Raising kids in Ithaca? (Rochester, Syracuse: neighborhoods, theater, elementary school)

[nrv0us]

I was just wondering if anyone could chime in on the kid-friendliness of Ithaca and the surrounding area. I am considering applying for a job there, and wanted to hear from people who have lived in Ithaca with children. Does the town have much to offer?

It seems like there is a lot of natural beauty and some good schools, but what else would you bring up in this regard? What are the major pluses and minuses of Ithaca, in your experience, and how does it compare to other places you have lived?

(My kids are 3 and 6, and have previously lived in Urbana, IL -- another smallish college town, which we liked a great deal.)

[ckhthankgod]

It has the ScienceCenter, there's sporting events at Cornell and Ithaca College, There's another science based museum that focuses on dinosaurs in nearby Trumansburg and plenty of parks. You are close to Syracuse, which has the MOST, a puppet theater, shows geared towards children and indoor play areas(I wouldn't be surprised if there are some in Ithaca too). There's the Glass Museum in Corning and Rochester has a Museum of Play(Strong). I wouldn't worry about things to do for children in and around Ithaca, as well as areas close by.

Ithaca isn't immediately close to an Interstate, so that is a con to the area. It's not the biggest area either, but it's proximity to bigger areas somewhat offsets that.

[ki0eh]

Perhaps the USA's smallest town with a child magazine: Ithaca Child Current Issue

[NYEconomist]

Originally Posted by nrv0us

I was just wondering if anyone could chime in on the kid-friendliness of Ithaca and the surrounding area. I am considering applying for a job there, and wanted to hear from people who have lived in Ithaca with children. Does the town have much to offer?

It seems like there is a lot of natural beauty and some good schools, but what else would you bring up in this regard? What are the major pluses and minuses of Ithaca, in your experience, and how does it compare to other places you have lived?

(My kids are 3 and 6, and have previously lived in Urbana, IL -- another smallish college town, which we liked a great deal.)

Ithaca is cold as an icebox for 6 months out of the year. The town center is cluttered with stores selling scented tobacco (read: pot) pipes. The scenery is beautiful and there is a lot to find and do, but not really in the realm of children.

[steveinjersey]

I lived in Ithaca for the first 20 years of my life. It was great. Cornell and Ithaca College bring a lot into a city that size. Good neighborhoods. Good schools. Easy fishing, swimming, hiking, etc. It is a great place to grow up.

My problems with Ithaca come as an adult. Taxes, very liberal, and extremely political.

Some Ithaca statistics Ithaca (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by steveinjersey

I lived in Ithaca for the first 20 years of my life. It was great. Cornell and Ithaca College bring a lot into a city that size. Good neighborhoods. Good schools. Easy fishing, swimming, hiking, etc. It is a great place to grow up.

My problems with Ithaca come as an adult. Taxes, very liberal, and extremely political.

Some Ithaca statistics Ithaca (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

I wonder if these things are issues with the OP, that they wouldn't mind the adjacent towns like maybe Dryden, Lansing, Newfield or Ulysses/Trumansburg. They seem to be a more moderate, but you are still right next to Ithaca.

[proulxfamily]

Ithaca is fine. Professors, students, hippies/natural/crunchy/organic types. Very liberal in the city and very conservative in the rural area surrounding. Huge lake spreading north of it and rollings hills and vineyards around... it's basically THE city of the Finger Lakes, which is the second-largest wine region in the nation, after Napa Valley.

Those so-dangerous stoners :P are just residual hippies or experimenting students. Don't worry about that. I'm less than an hour north, in Syracuse, and occasionally take my three very young children to wander around the shops in Ithaca Commons, go to Taughannock Falls/Park for hiking and a picnic and stop at a few favorites wineries. If I could wander around downtown Ithaca with two toddlers and a breastfeeding baby wrapped onto me and feel perfectly safe and at ease, I would think anyone could.

[ki0eh]

My 7 yo daughter wants to go again and again to the Sciencenter, Ithaca NY rather than ones we have closer to here.

Having grown up in the belt outside of Ithaca and several years in elementary school at Northeast growing up, and as a student at Cornell with grad school and low living in the "red T" of PA, I wouldn't call the 5-25 mile out surrounding area "very conservative" politically on a national scale - only by comparison to Ithaca itself.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by ki0eh

My 7 yo daughter wants to go again and again to the Sciencenter, Ithaca NY rather than ones we have closer to here.

Having grown up in the belt outside of Ithaca and several years in elementary school at Northeast growing up, and as a student at Cornell with grad school and low living in the "red T" of PA, I wouldn't call the 5-25 mile out surrounding area "very conservative" politically on a national scale - only by comparison to Ithaca itself.

That's why I said moderate. You do have your gun owners and the gun clubs and stuff like that in the rural areas close by though.

[I-Townz Best]

many ppl exaggerate how great ithaca is, i exaggerate how bad it is so hopefully u can get a balanced opinon, southsides a terrible neighborhood, northside triangle is were the projects are so its bad, its more of a just poor projects den a dangerous one, west hill is a hippie capital, wich also includes the west village projects, the downtown area is a very general area, pot heads on da commons, small buisnessess, everywear, really nuthin to do, too much traffic, south hill is were i reside, its ok, but my street is ghetto, haha, but for real, umm.... fall creek is mad gay, an filled wit hippies, IMO when ppl say ithaca is gay, an wit hippies, dey tlkin bout fall creek, personally i hate dis area of town, even doe i have too walk threw it everyday. if u wanna live in the ithaca everybody says is great move to fall creek.....