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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I grew up  there, went to grad school there, and then continued to live in other nearby areas of Upstate NY for a while afterwards.  Now I live in DC.

Public Schools - All the elementary schools are really quite good, but in different ways.  Cayuga Heights Elementary is the "rich kid" school and has a lot of Cornell faculty kids.  Fall Creek is down the Hill and also has a lot of Cornell faculty kids, but also some grad student kids and other kids of families in some way (past or present) associated with Cornell.  The elementary schools on the south side of town are more associated with Ithaca College faculty and also very good.  Beverly J Martin Elementary is in "downtown" Ithaca, and if Ithaca were to have a "poor kids" school, that would be the one, but it is still a great school.  The elementaries on the west side of town are probably a little less well regarded, because historically they have attracted less of the faculty children, but still great schools.  They also tend to pick up more of the rural side of town, and are more white.

There are two middle schools - Boynton and Dewitt.  Both are great.  One major high school - Ithaca High.  I got a great education there.  There is also the Alternative High School which is also public, but you have to get on the waiting list.  It is a very progressive place with a very different approach to education, which may work for you.  Read up on it.

Private schools - there are a couple small private schools in town like Montessori, but really not many.  The Catholic school closed down a few years ago after decades of declining enrollment. People use the public schools.

Diversity - Growing up there I met kids very every corner of the globe because their families were in town for one reason or another associated with the universities.  Now a lot of those kids were only there for a 1-3 years while their parents did sabbaticals or grad school, but others were from families of permanent faculty/staff.  Not all of them were wealthy, but not dirt poor either.  There are a couple areas of low-income/subsidized housing downtown off rt 13, that house what most people would consider poor families.

Culture - Super liberal.  In the 1980s we had a Socialist mayor.  Republicans just don't generally make it into office, and while I am a liberal person, I do think Ithaca could be helped by having some different perspectives in the mix.  The areas outside of Ithaca are more conservative the further you get from Ithaca.  There are a lot of people associated with the universities that live in the immediate surrounding towns to have more of that rural or hobby farming kind of life - Trumansburg, Caroline, and Dryden come to mind.

Lifestyle - Great!  Its a small town but has lots of restaurants and other amenities.  The geography is really GORGES.  Cayuga Lake offers so many opportunities.

Weather - the gray winters are real and  long.  It is fine if you get out in it and do outdoor sports or other recreation.  Don't huddle in your house.  Summer and Fall are amazing.

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Very helpful post.[/quote]

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