info on ithaca please.... family friendly areas ? (Buffalo, Rochester: home, neighborhoods)

[kgomarra]

;) thankfully getting to move back home after 8 long years in salt lake. im thinking about moving to ithaca (grew up west of rochester) but all i really know about it is what ive read on this forum. would like to get some more info please on family friendly neighborhoods in ithaca. have heard a little bit about fall creek , is a town or a neighborhood ? i want an area that that my two 10 yr olds can explore safetly on their bikes, walk up to the corner store for an ice cream , play in the water ect... also what about the public schools? where can i go in ithaca take advantage og the culture, vibrancy and diversity but not live amongst the high college rents and 19 yr olds? any suggestions in or outside ithaca? entire state is open to me and my children. i am a lesbian and a single mom so a family oriented area with perhaps some "family" around would be great. i manage restraunts so commute is no problem. no shortages of work for me in new york... oh i cant wait to work with people with standards again!!!!!!!!! ( just a little side note) thank you for your help . oh mighty IMINFORMED i bow down to your infinite wisdom !;)

[vicarian]

Fall Creek is a neighbourhood, and popular because of the waterfalls in the area. I'd say that alot of the city is rather pricey due to the large number of college students. On the bright side, the Ithaca City School Distirct was in Newsweek's top 1000, so public schools are in very good condition. If the city does prove to be too daunting when finding a place to live, you might want to try Lansing or Dryden, northern suburbs with good schools, or Trumansburg, a village out west.

One of Ithaca's best assets it's easy to get around. Even if you live thirty miles away, the commute is hardly ever an issue. The colleges ensure plenty of "culture" can be found, from the Johnson Art Museum on Cornell campus to the Sciencenter in the northern part of the city.

Outside of Ithaca and Tompkins County, most major cities' suburbs (lfor example, Buffalo's Lancaster, Rochester's Victor, and Syracuse's Manlius) are good places to live and have good schools for the kids.