[Wingfoot]

Originally Posted by jackmccullough

I've never lived in either place, but I've visited both. They both seem like great towns. The fact that there is a large university in town is a real plus for Ithaca. On the other hand, I was surprised that downtown Ithaca didn't seem as vital as I expected, and not as vital as Brattleboro. On the other, other hand, the population of Ithaca is about 2 1/2 times that of Brattleboro, which will likely increase some opportunities and drawbacks.

Once you're in Ithaca you're pretty far away from anywhere, whereas in Bratt you're an easy drive from Boston, New York, or even Montreal.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,I found downtown Ithaca "real" and B'boro
typical yuppy.
They have an airport in Ithaca too.

[xyz affair]

Ithaca has Cornell- a great University. The town itself has much to offer-

Brattleboro lacks a institution of higher learning, but is close the 'Learning Corridor' from the Greater Hartford CT area to Springfield MA and Northampton/Amherst.

Brattleboro is more liberal- and has access to more funky, esoteric lifestyles- Ithaca is pretty much confined to itself- once you leave the town, it can become rather conservative upstate NY.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by xyz affair

Brattleboro is more liberal- and has access to more funky, esoteric lifestyles- Ithaca is pretty much confined to itself- once you leave the town, it can become rather conservative upstate NY.

This is one thing I like better about Bratt & other parts of VT. As Arel said, it's pretty easy to get anywhere from here. I have friends & family in the Boston & NYC areas. I'd likely feel more isolated in upstate NY. I feel at home all over Vermont and in the more New England-identified areas.

[Wingfoot]

Originally Posted by xyz affair

Ithaca has Cornell- a great University. The town itself has much to offer-

Brattleboro lacks a institution of higher learning, but is close the 'Learning Corridor' from the Greater Hartford CT area to Springfield MA and Northampton/Amherst.

Brattleboro is more liberal- and has access to more funky, esoteric lifestyles- Ithaca is pretty much confined to itself- once you leave the town, it can become rather conservative upstate NY.

I would not say it more liberal but more bohemian.
Upstate NY tends conservative , not wall to wall like and the conservatism
is more like Bob Taft of the 50's than neo-con foaming at the mouth.

[organick]

Originally Posted by Wingfoot

I would not say it more liberal but more bohemian.
Upstate NY tends conservative , not wall to wall like and the conservatism
is more like Bob Taft of the 50's than neo-con foaming at the mouth.

Isn't Ithaca itself very liberal though? I know overall Vt is more liberal but it seems like alot of more liberal small places are surrounded by conservative rural areas.

[arel]

Originally Posted by xyz affair

Ithaca has Cornell- a great University. The town itself has much to offer-

Brattleboro lacks a institution of higher learning, but is close the 'Learning Corridor' from the Greater Hartford CT area to Springfield MA and Northampton/Amherst.

Brattleboro is more liberal- and has access to more funky, esoteric lifestyles- Ithaca is pretty much confined to itself- once you leave the town, it can become rather conservative upstate NY.

Brattleboro has SIT, the School for International Training. This graduate school attracts students from all over the world. Also, Marlboro College's graduate center is right in downtown Brattleboro. There is the Union Institute as well. Marlboro College is in Marlboro, the next town to the west. The Community College of Vermont is in Brattleboro, or at least a branch of it is. Landmark College is in nearby Putney. Keene State College is 20 minutes away in Keene, NH.

And within about an hour's drive south are lots of famous small colleges and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. I hadn't heard the term "Learning Corridor" before, but it is an apt description of Western Massachusetts.

Brattleboro has a vibrant intellectual culture. There is formal schooling, lots of informal classes (e.g. a class in comparative religion now going on at the Unitarian Church in West Brattleboro), lots of book discussions and panel discussions, professional conferences at the Brattleboro Retreat, etc. Also, there are learning opportunities in things like gardening, food preservation and the environment. And our local library is top notch.

We also have a circus arts school here. People attend from all over the country and possibly the world.

Brattleboro is relatively small, but it has an awful lot to offer for a town its size. And it is near other places with lots to offer.

[xyz affair]

Much of Ithaca's energy does come from Cornell. The downtown is a bit nicer then Bratts- and the location on a lake- and proximity to the Finger lakes is a plus for recreation; there are also attractive geographic anomalies- 'Gorges' etc nearby.

Ithaca is also larger in population 12,000 compared to 20,000. Brattleboro has many art and culture opportunities (Museums to Theater groups) and its access to the Learning corridor to the south is also a great plus. The 'Bratt' also has superior, wine bars, and upscale restaurants.

Brattleboro is more bohemian- Vermont's liberal gay rights laws are ahead of NY State- and as I alluded to earlier, the countryside outside of Brattleboro is more welcoming to 'different' lifestyles. Ithaca is an island in a relatively conservative area- Brattleboro draws life from more local intellectual opportunities, and is in a more progressive region- in perhaps the most liberal US State.

[mustmove]

I've lived in VT and did time at Cornell. Bratt has nothing on Ithaca. Choose for yourself, but try and ignore the overblown VT branding.

[organick]

Originally Posted by mustmove

I've lived in VT and did time at Cornell. Bratt has nothing on Ithaca. Choose for yourself, but try and ignore the overblown VT branding.

Care to elaborate a little on that?

[mustmove]

Vermont Life Magazine - Autumn 2009
It's fake. Many states do this, be aware this is a government pamphlet not a free market publication. Living in VT (without a trust fund) is nothing like what you see in the pages. For further study stop at the welcome center on I-91. Also fake. The way the farm implements are carefully scattered around a field- is theatre. Real life in VT is a bit different. Ithaca is a liberal college town but it is what it is. Not a make believe elusive paradise.