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 upstate New York.
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2 The life of the city 3 Population and income figures 4 Local government 5 Transportation 6 Problems faced by the city 7 External links |
Cascadilla Creek, one the main gorges in Ithaca, in Winter
The valley in which Cayuga Lake is located is long and narrow, with a north-south orientation. Ithaca was founded on flat land just south of the lake, land that formed in fairly recent geological times when silt filled the southern end of the lake. The city ultimately spread to the adjacent hillsides, which rise several hundred feet above the central flats: East Hill, West Hill, and South Hill. Since the lake valley was deepened by glaciation during the last ice age, its sides are fairly steep, and a number of the streams that flow into the valley from east or west have cut deep gorges, usually with several waterfalls.
Ithaca experiences a moderate continental climate, with cold, snowy winters and sometimes hot and humid summers. The valley flatland has slightly milder weather in winter, and occasionally Ithacans experience simultaneous snow on the hills and rain in the valley.
The natural vegetation of the Ithaca area, seen in areas unbuilt and unfarmed, is northern temperate forest, dominated by deciduous trees. Among these, maples are particularly common. Steep hillsides seen from a distance resemble a curtain of green from late May through September, show bright fall colors in October, and are a display of gray trunks and branches, often with a white snowy background, from November through early May.
Cascadilla Creek, one of the main gorges in Ithaca, in Spring
The economy of Ithaca is based principally 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.
Tourism is based primarily on the natural scenery. Visitors come to see the gorges, three of which are located within the city limits and three others in nearby state parks. Tourists also enjoy Cayuga Lake, hiking trails, and visits to wineries in lakeside vineyards found north and west of the city.
Ithacans are noted for their strong sense of community, and support a robust farmer's market, a professional theater, a civic orchestra, much parkland, a science museum for children, and a new paleontological museum. They continue to attempt to maintain a traditional downtown shopping area, but the existing downtown has lost ground to two ever-expanding zones of commercial sprawl to the northeast and southwest of the old city.
The city is known for having a politically left-leaning population in an otherwise conservative region of New York State. Businesses characteristic of small American university towns, such as vegetarian restaurants, used bookstores, art house cinemas, and craft stores, are represented in Ithaca. The city is also home to one of the United States' first local currency systems, the Ithaca Hours, and has pioneered the Ithaca Health Fund, a popular cooperative health insurance.
The dominant local newspaper in Ithaca is a morning daily, The Ithaca Journal, founded 1815. The paper has long been owned by the nationwide Gannett company and is considered by some to be a generic product somewhat similar to Gannett's national paper USA Today. Other local print publications include the Ithaca Times and Positive News (US Edition).
There are also several Internet-based publications including a local email newsletter called the Ithaca Community News. Many local residents subscribe to out-of-town papers as well, such as newspapers from Syracuse or the New York Times.
Population: 28,775
The term "Ithaca" actually designates two legal entities in the area. The Town of Ithaca is one of the nine towns that comprise Tompkins County. Within the Town is the City of Ithaca as well as a neighboring suburb, the Village of Cayuga Heights. Other non-municipal areas within the Town of Ithaca identified by the US Census Bureau are:
Ithaca is in a somewhat remote location about 250 miles to the northwest of New York City; the nearest larger cities, Binghamton and Syracuse, are an hour's drive away by car.
Ithaca is served by Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, which provides daily service to the major cities of the US Northeast with a mixture of propeller craft and small jets.
Ithaca lies at least a half hour's drive from any interstate highway, and all car trips to Ithaca involve at least some driving on two-lane rural roads. There is no passenger rail transportation, but bus service, particularly to New York City, is frequent.
Although Ithaca is considered by many to be a very desirable place to live, it also faces some problems. The streets, particularly the main highway NY 13, are often clogged with traffic, despite the existence of a highly developed public transit system. The local grocery stores, formerly located in residential neighborhoods, have mostly lost out to much larger stores in the commercial strips, which has made it difficult for Ithacans without cars to shop for food, and has also exacerbated the traffic problems.
The beauty of the local scenery is threatened by development. This includes the new commercial areas, whose buildings were evidently designed solely with low cost in mind and are surrounded by huge parking lots, as well as the large new houses built in nearby rural areas by wealthier Ithacans.
For decades, the Ithaca Gun Company dumped heavy metals near Fall Creek, which is one of the gorge-filling streams that flows into Cayuga Lake. The ecologically devastating impact of this activity on the lake will be seen for generations. The EPA began a major clean-up project sponsored by the United States Superfund in 2002.Setting
The life of the city
Population and income figures
Total Households: 10,287
Median Household Income: 21,441
Median Family Income: 42,304
These are current as of May 2004 from the City of Ithaca GIS page.Local government
Transportation
Problems faced by the city