Considering move to Ithaca. Looks good on paper, what do you think? (Rochester: ski resorts, fit in)

[mmflack]

Hi everyone:

I need your practical opinion/advice re: considering a move to Ithaca. I'm an academic minded, vegetarian. I did my undergraduate at UC Berkeley and then lived in Boulder, CO for a few years. 8 years ago I moved to southern california and for the past 4 have lived in los angeles. My grandparents have a farm in Illinois where I spent my childhood summers. Now, I'm 38, single no kids and want to return to graduate school to finish my PhD. Honestly I can't stand Los Angeles anymore and am ready to escape. Ithaca looks like a perfect match on "paper" that is. My main concerns are the size of town (i.e. available single men, job opportunities, etc.) and the weather (wasn't nearly cold compared to the horror stories I hear about upstate NY). My family and friends think I'm crazy to want to move across the country to a freezing little university town, by myself. I on the other hand have never been beholden to others opinions; except for the facts. Thus I'd like to hear your experiences re: what it's like to date, look for work, and live in freezing weather (Boulder, CO was probably a cake walk) compared to Ithaca.

Thanks, Maggie

[proulxfamily]

I have nothing specifically helpful to add but Ithaca sounds ideally suited to you, despite the cold. LOL - cold is easy to get over... just add layers of clothing.

[ki0eh]

On paper Ithaca has low unemployment. In reality there are few real career opportunities - some but relatively few spinoff businesses from research at Cornell, compared to other universities of that caliber. If you stay after your degree you are either very lucky or likely vastly overqualified for your job. The outdoors there is vastly different from Boulder but equally welcoming in its own way. The transient nature of the community means that people are generally more open to new relationships than in small-town America generally. There surely are plenty of single men, though probably not the wealthy kind. It does sound like you would fit in though! Good luck to you.

[JimCali]

I'm a retired college prof and I live in Binghamton. I travel to Ithaca and find it to be a nice college town. There is a local newspaper, The Itahca Journal, that you read online which may give you a "feel" for life, both social and academic. There are lots of activities while the colleges are in session and summer time in that area has a lot to offer also.
Best of luck in your decision.

[beckyhuggs]

Ithaca is very scenic and a beautiful area. Lots of outdoor type things to do. They are also known for being "green" with a lot of people biking into work and there is an emphasis on "all natural" and/or vegetarian way of life. Being a Vegetarian you may really like Ithaca, they are home to the Moosewood restuarant.

As far as dating goes, Ithaca is a small town so your opportunities may be more limited but I do know that Cornell has it's own dating site CornellSingles.com - THE online dating singles service and personals website for the Big Red and anytime I visit Ithaca I find that there is a large european and diverse population because of all the research that Cornell does. Cornell does draw a wide range of populations and people to Ithaca but on it's own without Cornell, Ithaca is not going to be a great dating area.

Weather questions are really dependent on the person. If you hate snow and winter than Ithaca may not be the best choice for you. But many people find that winter's in upstate NY are well handled by the DPW and do not cause major issues for residents. I will say that Ithaca has a lot to provide outdoors regardless of what weather it is. In the winter, they are right next to the ski resorts. They also are located very close to the vineyards and many beatiful state parks with waterfalls, etc. They are about 2 and a half hours drive to NYC, depending on how fast or slow you drive

[ki0eh]

OMG! Per Mapquest from the center of 14850 to the center of 10001 is 225.16 miles. That's 4 hours without traffic, especially if one is driving the typical Ithaca car, a 1990 Honda Civic wagon held together by bumperstickers. (It used to take me five, driving what was then a typical car, a 1975 Volvo 245, when PA proudly announced on its border "Radar For Your Protection, Speed Limit 55.")

[ckhthankgod]

I say do it. it has the vibe you are use to. Ithaca reminds me of Ann Arbor, but smaller. You are in close proximity to other cities too like Syracuse, Rochester, Binghamton and Elmira, among others. So, it's not like it is totally in the middle of nowhere. It's a safe city and is pretty cosmopolitan in general, regardless of size.

[mmflack]

Wow, your responses are all great! I appreciate your honesty.

[honeychrome]

mmflack-
OK, lived in Berkley, Boulder, spent childhood on a farm, academic, veg..... Ithaca may be about the most suitable place in NY state for you! You'll get used to the cold, but yeah, its a very different kind of winter from what you've experienced in Boulder. Nowhere near as big and 'urban' or quite as up-to-date as Boulder or especially Berkley, but having been to both of those cities numerous times I find Ithaca more 'real.' There are those who absolutely hate Ithaca, usually for ideological or climatological reasons- but there are many who have a similar orientation to you who absolutely love the place. It is big enough that you'll find a 'tribe' to fit into, but small enough that there is a sense of community to the city. There isn't a lot of suburban sprawl, so a couple of miles from downtown and you are in country/farmland. As far as things like sustainability, natural building, vegetarianism, attention to locally sourced food, small farms, permaculture and peak oil activity, probably the only north-east city-region with more going on is Burlington, VT. If you are really serious, make the investment and fly in for a visit right now- its still cold and you'll get to see it at probably its worst! I've traveled all over the country and spent time in a lot of cities- there is something unique and special about Ithaca. Its progressive, academic, yet it isn't on a major highway so it is slightly isolated in the middle of farm country, which is very conservative, which I think creates a positive tension.

For the record, I don't live there. We're about 75 or so back-road minutes from Ithaca, but we find reasons to visit every few months.

I have to say, 2.5 hours from Ithaca to NYC is impossible, even with a lead-foot. 3.5 hours if you are lucky, count on 4 when making any plans!

[beckyhuggs]

OOOps my bad, when I said it would take 2.5 hours to get to NYC I was thinking about another area closer to the city when I said that. The other poster is correct in saying that is would be more like 3.5 hours from Ithaca to the city. Sorry for the confusion! But I will say that I don't think it was neccessary for other posters to get nasty in their responses because of a simple mistake!