Ithaca, New York

The city of Ithaca (named for the Greek island of Ithaca in Homer's Odyssey) sits on the southern shores of Cayuga Lake, in Central New York.

The life of the city

The economy of Ithaca is based on education and tourism, with some manufacturing. The city is home to Cornell University, which overlooks the town from East Hill, and Ithaca College, similarly situated on South Hill.?The student population is very high, as almost 20,000 students are enrolled at Cornell, with an additional 6,300 students at Ithaca College. The Ithaca City School District, which encompasses Ithaca and the surrounding area, enrolls about 5,500 K-12 students in eight elementary schools, two middle schools, Ithaca High School, and the Lehman Alternative Community School.

Related Topics:
Tourism - Cornell University - Ithaca College - Ithaca City School District - Ithaca High School - Lehman Alternative Community School

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tourists come largely for the natural scenery, including three gorges within the city limits and three in nearby state parks. Visitors also enjoy Cayuga Lake, hiking trails, and visits to wineries in lakeside vineyards found north and west of the city.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

With some level of success, Ithaca has tried to maintain a traditional downtown shopping area that includes the Ithaca Commons pedestrian mall and Center Ithaca, a small mixed-use complex built at the end of the urban renewal era. Therefore, some in the community regret that downtown has lost vitality to two expanding commercial zones to the northeast and southwest of the old city. These areas contain an increasing number of large retail stores and restaurants run by national chains. Others say the chain stores boost local shopping options for residents considerably, many of whom would have previously shopped elsewhere, while increasing sales tax revenue for the city and county. The tradeoff between sprawl and economic development continues to be debated throughout the city and the surrounding area. (Another commercial center, Collegetown, is located next to the Cornell campus. It features a number of restaurants, shops, and bars, and an increasing number of high rise apartments.)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ithacans support a popular farmer's markethttp://www.ithacamarket.com/home.php, professional theatershttp://www.kitchentheatre.org,http://www.hangartheatre.org,http://www.icarustheatre.com, a civic orchestra, much parkland, a science museum for children, and a new paleontological museum. Ithaca is noted for its annual artistic celebration of community: The Ithaca Festivalhttp://www.ithacafestival.org. (The Ithaca Festival Paradehttp://www.ithacafestival.org/about/parade.htm and Circus Eccentrithacahttp://www.ithacafestival.org/about/circus.htm are legendary!) Another gem is the Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts http://www.saltonstall.org which provides grants and Summer Fellowships at the Saltonstall Arts Colony for NYS artists and writers. Ithaca also hosts what is described as the third-largest used-book sale in the United States.

Related Topics:
Farmer's market - Orchestra - Used-book sale

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Politically, the city's population as a whole tilts to the left, especially when compared to the conservative region of Upstate New York that surrounds it. Ithaca has many of the businesses characteristic of small American university towns: used bookstores, art house cinemas, craft stores, and vegetarian restaurants. The collective Moosewood Restaurant, founded in 1973, was the wellspring for a number of vegetarian cookbooks; Bon Appetit magazine ranked it among the thirteen most influential restaurants of the twentieth century.

Related Topics:
Upstate New York - Moosewood Restaurant - Bon Appetit

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The dominant local newspaper in Ithaca is a morning daily, the Ithaca Journal, founded 1815. The paper is owned by Gannett, Inc., publishers of USA Today. Other local print publications include the Ithaca Times, the Cornell Daily Sun, the Ithacan, and the Tattler. (The latter three are run by student staffs at Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Ithaca High School, respectively.) Local residents often subscribe to out-of-town papers as well. The Post Standard of Syracuse and the New York Times are popular among many community members.

Related Topics:
Ithaca Journal - Gannett - USA Today - Ithaca Times - Cornell Daily Sun - Ithacan - Tattler - Post Standard - Syracuse - New York Times

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ithaca has also pioneered the Ithaca Health Fund, a popular cooperative health insurance. Ithaca is also home to one of the United States' first local currency systems, Ithaca Hours

Related Topics:
Ithaca Health Fund - Local currency - Ithaca Hours

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2004, Cities Ranked and Rated named Ithaca the best "emerging city" to live in the United States (although some have criticized the book's methodologies.) Utne Reader, a primarily left-wing periodical, named Ithaca "America's most enlightened town" in 1997 http://cafeutne.org/towns/ithaca.html.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~