Oneonta? (Ithaca, Moravia, Stamford: houses, good schools, colleges)

[abitblue]

Hi,
My husband and I currently live abroad but we are thinking of moving Upstate at some point. We are relatively familiar with Oneonta- have been a number of times and love it. However living someplace and visiting are very different.

Two concerns:
Quality of schools
Racism (We are caucasian, our son is Asian)

Are there options for schools such as Waldorf, Montessori in the Oneonta area?
We also really like Ithica but we don't want to live in the city, and aren't familiar with areas around it which are more affordable and rural. Any suggestions?

Thank you!

[oceanartemis]

I moved to Oneonta from New England area about 2 yrs ago. I think Oneonta is a great family oriented community. The thing that I like the most is that it is a safe place with access to lots of outdoor recreation in the warm months along with a very active Arts community. Yes, there are things that could improve -- particularly wintertime recreation and diversion ( it is a cold long season, in particular for small children.) Shopping selection is dismal and limited to Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowes. As far as diversity issues - I am caucasian but have been told by some african america friends that this community is very progressive. Most people that I meet seem to have a very open minded and socially conscious attitude. My children are not yet of age for main stream schools but I have heard good things about the Oneonta school system from many friends. I know of a Montessori-like school called Brookwood, which is a 30min bus ride from Oneonta. The taxes are highest in the "city" of Oneonta, but I like the convenience and economy of being able to bike or walk.

I'd like to add that there are some grass roots efforts in the works to make Oneonta more attractive to families. I am trying to create a children's museum, which is a hands-on play based learning center. Also, some parent groups are forming to share information about local attractions and organize play-dates.

[SkiChick]

There are two colleges in Oneonta so you can expect a wide range of diversity and have never found the area to be racist in any form. I went to HS in Stamford, a small town 30 minutes from Oneonta. Plenty of outdoor things to do all year long ... the mountains and outdoor playground is a stone's throw away and the snow and cold was never a reason for me to sit inside, I just went out to explore more ... skiing (cross country and downhill), snowshoeing, walking in the stillness of the cold winter air, sledding, etc. Main St is a big bar scene. I'm 4 hours away now, but occasionally will visit Oneonta to listen to a friend's band play. It is very safe as the above poster mentioned.

Ithaca is just an hour from me now and love the city!!!! It's alive year round, people everywhere, and no hybernating in the winter months. There are two colleges there also ... Cornell being a huge draw in ethnic diversity. Extremely safe and the commons are really fun to walk. It's a brick paved no-vehicle Main St basically with a huge variety of small shops. You are located in the middle of the Finger Lakes region with lots of lakes to swim in and plenty of smaller towns that surround it. Year round activities here also for the family. My hubby went to school 30 minutes from there in Moravia (but wouldn't suggest looking into that town specifically).

If I had to choose between the two cities you mentioned ... Ithaca it would be. But that's just my opinion.

[homeward bound]

Abitblue:

I suggest looking into Trumansburg. It's a smallish town about 12 miles from Ithaca. Very friendly and warm place, it seems to me. Has an open-mindedness of the best sort: rooted in humane principles, in the reasons to BE open-minded (as opposed to the kind of pseudo-open-mindedness that is just moral indifference). Every time I've visited, I've been quietly delighted by seeing kids of many races playing happily together. Lots of handsome older homes, well-kept. Good schools. Good overall civic ethic. Lots of beautiful nature around, and a quick drive to all that Ithaca has to offer. Pretty high taxes, but not, as I understand it, Ithaca-high. Lots of people who live there work at Cornell or Ithaca College. Culturally very healthy for a smallish place. You may really like it.

Hope you'll post again about your observations and your choice of where to live, and best of luck to you and your family.

[honeychrome]

We live not too far from Oneonta and go there fairly often when we need something from Lowe's or Hannaford that our local places don't have. I like it- small, low-key, some pretty houses, a couple good restaurants (Italian Kitchen and Autumn Cafe in particular), farmer's market in the summer and an overall general 'progressive' vibe.

I love Ithaca too, and it has quite a bit more to offer than Oneonta. When we we're looking around upstate we sadly had to rule out Ithaca as being just a bit too far from NYC where we regularly have to spend time to maintain our professional lives. At the time the general Ithaca area was quite a bit more expensive property-wise.

Good luck with your search and decision!

[slowloris]

I went to college in Oneonta for 4 years, and I loved the town. Beautiful in the spring and summer. I'd only say that college kids run amuck in that town at night. I could never imagine wanting that around my kids. That is however limited to main street where most of the bars are, and river street behind main street.

You'll find that a lot of the students in general are respectful of residents, however theres always bad apples mixed in. the police are nice, good at their job, and the town is definitely moving in the progressive direction. I saw that change happen as I spent time there. I still go back once a year now, and just enjoy the weather and being in the "country".

Oneonta is a great town with it's own sense of character, I'll never forget it.