Ithaca NY advice? (Clay, Auburn, Geneva: homes, buying, homeschool)
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Hi there, we are looking to move from Geneva, NY to Ithaca, NY and wondered if anyone could offer, well...anything at all about Ithaca. We find that we are too liberal for Geneva, we homeschool and have a hard time finding like minded families/kids who enjoy nature, outdoors, environmental issues, healthy food, etc. We've been to Ithaca, but don't actually know anybody there or what daily life is like. I do know that I hate the traffic:} But that can be dealt with I guess. I am aware that it is a wealthy area, of which we are not. But the housing market is not much better where we are now, and we don't mind fixing a place up. Thanks for any info
Hi there, we are looking to move from Geneva, NY to Ithaca, NY and wondered if anyone could offer, well...anything at all about Ithaca. We find that we are too liberal for Geneva, we homeschool and have a hard time finding like minded families/kids who enjoy nature, outdoors, environmental issues, healthy food, etc. We've been to Ithaca, but don't actually know anybody there or what daily life is like. I do know that I hate the traffic:} But that can be dealt with I guess. I am aware that it is a wealthy area, of which we are not. But the housing market is not much better where we are now, and we don't mind fixing a place up. Thanks for any info
Is the Hobart set more "Upper Crust"(for lack of a better term), in terms of their attitude?
In terms of Ithaca, some of the areas outside of the city like Trumansburg, perhaps rural parts of the ICSD and Newfield might be a good fit and a little but more affordable in terms of housing. Groton and Dryden may be options as well and hopefully others will eventually chime in, but I think the area of the city away from the colleges(West Side of the city/West Hill) may work as well.
It is also a top 3-5 area in terms of educational attainment and that is for metro and micro areas(868 of them in the US).
Also, do you plan to commute to Geneva from Ithaca for the purpose of work? It's certainly doable but will get you down in the long run and the perils of winter driving in the snow belt must not be discounted.
Also, do you plan to commute to Geneva from Ithaca for the purpose of work? It's certainly doable but will get you down in the long run and the perils of winter driving in the snow belt must not be discounted.
That area doesn't get lake effect like the areas near the Great Lakes, but you may get occasional lake effect from the Finger Lakes. I think the biggest worry is distance and during the winter, if the roads are plowed. I do know someone that does a southern end of Auburn to Cornell commute, as well as a Liverpool area(Clay) to TC3(Dryden) commute. So, it could be done.
Thank you both for your replies! ck, the Hobart students are certainly a mix.... there are those types, but many who are very active and volunteer alot. The more I research the more I suspect we would be outside of the city, in a nearby town. We are not rich! :}
Wells, yes, there is the possibility of commuting. I am against that long of a commute, but my husband thinks it would be okay for awhile. I am trying to be realistic and think it would get old very quickly (especially since he drives 2 blocks to work at the moment). Last winter there was hardly any snow, the winter before there was quite a bit. It's hard to predict the weather these days....
Thank you both for your replies! ck, the Hobart students are certainly a mix.... there are those types, but many who are very active and volunteer alot. The more I research the more I suspect we would be outside of the city, in a nearby town. We are not rich! :}
Wells, yes, there is the possibility of commuting. I am against that long of a commute, but my husband thinks it would be okay for awhile. I am trying to be realistic and think it would get old very quickly (especially since he drives 2 blocks to work at the moment). Last winter there was hardly any snow, the winter before there was quite a bit. It's hard to predict the weather these days....
I think it depends on where you look in the city. I believe that the Westside of the city away from the college campuses tend to be more affordable, but demand may play a part in home prices. Trumansburg, Newfield, Dryden and Groton may be some options in terms of small towns in the area. This may help: Property Search Results
-Strong left leaning
-Homeschool
-Modest Income
-Lovers of Nature
-Possible commute to Geneva
If you do Trumansburg or Ulysses, you'll pay a little more, but the rest of those identifiers are covered.
If you would be interested in Caroline, it's arguably the crunchiest of the towns (strongest left lean), and more moderately priced. BUT, it's located on the southeastern end of the county, meaning a longer commute.
You might also consider Dryden, although it tends to have a more suburban feel in the built-up areas, and the rural northern parts towards Auburn are more farmland than wild nature.
Ithaca city and town would be tough on a modest budget. Not impossible, but home prices have appreciated most rapidly in the urban core, so it's not just about about buying power, but long-term affordability.
Thanks for those suggestions vicarian....very helpful. I think you're right about Ithaca being too expensive, initially and long term. I suppose the crunchier the better, but it would be nice to find people who are like us....so crunchy that we choose to live in modest means, rather than sacrifice precious time for $. I don't think that's happening in Ithaca:} We'll keep looking, but having Ithaca nearby would be helpful if there were job changes in the future. (No 'careers' in this house, just working enough to pay for us to do the things we enjoy)
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