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Thanks for posting that -- some interesting ideas. If there is anyone who has moved to Ithaca recently, or discovered this forum recently, perhaps they could add their 2 cents here?
I'm interested in knowing about schools, of course, but anything else that relates to being a parent in Ithaca. One of the recurring comments I see about the city (town?) is that it feels a bit isolated, in the middle of nowhere. Can anyone relate to that? Is it a problem for you or your kids?
Well, I've lived in other places but have only raised a child here.
I think the isolation aspect will depend on what you're looking for. There are going to be certain kinds of businesses that only large cities have enough people to provide, and those things will require a 1-4 hour drive to get. (Memories from some previous questions and/or my own experience include specific types of Black hair care, access to rail travel, professional pregnancy clothes, theme parks, zoos, certain types of private school education, certain ethnic foods.) For things that are in town, you usually have a relatively small number of options. (From experience: There are really only two places that do infant daycare unless you are affiliated with Cornell, and two pediatrician offices, and two toy stores, and 3ish "mom and baby" type stores, etc.)
On the other hand, being in a small town means that my son knows just about everyone on our regular bus route, and that you rarely meet a stranger. I like that, but I understand why some people don't.
Your question is so general that it's really hard to answer. What do YOU like to do with your family? How old are your children? How many? Do you need child care? What sorts of things do you like and dislike about where you currently live? Do you want to live in an urban or rural setting?
Ithaca Child is a local publication that may have some useful info for you.
The schools are well-regarded for the most part, in town. Out of town it can be more variable. The average family dynamic tends to run crunchy. There's a larger-than-average population that will only live here for a few years; friends who grew up here said that gave them the chance to have pen pals from around the world, and meant that moving as an adult was less traumatic. The phrase I always end up using is "for a town of its size". For a town of its size it has excellent public transportation, entertainment options, town/state parks, small businesses, museums. It's mostly geared to college students, so if your children are teens they'll have lots to do.
There are several zoos in the area - Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Buffalo and Buffalo has an aquarium. There are several museums nearby including one designed for children and a dinosaur museum. There are theme/water parks in Canandaigua, Rochester, and Darien Lake. There are plenty of chains to shop and dine in. There's also numerous mom and pop/local stores and restaurants.
Depends on what people mean by the word isolated. Some people love that there are several lakes and farms nearby. Apple picking and pumpkin picking are very close by. Others want big city life. You're never going to have big city life in Ithaca. It's Ithaca not Manhattan.
There's amazing farmer's markets and parks. There are state parks as well. Ithaca is at the bottom of Cayuga Lake. A lovely lake! Visit and check it out.
This is just a few of the things happening in Ithaca. There's plenty more in Ithaca and the surrounding area. This doesn't include the numerous festivals that happen every year.
Meh. The schools in the city district are sound, especially in the elementary grades. The middle schools and especially the main high school have social conflicts, because Ithaca isn't big enough to have multiple secondary schools, so everyone's thrown in together, but it's not a tiny town where everyone knows everyone. Inner-cityish minority kids mix with rural kids, some of them poor, too, along with professors' kids. This might sound cool but conflict arises every few years, though the school professionals do a good job generally. For younger children, all the parks and things are good, especially for families with an outdoorsy, crunchy, self-important and self-described progressive bent. But as a small town, Ithaca doesn't thrill most teenagers. Some find their place in the watered-down counterculture of the place but many find it stiflingly small yet without the social supports of a true down-home small town. It's a transient community. It can also vary widely in many aspects socially from neighborhood to neighborhood. One elementary school probably has more Asian children than anything else, many of them here for only a couple of years. One is basically an inner-city school. One is rural and rather poor. One good thing is it's mostly pretty walkable and there's a decent bus system so kids can get themselves around a bit once they hit, for most people, middle school. Of course, many people choose the rural life, and then there's driving involved. Also, there's no way in or out of town except on winding, hilly two-lane roads (well, there is a small airport), so teen driving can be scary. it can be challenging finding a social niche if you're not tied to academia or a townie family that's been here a few generations, or can plug readily into the progressive, localvore, anti-driving type crowd. Above all, though, the adults in the family need to be settled economically, because there aren't a lot of job options here. That's a factor if you're looking for a place to settle permanently. The kids will likely have to move to find opportunity.
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