Ithaca sits along the southern bans of Cayuga Lake in Central New York. It’s home to two major universities: Cornell University and Ithaca College, each of which lend to the town’s distinctly collegiate atmosphere. In fact, students are so involved in city life that in 2011 a Cornell undergrad was elected mayor! Despite being young at heart, the city is old in its bones. Late nineteenth century architecture dominates in most neighborhoods and downtown. Some attractions in Ithaca include the vegetarian friendly Moosewood Restaurant, dubbed one of the most influential restaurants of the 20^th century by Bon Appetit magazine. There’s also the Ithaca Farmers Market, a co-op featuring 150 vendors, all of whom live less than 30 miles from the city. Annual festivals such as The Apple Festival, the Chili Fest, the Finger Lakes International Boat Festival, the Porchfest concert series, and the Ithaca Brew Fest keep things fresh and fun year round.

Collegetown is a neighborhood built around Cascadilla Creek and Cornell University. Aside from the historic university, the area is defined by its bustling commercial district which spans College Avenue, Dryden Road, and Stewart Avenue. 

Fall Creek is a historic neighborhood near University Hill that’s speckled here and there with collegiate housing. The neighborhood is filled with grandiose architecture, and often with houses that have been subdivided. The quaint, family-friendly style of this neighborhood comes through in the annual PorchFest Summer Concert event, held annually along its streets.

Downtown has undergone a total renovation in recent years, completed in 2014. The pedestrian friendly area is marked by second-level apartments over storefronts and restaurants, as well as newly constructed apartment buildings convenient to campus and typically affordable to rent.

West Hill has less of the old fashioned architecture and more purpose built apartment complexes than most areas of the city. Rent prices here are often lower than in most other parts of the city. 

South Hill is home to Ithaca College and boasts tree lined streets and comparatively small homes, often subdivided into leasable units. Belle Sherman neighborhood is the closest to a suburb feeling inside city limits, and offers extensive apartment housing options to students who don’t mind a short commute to shopping and amenities.