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Ithaca was really sold as being this amazing town/smaller city and after two years, I'm out. Here's why:
1. Housing
Bad, expensive, small - for both renting and buying
The "City" of Ithaca the 10x10 square miles is getting dangerous
I was sold that Ithaca had no bad neighborhoods
This couldn't be further from the truth
A simple google search for the last 2 years shows numerous shootings scattered around the South and West parts of the city
2. People
Crusty is the absolute best word I can use to describe the actual people who you interact and live with
The younger liberal crowd is really a much much smaller group then you would think
The actual population (townies) are very very poor
There are serious racial divides in much of the city
I think the main people who live here are those who really couldn't cut it anywhere else and genuinely believe this is the best city on the earth.
3. The safety
Just look it up, things are terrible. Lots of crimes and no cops. Now I don't claim cops solve crimes, but we are talking at any time having 3 IPD on shift, I mean is that right? They dont or wont even look at things below a homicide.
4. The food
LOL. Most of the restaurants are owned by a single guy, just look at the reviews for places like Revelry Yards, which opened just a few months ago.
My advice:
Don't live in the actual "City" of Ithaca look at Lansing or other suburbs
If you absolutely MUST search for Tompkins Community Action or INHS properties and AVOID AT ALL COSTS
A quick look at the IPD community dashboard shows the bulk of all calls are at these properties or nearby
These two orgs GOBBLE up dilapidated housing but then put the worst of the worst in the properties I am talking domestic violence, drug dealing etc.
Absolutely, absolutely avoid areas of Cleveland, State, Plain, Titus, Corn = Dont do it. The pricing might look good, the property might look good, but just dont bother. You'll regret the vagrancy, the crime, etc. I'm talking bullet holes through houses here.
Are you in your 30s/40s and call yourself normal? Do you have a good job, make a good wage and want a regular safe neighborhood? IMO Fall Creek or bust, you legitimately will stick out like a sort thumb anywhere else.
I haven't researched Ithaca past being somewhat aware that the city has tried to attract or has actually been attracting younger folk looking to flee the crime, crowding and expense of more urban areas and get out into nature and stuff.
I think when this happens to a City, the city promoters and media tend to cover the new trendy coffee shops, kayak/mountain bike stores and show pictures of hip, with it, trendy people strolling down main street, etc.
Yet often as you say, the population of these transplants and business startups can be smaller than perceived and portrayed, and the "in place" existing population can be a whole different demographic.
I think this happened to Portland Oregon in that trendy, tech start-up outdoorsy hipster types flocked to the city due to it's perception, yet as the times, the economy, and the shifting nature of businesses and product/service demand brought on changes, the "in place majority" population and it's corresponding potential problems began to close back in like the waves and water walls of a parted sea.
Now those techy kayaking hipsters are fleeing Portland.
What happens with Ithaca remains to be seen. But I suggest spending significant time in a location one is thinking of buying a home in, getting the crime and neighborhood stats from hard data sources like the police department, visiting your proposed street at various times of the day and night, and different times of the year, and knocking on doors and talking to potential neighbors before buying.
This is odd…The South Side has actually been getting gentrified and has been changing demographically. This has been the case with the city in general, as former poster Ex-Ithacan had such sentiments about his hometown. Hence the housing crunch that has been documented in the Ithaca development thread.
It is a city and has always had some crime.
I find it hard that a city with more restaurants per capita than NYC(supposedly) are all owned by one person.
I don’t know if the townies(sounds like a college kid), are all poor, given the high educational attainment in the area.
Is it really? 20k-30k of real residents hardly qualifies as a city imo. There are many many towns around the northeast of this size with far lower crime rates.
I find it hard that a city with more restaurants per capita than NYC(supposedly) are all owned by one person.
Yes, I am being a bit dramatic, obviously. It is one example. There are about 7 restaurants owned by one man, the others leave much to be desired.
I don’t know if the townies(sounds like a college kid), are all poor, given the high educational attainment in the area.
I am not a college kid. I am a business executive who found themselves here temporarily.
Is it really? 20k-30k of real residents hardly qualifies as a city imo. There are many many towns around the northeast of this size with far lower crime rates.
I find it hard that a city with more restaurants per capita than NYC(supposedly) are all owned by one person.
Yes, I am being a bit dramatic, obviously. It is one example. There are about 7 restaurants owned by one man, the others leave much to be desired.
I don’t know if the townies(sounds like a college kid), are all poor, given the high educational attainment in the area.
I am not a college kid. I am a business executive who found themselves here temporarily.
based on all your cny replies are very very defensive about Ithaca and tbh you don’t refute much of what I’m saying.
Your own link says Ithaca has a higher crime rate than 85% of cities. Not sure how that helps your argument.
Crime is way way up. Your data ends at 2020 there have been multiple murders in 2021 and 2022 and 2023.
I’m not quite sure you or people like you get so defensive. Yes you’ve settled in CNY and you are stuck here probably forever. But I’m warning people to take what people like CKHThankGod say with perhaps the worlds largest grain of salt as you go to the grave defending towns as “wonderful” as “clears throat”…..Ithaca. auburn. Utica. It’s embarrassing.
based on all your cny replies are very very defensive about Ithaca and tbh you don’t refute much of what I’m saying.
Your own link says Ithaca has a higher crime rate than 85% of cities. Not sure how that helps your argument.
Crime is way way up. Your data ends at 2020 there have been multiple murders in 2021 and 2022 and 2023.
I’m not quite sure you or people like you get so defensive. Yes you’ve settled in CNY and you are stuck here probably forever. But I’m warning people to take what people like CKHThankGod say with perhaps the worlds largest grain of salt as you go to the grave defending towns as “wonderful” as “clears throat”…..Ithaca. auburn. Utica. It’s embarrassing.
No, I'm not defensive, but this reeks of a "hit and run" type of post/thread.
Also, the source I used shows that the city's crime rate at worst has been average and there are other sources that show just that. At worst, there may be a few homicides in a year(which would make the rate at worst 1 per 10,000 people, roughly) and the biggest issue is property crime and that is likely due to being the shopping hub of the area, along with incidents of property crime that is college student related. More information: https://ithacavoice.org/2022/07/coun...rates-locally/
I have never used the words "wonderful" to describe anything on here and this actually proves my point of the type of thread this is.
Again, did you do any research before making the move?
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 04-16-2023 at 07:01 PM..
No, I'm not defensive, but this reeks of a "hit and run" type of post/thread.
Also, the source I used shows that the city's crime rate at worst has been average and there are other sources that show just that. At worst, there may be a few homicides in a year(which would make the rate at worst 1 per 10,000 people, roughly) and the biggest issue is property crime and that is likely due to being the shopping hub of the area, along with incidents of property crime that is college student related. More information: https://ithacavoice.org/2022/07/coun...rates-locally/
I have never used the words "wonderful" to describe anything on here and this actually proves my point of the type of thread this is.
Again, did you do any research before making the move?
Again - I did do research, there is honestly very very little. A lot of the research are people like you that go to the grave defending a decision they made. You haven't refuted much else other than some safety claims, but as you don't live in the City of Ithaca, what you say has little effect. Apart from murder, we have gunshots, assaults, drug abuse problems, etc. Not all are reflected in your statistics.
This is not a Hit and Run post. I am happy to provide an unbiased Q+A to anyone with any questions about my experience or looking for advice to move here. Part of the reason I made this post are for future people like myself who are looking for info on real Ithaca life, especially in any neighborhood lower that State Street.
Please - if you have some actual questions about my experience, please let me know and I will go to great lengths to provide a thoughtful, reasoned response.
Here's another piece of Ithaca safety. Pedestrian safety. You'd think Ithaca is this bastion of walkability right? Wrong. The people of Ithaca don't actually stop for pedestrians in crosswalks as they don't believe they have to.
Great post by someone who actually lived there. Its a refreshing change from the inundation of data from people who have never lived there.
Thank you! Like I said above, more than happy to provide Q+A from someone boots on the ground here rather than tangential evidence from other posters or someone who lived here many years ago.
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