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Hi - contemplating a move to NY and curious about the Ithaca area - would love some insider opinions about what life is like there as a non-student/non-faculty resident:
- Is there a sense of community? Are people friendly?
- Is it generally safe? Any sense of things becoming more/less safe in the past 3-5 years?
- Where are people in general on the political spectrum?
- Overall does it feel like Ithaca has a sense of vitality?
- Anything else I should definitely know before thinking about moving there?
I hope others chime in, but Ithaca is know for its "liberal" vibe and I'd say that it is a generally safe city/area. It does have a nice and vibrant Downtown and is quite culturally diverse for a small city.
Also, what are you looking for in a community/neighborhood to live in?
It will be interesting to watch this thread since I remember camping there with my family many years ago. I remember very loud Crows early in the morning. By August the temperature around the Finger lakes had already got slightly chilly, a huge contrast from the South I was accustomed to.
From what I remember the locals were friendly but the people from NYC were easy to pick out - i.e. not friendly..
If you're looking for a town where strangers say hello to you while walking on the street, Ithaca is not that kind of place. It's also one of the most expensive areas in which to live in central NY and the weather sucks- hot and humid summers and snowy, cold winters.
On the other hand, the universities are cultural meccas, there are plenty of service-type jobs available, the public schools are very good and you can ski at Greek Peak in the winter and sail on Cayuga lake in the summer. The night life, restaurant, coffee shop scene is the best in the area.
Ithaca is very liberal though it's not quite as diverse as New York State's big cities. There was controversy 10 years ago when the name of State Street was changed to Martin Luther King, Jr. St. and the Cornell Review newspaper is a very conservative (even reactionary) student publication founded by Ann Coulter.
If you're looking for a town where strangers say hello to you while walking on the street, Ithaca is not that kind of place. It's also one of the most expensive areas in which to live in central NY and the weather sucks- hot and humid summers and snowy, cold winters.
On the other hand, the universities are cultural meccas, there are plenty of service-type jobs available, the public schools are very good and you can ski at Greek Peak in the winter and sail on Cayuga lake in the summer. The night life, restaurant, coffee shop scene is the best in the area.
Ithaca is very liberal though it's not quite as diverse as New York State's big cities. There was controversy 10 years ago when the name of State Street was changed to Martin Luther King, Jr. St. and the Cornell Review newspaper is a very conservative (even reactionary) student publication founded by Ann Coulter.
On the other hand, its mayor and school superintendent are both Black males, as is or was its school board president. It has had an Asian police chief and had a female mayor before its current mayor. I believe that its previous or one of its most recent school superintendents was a woman as well. At one time, it had 2 or 3 Black city council members at the same time in recent years. Same for its board of education which currently has 4 Black members on its 9 person board.
One of its elementary schools is named after a Black woman that is a native who was the class president if Ithaca High in 1952 who I believe graduated from Cornell and was a teacher/administration within the school district. Cornell is where the first intercollegiate historically Black fraternity was started. It is about 16-17% Asian, which is one of the highest percentages for a municipality/CDP in the state. So, it has had a relatively wide range of representation in the city/area.
If you're looking for a town where strangers say hello to you while walking on the street, Ithaca is not that kind of place.
Are there other towns where this happens... possibly places that also have a bit of a foodie / arts & culture vibe? I've been living in cities for so long and find I'm kind of longing for more of a sense of community.
Thanks everyone for the helpful links & info. Much appreciated!
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