Tompkins County offers the invigorating richness of four full seasons and a lifestyle that is culturally rich, engagingly diverse, and refreshingly laid back. Vibrant commerce that keeps unemployment below three percent!
Education is our largest industry, with three very different and highly respected institutions of higher learning - Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Tompkins Cortland Community College - the community is filled with respected researchers, writers, inventors, artists and teachers.
Location - Ithaca and Tompkins County are located in the central Finger Lakes Region of New York State. 5 hours from NYC,3 hours from Niagara Falls, 2 hours from Rochester, 4.5 hours from Philadelphia.
The Finger Lakes Region of New York is made up of 14 counties which occupy 9,000 square miles of the state. (Tompkins County measures 476 square miles.) Ithaca sits at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake, the longest of the 11 Finger Lakes. Home to Cornell University and Ithaca College, Ithaca and Tompkins County exemplify the small-town atmosphere while showcasing the qualities of a larger metropolitan city through its abundance of top-quality restaurants, theatre, arts, shopping and cultural activities.
Ithaca is host to over 150 waterfalls, all of which lie within a 10-mile radius of downtown.
Tompkins County is home to 3 gorge parks. (There are only 6 within the entire state of New York.)
Taughannock Falls is 215 feet high, a greater vertical drop than Niagara Falls.
An avid boater can sail from the open ocean through the locks of the New York State Erie Canal, down Cayuga Lake to Ithaca.
The Sagan Planet Walk, built to honor the memory of Ithaca resident and Cornell University astronomer Carl Sagan, is a true-to-scale model of our solar system. It is one of the only walkable "planet walks" in the world. The Sciencenter, Ithaca's hands-on museum and outdoor science playground, is the sponsor of the Sagan Planet Walk, and is one of eight museums involved in the partnership of educational attractions called the DISCOVERY TRAIL. Some others include the Museum of the Earth and Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology.
Ithaca offers more restaurants per capita than New York City.
The famous Moosewood Restaurant is located in Ithaca, and two of its famous cookbooks that present recipes for scrumptious vegetarian meals have won James Beard Awards in the healthy focus, and vegetarian categories.
The September/October 2003 issue of Organic Style magazine voted Ithaca the "Best Healthy City in the Northeast."
The downtown Ithaca Commons was named one of the New York's top design projects of the century by the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
With over 128 different species of fish in the Finger Lakes region, it is not surprising to see that Cayuga Lake was selected one of the top 10 bass-fishing lakes by Sports Afield magazine.
Ithaca was known as "The Film Capital," because from 1910-1920 silent movies such as The Perils of Pauline, were produced at Wharton Studios in Stewart Park.
Ithaca Hours, our local paper currency, has been featured in over 400 media venues nationally and abroad. The currency exchange has set standards worldwide and brings important visitors to Ithaca, such as Madame Mitterrand (former first lady of France) and community development specialists from every continent.
Ithaca was designated "America's Most Enlightened City" by the Utne Reader in 1997.
Ithaca was just voted one of the "12 Great Places You’ve Never Heard Of " by Mother Earth News. 9-1-2006
UPDATE:
Ithaca Accolades - Recent “Top 10” Listings
"25 Terrific Places to Bring up a Family," Mothering Magazine, July/ August 2001.
"Best Fly Fishing Through North America, Fish and Fly Magazine, winter 2001.
"60 Best American Public Places," Utne Reader, January 2002.
"American Values-Where to Buy a Retirement Home," Smart Money Magazine, February 2002.
"100 Great Escapes: Top 10 Trips," Travel & Leisure Magazine, March/April 2002.
"Best Places to Vacation," Money Magazine, April 2002.
"America's 5 Best Mountain Biking Towns" Bike Magazine, June 2002.
"Best Lesbian Places to Live-The Ten Lesbian Friendliest Cities in the USA," Girlfriends Magazine, November 2002.
“Best Healthy City in the Northeast,” Organic Style Magazine, September / October 2003
"An artist-friendly alternative to New York and Los Angeles," By Susan M. Brackney in her book, “The No-so-Lost Soul Companion,”. Oct. 2002
"Number 1 Emerging City," in the book “Cities Ranked and Rated” by Bert Sperling and Peter Sander, 2004
"12 Great Places to Retire", Kiplingers Personal Finance, March 2005, by Pat Mertz Esswein, Mary Beth Franklin and Magali Rheault
Ranked eighth in "50 Smart Places to Live", Kiplingers Personal Finance, June 2006, by Sean O'Neill
Number 1 City for Knowledge Workers, “College Towns Are at the Heart of the Knowledge Sector Economy”, Expansion Management magazine, March/April 2006, by Bill King and Michael Keating
Ithaca ranked 17 nationwide among the “Best Places for Business and Careers,” Forbes magazine, April 2006
Ithaca ranked among the “12 Hippest Hometowns for Vegetarians,” VegNews magazine, July/Aug. 2006
Ithaca ranked first in “12 Great Places You’ve Never Heard Of,” Mother Earth News magazine, July/Aug. 2006
# Ithaca ranked second in “Best Green Places to Live,” by Country Home magazine, April 2007.
Relocate-America's™ Top 100 in 2007 - Ithaca, NY
Ithaca, NY in the national news again!