Ithaca, New York? (Elmira, Newfield, Hope: home, technology jobs, theatre)

[tamparuth]

Hi,
I am a single mom with two elementary age kids. I have to decide between Dartmouth in
Hanover, New Hampshire or Cornell
in Ithaca, New York. Does anyone have any thoughts? My main concern is safety, the schools and
after care. Thanks in advance.

[vicarian]

Hi,

While I can't speak for Hanover, I can say Ithaca has pretty good schools (good enough to show up on those Newsweek top schools lists anyway), and the surrounding towns are also respectable. All in all, I'd say the area is fairly safe, although I wouldn't advise living in Collegetown with the large student population (drunk students on weekends don't make for good neighbors). I'm not sure what you mean by after care though.

[eduam]

The leftist-ness of Ithaca is a problem. It's is so politically correct that it is out of touch with reality. Another locally famous bumper sticker reads "12 square miles surrounded by reality". The community involvement is basically monopolized by a few well-placed academics.

It's segregated--blacks are tucked away into one little poor part of town. There is a very prominent lesbian community. There are many cliques in Ithaca. It's very white despite being a college town.

Further, townsfolk seem very arrogant--there is this sense that they all know better than anyone else. This is probably derived from the fact that the town consists of mainly academics, surrounded completely by rednecks, and it is extremely remote, so there is no nearby community to challenge their ideals or to add variety. NO DIVERSITY, despite being a college town.

There are few if any good restaurants, unless you like franchises, and there are many. Rulloff's (American) is one of the few good ones, and Dijon (French) and the Heights (American), but if you're looking for any kind of international variety you will get a mayonnaise-filled, fat globbed, fried, and/or Americanized version of it. Viva Taqueria makes you pay extra for tortilla chips. Go figure. And Ithaca Bakery charges $7 for half a sandwich, no chips. Oh, but you get a sliver of pickle.

There is folk music. Oh yes. Lots and lots of folk music, and country and rock. And hippies--converts and old ones. Get ready for the Ithaca anthem--Hot Rod Lincoln.

If you think that you can wear a designer dress around here just note that you WILL BE STARED AT, but for all the wrong reasons. Birkenstocks and Keens are all the rage--high heels are conspicuous. This is a casual place to the extent that I was reminded of living in Australia. Lots of money and no one with class.

There is very little classical music. Lots of musicians, though. And artists, and poets and writers. It's saturated with craftspersons and wannabes and sprinkled with real musicians and competent artists. Like Venice Beach without the diversity or sincerity. But that's the bliss of non-reality. It's like the Emperor's New Clothes; they all think so much of themselves and there is no one to say it really stinks.

There are few or no executive jobs here. There is no banking/commerce/technology network of jobs like there are in cities. The primary employers in Ithaca are Ithaca College and Cornell University. The working population consists of academe, service workers, trades. Tech jobs would have to be gotten at one of the colleges, but there is no industry of that type here.

There is a tiny airport (that's a nice feature). And there is a cool Farmer's Market throughout the summer and fall. Very excellent hospital and health care.

Property taxes are among the highest in the nation. Go here for tax info: Tompkins County Department of Assessment. There are local and school taxes added to that in each town within Tompkins County. Groceries are no bargain.

The surrounding large cities are poor/depressed. You would certainly get your money's worth if you bought property--but the commute is not pleasant in the winter.

Syracuse has the Orange.

Check out Complete guide to Ithaca, NY hotels, attractions, dining, shopping and recreation with maps and driving directions. The official web site of Ithaca, New York and Tompkins County Convention and Visitors Bureau in the Finger Lakes. for local attractions, but beware the restaurant list--it is out of date. There are lots of great natural sites and outdoor activities.

The schools rate among the highest in the nation.

Lots of farming and clean air and beautiful scenery.

Ithaca is a mixed bag. It is nothing like what I thought it would be before I moved here. I have been very disappointed. Still, there is a lot of good stuff. Usually a new place takes two years to acclimate. I have been here over three--including meeting and marrying a local. I have met many transplants who share my sentiments.

[tchemgrrl]

NO DIVERSITY, despite being a college town.

Funny, I think of it as having no diversity BECAUSE it's such a college town, rather than in spite of it--kids that come to private schools are pretty uniformly middle/upper class, with the exception of the very few who get scholarships (raises hand).

It's got quite a bit for a town of 25,000 with no larger towns for an hour in any direction, but it *is* a town of 25,000 with no large towns for an hour in any direction. It's considerably more successful than most small upstate places because it's dependent upon the colleges and not on industry which moved away, but that means there's not much industry to get involved in.

It's a very highly educated workforce, so it can be difficult to compete for even lower-level white-collar positions.

I'm moving back soon after several years away (I went to IC as an undergrad) and am looking forward to it. I love the scenery, the hills, Wegman's and Green Star, wearing my clogs and Keens. I love that the downtown is so walkable but I can feel like I'm in the middle of nowhere if I drive 5 minutes from downtown. Not for everyone, but it is for me.

[hello-world]

no diversity? that's odd, because my sense of ithaca is that it is one of the most diverse places around, maybe in the world! (more certainly for a place it's [small] size.) and the landscapes are very beautiful and diverse, as well (with rolling hills, farmland, big lakes, gorges, water falls, whitewater, etc.). maybe it's socioeconomic diversity that's the issue here? because otherwise, it is truly a very deeply international place in the middle of an almost wisconsin countryside. due in large part to the university and college, as well as the quirkiness of ithaca that draws it in and of itself. when i've been there, i have been struck by the - relative to most anywhere else i've seen in the US or elsewhere (except maybe NY city) - incredible variety of people, cultures and languages, all within a walk along a single block.

[ylsdaebssim]

Can't stand Ithaca. Takes forever for the city government to make any decisions. Taxes are high. Lots of transients and people living off government programs. Dying downtown due in part to difficult parking. Ithaca is not just far left, they are practically socialists. Hard to get a decent job. Read the posts on Craigslist/rants & raves. Very mean spirited. Moving soon and glad!

[rubygreta]

Originally Posted by ylsdaebssim

Can't stand Ithaca. Takes forever for the city government to make any decisions. Taxes are high. Lots of transients and people living off government programs. Dying downtown due in part to difficult parking. Ithaca is not just far left, they are practically socialists. Hard to get a decent job. Read the posts on Craigslist/rants & raves. Very mean spirited. Moving soon and glad!

You are right about the downtown parking. They could alleviate this problem in an instant by getting rid of that stupid downtown pedestrian mall on State Street, which is good at attracting vagrants but not good at attracting quality retail stores.

A pedestrian mall is a good idea in San Diego, but is ridiculous in a cold and snowy area like Ithaca. Open up State Street and create a couple of hundred of diagonal parking spaces, and the downtown would bloom. On nice summer weekends, close off the street and and create a "temporary" mall, just like they do in New York City. Thousands would turn out for these festivals.

But it will never happen. The loony liberals are in love with the mall.

[lesetlo]

Continuing on the parking theme... How realistic is it to live outside of Ithaca and still do things there on a regular basis, both in terms of drive time and parking? I keep reading about how feasible it is to commute to Ithaca from neighboring towns, but Mapquest is listing most towns as 30+ minutes from Ithaca. Where I live now has really short commute-tolerance, so I'm not sure how much is me (thinking of 30 minutes as about the limit) or weather people drive faster or Mapquest is off? For those of you who work in or visit Ithaca regularly but *don't* live in town, how does that work for you? I prefer not to live in the city, but I would like to take the kids to cultural events, go out to eat, etc regularly. Is that likely to be doable? Or will each venture to the city from somewhere I can actually afford to live cost me 2 hours in the car and $30 to park?

[vicarian]

Originally Posted by ylsdaebssim

Can't stand Ithaca. Takes forever for the city government to make any decisions. Taxes are high. Lots of transients and people living off government programs. Dying downtown due in part to difficult parking. Ithaca is not just far left, they are practically socialists. Hard to get a decent job. Read the posts on Craigslist/rants & raves. Very mean spirited. Moving soon and glad!

Project - Seneca Place on the Commons, Ithaca, NY - Seneca Place
Business and Development
Gateway Commons :: Live Luxury. Live Smart. Live Green. - Gateway Commons

dying downtown...right...

City government does take forever though. It's because every time they make a decision, someone has to protest it a block away on the Commons.

[rubygreta]

Originally Posted by vicarian

Project - Seneca Place on the Commons, Ithaca, NY - Seneca Place
Business and Development
Gateway Commons :: Live Luxury. Live Smart. Live Green. - Gateway Commons

dying downtown...right...

City government does take forever though. It's because every time they make a decision, someone has to protest it a block away on the Commons.

Downtown is not dying. But it would be a lot stronger if State Street were opened up to traffic, and hundreds of diagonal parking spaces were created. How many people were walking on State Street on this miserable day?