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[quote=Ithaca007;1075429]My wife and I moved to Ithaca, NY last year from the Atlanta, GA suburbs. There are many positives to living in Ithaca, NY but Ithaca is not without its negatives, some of which will come as quite a surprise to newcomers who fail to do their research. Here are some practical things to think about before making a decision to move to Ithaca, NY.
Hi Ithaca007, You sound like someone in a very similar position as I am. Please read my original post called "affordable, reasonable. What do they mean?" It is located about 5 places down on page 2 of the New York threads. I got a little testy there but I would love to hear your response. I am quite conservative in some areas when it comes to the nurture of my family but a bit on the liberal side when on other issues. I think Ithaca has alot of what I would look for. I am just a very very slight pinch less liberal. I just returned to Eastern NY from 23 yrs in the Charlotte, NC area and am so glad to be back but would like something else in Eastern NY or Central NY not so much like the Capital District. and a good bit less expensive. You can answer on that thread or here if you like. Thanks
I read that most people here love ithaca. I went to the A/S College at Cornell for 4 years, and I loathe Ithaca. Most kids at cornell call it 'sh*tica.' first, the weather SUCKS. a cloud rolls in around Oct. and doesn't leave until late May. it snowed on mother's day in '02, for Chirst's sake. second, cornell kids are about as obnoxious as they come. uber-privileged kids, blowing their parent's money, pretending it's theirs, acting like a bunch of tough guys or snotty clams, who cry to the cops and threaten lawsuit when their trash-talking gets their jaw busted. third, ithaca has some really ghetto parts. i worked for 4-H for two years there while attending school, and the kids i helped were really, really poor. it was sad. fourth, the rents in collegetown were comparable to those in nyc. most pay around $1K/month. in ithaca! finally, it makes berkeley look like bob jones u. watch out if you're conservative or even moderate. you're in the minority and they will let you know it.
i will give ithaca this....if you are around in the summertime (read, july, aug, and part of sept), it is really pretty. the gorges are nice, and the lake is beautiful. also, the commons is pretty neat. if you can wade through all the washed-up hippies, burnouts, and homeless, there are some cool little novelty shops, restaurants, and bars there. having said that, i left cornell in '03, haven't been back since, and have absolutely no desire to.
I am someone that doesn't love Ithaca. I know that it sounds like the perfect place to live, but maybe thats just it. It seems too perfect for me I think. I picture it as a place with too many college kids, a large percentage of Asians, a lot of homosexuals, and rich, preppy, snooty people.
Where do they keep the homosexuals? I'd like to meet some. I hear they're very intelligent and creative, not to mention well dressed.
geos, keep up with this kind of baiting and it will get this thread closed down. People are entitled to their opinions/observations about others who practice alternative lifestyles, and should not be pelted with sarcasm or derision. The very vocal liberals in Ithaca have no problem openly criticizing social conservatives, and others who are not as "enlightened" as they are. Is that okay? Apparently, because they continue to do it w/out censorship or admonishment.
I just returned from a short visit to Ithaca, and it is very much a college town, for good and bad. However, I think most of the political posturing around town comes more from an inferiority complex than actual political ideology. Ithaca college is not NYU or Columbia, and the student body constantly live in fear of being thought of as a quaint, smaller college in the beautiful, rural (and mostly conservative) Finger Lakes. Hence, they are always running around trying to show everyone just how liberal and radical they are. I think they have the idea that if you're not a super-liberal actively engaged in the cultural wars, then you're not really a college student of any worth.
"People" don't seem to have a problem with right wing name calling, sarcasm, derision (in fact that's their stock in trade) all up and down the dial by wackos like Limbaugh, Savage (boy there's an appropriate name) and Ann (kill LIBERALS) Coulter but god forbid anyone stand up to these belligerent, self righteous, sanctimonious right wing, corporate mouthpiece loud mouths. They're traitors! They're elitists!
It isn't LIBERALS who got us into the most appalling, atrocity in American history. It wasn't LIBERALS who were against women's suffrage, it wasn't LIBERALS who were for segregation, it isn't LIBERALS who are opposed to civil rights for all. It isn't LIBERALS who are against stem cell research. It isn't LIBERALS who want to want to abandon reason, ignore science take us back to the Dark Ages and teach "intelligent design". What's next, "flat-earth design"?
No, it's right wing cons who throughout history stand for nothing but hatred, belligerence, repression, ignorance and war. To the degree that there has been progress in human society it's LIBERALS who lead the charge and cons who try to shoot them down. Cons are such hypocrites. They're for freedom and democracy but only if you agree with them. And they want to spread their brand of hypocrisy/democracy thru mass murder. Yeah, there's an enlightended species. And when people stand up to these hate mongering/war mongering savages they're "elitists". I'd rather be an elitist than a mass murdering war monger anyday.
How 'bout we just agree that liberals like Ithaca because its..... well, liberal. Conservatives don't like it because its...... well, liberal. The liberal vs. conservative debate belongs on another site/message board (as per the TOS etc. etc. etc. of this site). Not to mention the fact that most such debates are largely meaningless as a majority of both self-professed liberals and self-professed conservatives have little understanding of what either term really means (didn't someone once say something to the effect that in order to have an argument both parties have to agree on something....?).
I think that if someone doesn't like Ithaca politics, all they have to do is move a few miles out to the surrounding towns, and the politics move towards the traditional upstate conservatism the farther you go. There's a reason why "Ithaca is 10 sq. miles surrounded by reality".
I hear Tioga County is good for those who are tired of Ithaca's crazy leftism. Cheaper too, but within driving distance to Ithaca and Binghamton.
Can't complain about the weather. The occasional rain showers or T'storms, but mostly sunny and upper seventies. Summer is a nice season weather-wise.
"I hear Tioga County is good for those who are tired of Ithaca's crazy leftism. Cheaper too, but within driving distance to Ithaca and Binghamton."
It has been rumored that self-appointed officers(gleaned from the ranks of Ithaca's culturally enlightend residents) have been manning road blocks at the Tompkins/Tioga county border. These individuals can be told apart from the real LEOS by their squad cars(only New imports, ie:BMW, etc..), and their uniforms(current L.L. Bean stuff). It will also be noticed that in lieu of the typical LEO mode...cheap coffee, donut, a copy of SWAT magazine; they will be holding a gourmet coffee(or expresso) and a Sunday issue of the NY Times. One should be aware that any attempt to enter their "enriched" county with the following: old p.u. truck, any older domestic auto, OR ANY vehicle sporting bumper stickers/decals promoting gun ownership, the military, or any redneck humor...will be immediately turned back after a "Ithaca is Gorges" decal has been applied to their car or truck(or tractor)...LOL!!
There is no doubt that Ithaca is an extremely liberal city. The self-proclaimed Enlightened Class are very accepting of anyone who is left of center, but not particularly interested in hearing opposing views. If you’re not interested in political or public policy debates, that element of Ithaca probably won’t bother you.
The winter weather is a drag, but not nearly as bad as locations farther to the north, closer to Lake Ontario. The summers are very pleasant.
Like any town, you’ll find good and bad. There’s a lot of community spirit, always something interesting going and an energetic feeling. On the down side, housing can get expensive, there are a fair number of burglaries (due to the transient population) and drug-related crimes and many of the college students could use some behavior modification.
You need to spend some time there, talk to others who have and do some research.
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Homosexuals
People are entitled to their opinions/observations about others who practice alternative lifestyles, and should not be pelted with sarcasm or derision. The very vocal liberals in Ithaca have no problem openly criticizing social conservatives, and others who are not as "enlightened" as they are. Is that okay? Apparently, because they continue to do it w/out censorship or admonishment. 
