Moving to Ithaca (East Hills, West Hills, Portland: rentals, townhome, employment)

[havasq]

Hi everyone, thinking about moving to Ithaca here, we have never been there.

Has anyone heard of the West Hills aprts across the Cayuga Medical Center?

Also, could i afford a family of 3 with 70K per year? in Ithaca.

Thank you in advance,

Héctor

[CBaillo]

rofl 70k should last you just fine here. and housing gets cheaper as you go out to the surrounding towns and villages. but then again its all up to your style of living. Some people would say you cant live anywhere with 100k/yr.

My family (myself, wife, daughter) are doing just fine here making way under your 70k. we're renting a 2 bedroom house at 1300 ft2 for 700/mo, in newfield (5 miles outside of the ithaca border), which will do us just fine until we can afford that bigger house on some land over seneca lake for our future winery.

I've seen the area that youre talking about (have had a dr.'s appointment there) and it seems really nice.

but then again, my family just got here 7/25/07, from CA, so i'm sure there are more informed people out there. But i love it out here...as does my wife and 4 year old. So much natural, free things to do...Ithaca and its surrounding areas have it all. From scenery and nature, to culture and fine dining, as well as all the wine you can dream of LOL.

Good luck in your decision.

[vicarian]

West Hill? Not as populated as the South or East Hills, but one of the more afforadable parts of the area.

A family of 3 on 70K would be more than enough, as CBaillo said.
As long as you have good employment (jobs can be tight), you can get along just fine in the Ithaca region.

I'd recommend taking a trip to Ithaca, to get an idea of what the region is like. Best of luck!

[havasq]

CBaillo, Thanks for your input.

Héctor

[havasq]

vicarian, Thanks for your input.

Héctor

[thlk14]

My wife and I are thinking of moving to Ithaca soon.We are living in Santa Cruz Ca. and are finally over it. the price of a small townhome in Santa Cruz is 600,000.00 dollars so the cost of living in Ithaca sounds great to us but the thing I am fearful of is the winters. We moved to Portland Or. a few years back and could not stand the winters it was not the cold but the rain, it was grey for seven month's with not one day of sun or snow just ice so my question is is Ithaca as bad as the northwest. So please if you haved lived in both area's please tell me the truth.

[kbeejbee]

i lived in Ithaca for 8 years (originally from Long Island) and must advise....the winters are long, cold and dark. If you are afraid of weather and from California, do not move to Ithaca. There are just as many wonderful places to move to with better weather. But Ithaca is, by and of itself, a very special place to live. The town is very open, progressive and liberal, the surrounding areas are absolutely gorgeous and the people are great.

Winters can generally start around the first week in November and get progressively colder until it hits it's peak in February, with temps hitting below zero (jan and feb) and then starts to get a bit warmer (20/30/40) in March. Around Memorial Day, you can put away winter gear. Lots of rain in Central NY too. So, like I said, if you're looking for a weather issue, don't move there. Culturally, nice place to live.

[CBaillo]

my wife and i have always loved the cold and snow though, with constant long vacations to the CA mountains in winter....we are backwards californians LOL. I am much more likely to hibernate the summer away to escape heat than winter. But I also love to snowboard, and my daughter ice skate and she also loves being in snow.

It's about what type of person you are. If you dont like being outside and the outdoors, no matter the weather, you won't be too happy, because you'll be stuck inside depressed at the inability to go out. If you keep yourself busy and active in the winter, it won't be as bad.

[CarolL]

My daughter and family have been in Ithaca for about four years now, so we go there quite often. DH and I really like it and are hoping they'll stay here for a while so we can move to the area when we retire. In the meantime, though, my best friend attended our daughter's wedding in Ithaca, fell in love with the place, and moved there just last month.

As stated before, it's a beautiful area, progressive, liberal, lots to do, whether you're an indoors or outdoors person, athletic or artsy. Property is affordable, altho I'd advise you to look out for the property taxes. They can be high in Ithaca, so you might look outside town or outside Tompkins County.

And yes, the winters are long, but depends on your preference. I happen to hate summer heat, so it's ok with me. And, you can make it on $70K. My daughter and family make it on much less.

[Ellie C.]

Those apts are okay Hector, but you can sometimes find a house pretty reasonably. Craigslist is actually pretty good for Ithaca as far as rentals go. It's a little harder to find a rental right now because all the college kids have already signed their leases for the school year.

You should be fine on 70K, as long as your expectations are realistic.

And thlk14, Ithaca is colder and drier than Portland. If you're not a fan of winter, upstate NY is not where you want to move.