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I agree with Vicarian and some of the others about Ithaca. Being a liberal, vegan, and Atheist who is kidless, a teacher motivated for further education sounds like an ideal fit for Ithaca and some of the other surrounding communities. In Ithaca, no one will care one wit if you are Atheist, or vegan, or Liberal. It's just not an issue here in Ithaca or in most of the rest of the NorthEast.
As far as the weather, yes, it's definitely got the 4 seasons. Summer is delightful...sunny, warm(sometimes hot and humid). Fall can be relatively short but beautiful with the changing of the leaves. Winter...oh my...is looooong, gray, cloudy, cold, miserable, with lots of snow storms and squalls. Snow accumulation in Ithaca can be less or more than is other nearby areas of Central New York(with the exception of Cortland which is dead center of the snowiest region of New York State). But, indeed, it snows, sometimes big time accumulations which can down power lines, and virtually close the city. It's going to definitely be a huge change from Richmond.
As others have said, Ithaca is more expensive to live in in all aspects, from cost of housing, to food, gasoline, utilities, etc. The way around most of this is to live in the outlying towns and villages where the cost of housing and taxes is somewhat less. Still, you'll have to pay higher food and gasoline prices than elsewhere in Central New York State.
And, Ithaca's cultural opportunities are vast...largely due to Cornell University and Ithaca College.
Do plan on a visit. I think you'll find it is indeed a picturesque area and probably a good fit for relocation. But, do check out the neighboring communities(all within a short drive from downtown Ithaca) as possible residence sities.
I love it here. Vegan = yes. Atheist/humanist = yes. Education career = yes.
Lots of snow? Absolutely. It's upstate NY. We get snow, but the roads get plowed quickly and often. I've never been snowed in or unable to get somewhere because of the snow. I have an AWD vehicle, which I think is a necessity due to the hills.
Taxes? Yep, they're high, but there are ways around it. $5K per $100K seems like an exaggeration to me, but I guess it's possible. You could move to an area like Covert, which is next to Trumansburg, and has Seneca county taxes (much lower) but Trumansburg schools. We live in Trumansburg, but in Schuyler county, and we pay just under $1200 per $100K. It just depends where you look.
You can find property that's very reasonable, if you take the time to look, and especially if you're willing to put a little work into it. We bought a 1600+ sqft farmhouse on 5 acres for a little over $150K. I think that's pretty reasonable. It needs a little work, nothing major, mostly cosmetic. Prices have been coming down too.
Good luck with your search. I think you'd like it here, but the best way to find out is to visit and see for yourself.
This is no joke - the most miserable experience of my life was visiting Ithaca. It is small, ugly, far from any transportation, and the weather is horrendous most of the year. Not to mention boring - you'll get tired of the hiking after the 10th time, and there's not much in the way of entertainment or stimulating your brain beyond what you'd find in any average college town. The town is generally very run-down also.
The only positive is that it has a mediocre public school (SUNY Ithaca) there, so if you're in education it's a plus. Why not go somewhere bigger and nicer, like Austin - it's just as liberal and has much mroe going for it, great weather, many more outdoor activities, and a world-renowned school. And nobody would give a rat's behind if you're atheist (although no city really does anymore). Or you could try Portland Oregon.
Why not go somewhere bigger and nicer, like Austin - it's just as liberal and has much mroe going for it, great weather.
As much as I love Austin, and it is a very fun town, no way is it just as liberal as Ithaca. Sorry to hear that you didn't appreciate this beautiful place. I can't imagine someone looking at all the waterfalls, lakes, gorges and vistas and calling this area "ugly".
But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.
This is no joke - the most miserable experience of my life was visiting Ithaca. It is small, ugly, far from any transportation, and the weather is horrendous most of the year. Not to mention boring - you'll get tired of the hiking after the 10th time, and there's not much in the way of entertainment or stimulating your brain beyond what you'd find in any average college town. The town is generally very run-down also.
The only positive is that it has a mediocre public school (SUNY Ithaca) there, so if you're in education it's a plus. Why not go somewhere bigger and nicer, like Austin - it's just as liberal and has much mroe going for it, great weather, many more outdoor activities, and a world-renowned school. And nobody would give a rat's behind if you're atheist (although no city really does anymore). Or you could try Portland Oregon.
The closest SUNY school to Ithaca is Cortland State, which is about a 20-30 minute drive from there. Ithaca has Ivy League Cornell, along with private Ithaca College. There is a Community College nearby in Tompkins-Cortland Community College in nearby Dryden. I think you have Cortland mixed up with Ithaca, calid00d. I don't think Cortland is that run down either, by the way.
The closest SUNY school to Ithaca is Cortland State, which is about a 20-30 minute drive from there. Ithaca has Ivy League Cornell, along with private Ithaca College. There is a Community College nearby in Tompkins-Cortland Community College in nearby Dryden. I think you have Cortland mixed up with Ithaca, calid00d. I don't think Cortland is that run down either, by the way.
I thought Ithaca was only nominally an Ivy-League school, and was associated with the SUNY system and was at least quasis-public. At least that was the rumor at Princeton.
No - definitely not mixed up. I have seen Ithaca, and it was bad.
That's your opinion, but let's be serious. It's not a bad town. While Cornell is somewhat affiliated with the state in some capacity, it's still an Ivy League school. Those are programs that they work in conjunction with the state.
Cornell is Ivy League in anybody's book, along with Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale. It's an athletic conference. No one at Princeton would be stupid enough to not know what schools are in their own athletic conference.
As far as I've ever known, Ithaca College is totally private and not affiliated with the SUNY system.
IC is a private liberal-arts College. Some schools of Cornell University are associated with the SUNY system because of its history as a Land Grant College (School of Human Ecology and the School of Agriculture, there may be another one I'm forgetting). Students in those schools pay SUNY school tuition but they're getting an Ivy League education, competition for acceptance is just as stringent as in any other school of the university, and they can take any classes the university offers. It's just cheaper is all.
There is no such thing as SUNY Ithaca, and neither school is considered "mediocre" by anyone who makes a career in higher education. You're well within your rights to not like the town but the information you gave has no basis in reality.
I thought Ithaca was only nominally an Ivy-League school, and was associated with the SUNY system and was at least quasis-public. At least that was the rumor at Princeton.
No - definitely not mixed up. I have seen Ithaca, and it was bad.
Four of Cornell's colleges are part of the SUNY system (Agricultural & Life Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, Human Ecology, and Industrial & Labor Relations). The local Community college (Tompkins-Cortland) is also part of the SUNY system. As been mentioned, Cornell is indeed an Ivy League school.
As far as Ithaca being a dump, I think it's all in your perspective. Ithaca is like most upstate New York cities ( and most of the northeast & midwest); old, not all shiny and new, having experienced industries leaving for greener pastures, overtaxed & underfunded. The housing stock in the city is probably much older on average than most places in California. But the metro area (yes, Ithaca is now considered a metro) has a very diverse population, and an abundance of natural beauty.
Since it is a small city there are not the unlimited entertainment options which are available in a major city. That said, for a small, somewhat isolated place, Ithaca does provide a decent amount of fun, be it music, art, food, and even roller derby.
I guess little old Ithaca will never be able to match all that LA has to offer (you know, like wildfires, smog, mudslides, earthquakes, all that good stuff ), but I'm sure its citizens will still make do with what they have.
Last edited by Ex-Ithacan; 08-15-2008 at 06:09 AM..
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Huh?
), but I'm sure its citizens will still make do with what they have.
