night life and good amount of culture for an area surrounded by counties/general populations that are still catching up with the late eighteis attitudes (I wish I was only joking).

Given how it's not too far from Syracuse or Scranton, PA (a little over 2 hours away) nice day trips for serious shopping are quite possible.

Because it is a college town, rents are unfairly high, and Ithaca aparently has a higher suicide rate than larger areas (i. e.: Binghamton).

If you have a job lined up before you move there then you might find yourself able to appreciate the area. If not, then you're most likely in for a bit of a struggle until you can network and find spots.

Its local government is run well and understands how to keep the area relevant without the gross incompetence of its neighbors (Binghamton, for example).


Regardless, Ithaca is a nice college town and I really appreciate its attributes and find it an oasis in a part of NYS that is killing itself.

[ithacany]

I grew up in Ithaca and it is beautiful! Loved it a lot. Wish we could live there again. I think you will like it alot. It is a very liberal town Very liberal. There is TC 3 a community college, Ithaca college, and of Cornell.
It has lots of culture and many differant things to get involved in.
The lakes are beautiful . Such a nice place to live. The crime is low but there are drugs but no one is rowdy.
The bagels near Cornell are the best! There is some shopping not a whole lot. Depends on what you want.
Hope this helps