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Driving around Ithaca a couple of years ago one would see many yard signs that said "BUSH" but in small letters on top they said "Impeach".
For many years there has been a popular bumper sticker "Ithaca is GORGES" which of course was imitated by more than a few sporting "Ithaca is not GEORGE'S".
I guess in terms of being laid back that might be relative, considering that many of the "hippies" have origins in The City (NYC) and inner metro, they are laid back only by comparison to that milieu.
However even among the non-hippie there is a somewhat more laid back attitude than in much of the world outside. You can dine out at an excellent restaurant in Ithaca (of which there are many), in jeans and a T-shirt and no one looks askance. You can even go to church that way, although it seems few do.
The prevailing politics in Ithaca would characterize Nancy Pelosi as dangerously conservative. Dennis Kucinich? A moderate centrist. Michael Moore might as well be Walter Cronkite. I would throw a smiley on this, except I'm not really kidding. I'm also not implying any judgment, since that would throw this observation into another forum.
Other aspects of the granola vibe: a while back, my husband and I (feminist politically-liberal atheist-to-agnostic vegetarians) and a couple we're friends with (lesbian socialist Buddhist vegans)* were having dinner. In the course of the conversation, we all noted that we feel really square here.
It largely depends on where in the area you spend time, though--the conversation above happened shortly after we'd just happened to have a meeting that included a fair number of people doing communal living, working entirely outside the capitalist system, that sort of thing. You don't have to go far in any direction to find gun clubs and hunting land. If you work on either campus, the environment will be a little more socially conservative. If you work downtown at a co-op, Moosewood Restaurant, or one of the head shops, it'll be more granola.
*I should add that this is not normally how we'd normally introduce ourselves--we're all a lot of other things, too! But those are convenient boxes for this anecdote.
As for lakefront property, what do you mean by "worth it"? The lake is very deep and so typically only the edges freeze over, and not for very long. The swimming season is pretty much just July and August but the boating season seems to start as soon as the ice thaws. On the west shore of Cayuga, the shore is incredibly steep and the lakefront property is mostly built into the sides of hills (with parking at roof-level). It's more shallow on the east shore, for the most part. There is a marina for boats, Stewart Park (at the very southernmost tip) is sometimes okay for a wade but not much for swimming. The summer I worked as a summer school assistant, we occasionally went to Taughannock Park, a few minutes' drive out of town, for swimming. There's only about 5 feet of sand, the rest is grass, but it's a pleasant place to have a barbecue, run around, and go for a swim. Aside from the lake there are a *lot* of watering holes around that are good for a dip, but not particularly "beachy". There are a lot of cottages along the lake but I don't consider the area to be very developed--no hotels that I know of, really lovely views.
yes I meant to go swimming in. I figured the lake would be very cold but my kids see it on google earth and think "beach". I wonderd if we need to be at the lake to really enjoy it but you covered a lot fo my questions. I need to get up there and see it for myself. My husband has gone up but for only a day.
Thanks for the Hippie update! I find all this talk very interesting.
the more and more I hear the more and more I am happy. Ive been in PA all my life so its not easy to give up the norm for us. It feels like we can find some very normal and very fun things in Ithaca.
what is there to do for a living. how is the economy?
went up to visit, and the housing areas near downtown did not look that great. also there seems to be rampant commercial chain development going on out by wegmans and beyond. this is a bit sad. how are local businesses affected by this.
i am a computer guy but would love to change fields and open a pizzeria. i see lots of pizza places, but none catering to quality ingredients, local and organic foods and of course, being "green." mostly seems to be catering to cheap college delivery. would love to open up a place using organic flour, ny cheese and nj tomatoes, etc. However i'd have to live there a while before committing to opening up a business.
i was not happy to find that dogs are not allowed in the commons ped zone.. what is up with that?
we went there memorial day and it was pretty deserted, but i guess that is memorial day. is it deserted when college is out, or just on store holidays?
what is there to do for a living. how is the economy?
went up to visit, and the housing areas near downtown did not look that great. also there seems to be rampant commercial chain development going on out by wegmans and beyond. this is a bit sad. how are local businesses affected by this.
i am a computer guy but would love to change fields and open a pizzeria. i see lots of pizza places, but none catering to quality ingredients, local and organic foods and of course, being "green." mostly seems to be catering to cheap college delivery. would love to open up a place using organic flour, ny cheese and nj tomatoes, etc. However i'd have to live there a while before committing to opening up a business.
i was not happy to find that dogs are not allowed in the commons ped zone.. what is up with that?
we went there memorial day and it was pretty deserted, but i guess that is memorial day. is it deserted when college is out, or just on store holidays?
Ithaca's economy is pretty good, but you will hear about people being underemployed there due to being highly educated.
Neighborhoods close to Downtown Ithaca can vary and some are fine and some are "relatively" iffy, but the city as a whole isn't bad in terms of crime.
You might do fine there with an organic based pizza shop due to the scene there in terms of organic foods and with a couple of co-op markets in the city.
That developed area with Wegmans and so on is really the only such area in the city and besides the area around the Mall, it's the only other developed area in the county, really. There are still quite a few mom and pop businesses in the city in the Commons and Collegetown, among other areas in the city.
I think the holiday had something to do with the Commons being quiet. Being that it's the summer also has something to do with it.
I'm not sure about why dogs aren't allowed on the Commons though.
At the risk of hijacking this thread, I'd like to ask some questions that have come up somewhat tangentially but haven't yet been fully addressed.
I'd like to know a little more about the various neighborhoods in and around Ithaca in which to live. My wife and I will be moving there in August (I'll be working as a post-doc at Cornell). We're currently looking at listings online and will be traveling through the area in late July to look at places and hopefully sign a lease.
We're looking for someplace relatively quite and somewhat secluded, but with decent access to the bus system. It doesn't need to be close to Cornell, just so long as I can take the bus to campus and avoid driving, that'd be great.
What I'd like is a description of the various neighborhoods in Ithaca. I've heard lots of names (Collegetown, South Hill, Downtown, etc.), but don't know where exactly the boundaries are that demarcate these areas. City-data's official Ithaca stats page has a list of some neighborhoods, but it doesn't have anything about the vibe of these various areas.
So far, there are a few areas that seem high on the list. Renting a house on the east shore of the Cayuga could be great (if we can find one that's available), but the rural bus that runs near there seems to be highly infrequent. The area on Google Maps labeled Cayuga Heights could also be feasible, but it seems a bit close to the fraternity and sorority houses, which I assume means that it's not the quietest area of town. There are obviously houses and cottages on the west shore, too, but again the public transit access is pretty limited.
We've been looking at several postings on craigslist, as well as a few other places. There seem to be plenty options in the inner urban area, and lots of apartments geared towards undergrads, but not too much in the way of houses/condos for rent that aren't in the heart of the city. If there's some place in the urban (i.e., city grid) area that is actually relatively quiet or feels secluded, I'm open to that option.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've tried to do my homework and be informed before posting so I don't waste anyone's time with redundant info. Thanks in advance.
Part of the reason that local people don't often refer to street names when talking about those areas is that they're *very* obvious geographically. I've given people directions to the Commons by telling them to walk/drive downhill until they can't anymore. I'm sure when you get here you will see it clearly, but I'll try to give you an idea of those places on maps.
First, some comments on your observations. You're right, there are very few whole houses or condos for rent. Most of the rentals are either broken-up large Victorians or purpose-built apartment complexes out near Lansing. Not much in between.
I wouldn't call the downtown area secluded by any means, but there are *very* few undergrads that live at the bottom of the hill. I live on a moderately busy street downtown and I still feel like it is very residential and quiet. I'll occasionally hear little kids playing in the yard next door or a barking dog, but never any party noise, and I feel quite safe walking around at night. It depends on where you're coming from, but it does not have a big-city feel *at all*. Going by street names, I would call the area bounded by Green St. to the south, Jay St. to the north, Lynn to the east, and Cayuga to the west to be safe bets, with plenty of other blocks outside of those borders being fine too, but it's a little bit more of a "see it in person" kind of thing.
Cayuga Heights also largely falls under the "see it in person" heading. It sounds very much like what you're looking for--very convenient to campus, also very secluded-feeling, a heavily wooded area. It is helpful to know where the frats are, though--and again, the students don't wander very far outside their sphere so if you're not literally next door to a frat it's very quiet. I'd say that anywhere farther from campus than the multi-street intersection on Highland Rd (Kline, Oak Hill, White Park, etc) would be fine--more than fine, very desirable. Triphammer Rd. past Hanshaw is the dividing line here (and a main route for many city buses), but houses in the neighborhood on the other side of Triphammer all the way over to Warren Rd. are also lovely. Less wooded, more suburban feeling. There are some apartments near 13 between Triphammer and Hanshaw which are fine starting-out types of apartments, very few undergrads and TONS of grad students, postdocs, and young professionals. Regular buses. Not very rural but very quiet; I lived there the first year I worked in town.
There are a number of apartments on Triphammer south of Hanshaw that seem to be popular with grad students not undergrads, though I haven't lived there personally so I can't say for sure. It's a very wooded area though, and feels quite secluded.
The densest student neighborhoods are in and around Collegetown, bounded by, hmm, let's see: Oak, Stewart Ave, 79, and 366. Those are the areas you'll probably be most strenuously avoiding. Though around 366 again tends towards more long-term residents, but it's a look-and-see area that can be super-quiet or not. Just past 366, again bounded by 79 to the south, there are a lot of desirable residential homes that I think you would find attractive--pretty, quiet neighborhoods, tree-lined streets, that sort of thing. Not a lot of bus service, but depending where on campus you are working, just a short walk.
East side of the lake, as you say, is very rural, though technically not far from campus. Mostly farmland over on that side, and they do seem to get more snow than anyone else. The west side of the lake along 96 is another area you might consider--there are several apartment complexes that serve the local hospital over there, somewhat regular buses, and lovely views. A few farms past the hospital.
South Hill--along 96B/Danby Rd--leads to Ithaca College. There are some student neighborhoods in that area, but mostly I'd argue against looking there because getting a bus from IC to CU is a hassle, more than because of student noise. I wouldn't recommend the denser-looking southern parts of Ithaca and the more rural areas to the south or west because of minimal bus service up the hill and because of a variable reputation. Same with any area within a block or two of Route 13 downtown.
I think that pretty thoroughly covers the town! Anything you're looking at that I missed?
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Ithaca's Neighborhoods
