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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.
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 broadleaf 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.
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 CollegeIthaca College is a private liberal arts college in Ithaca, New York, founded in 1892 as a music school, the Ithaca Conservatory of Music in downtown Ithaca. The school began a move from downtown Ithaca to Ithaca's South Hill area, south of Cayuga Lake, i, 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 orchestraAn orchestra is a musical ensemble used most often in classical music. A small orchestra is called a chamber orchestra''. Full size orchestras may sometimes be called "symphony orchestras" or "philharmonic orchestras"; these prefixes do not indicate any d, much parkland, a science museum for children, and a new paleontological museum. They continue to attempt to maintain a traditional downtown shopping area, a mix of a pedestrian mall (The Ithaca Commons) and a small, semi- successful mixed use complex built at the end of the urban renewal era (Center Ithaca). Also, there is Collegetown, a small commercial center adjacent to the Cornell campus. 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. Ithaca has many of the businesses characteristic of small American university towns, such as used bookstores, art house cinemas, craft stores, and vegetarian restaurants. One of the best-known eateries is the collective Moosewood RestaurantMoosewood Restaurant is an alternative/vegetarian restaurant that was founded in 1973 in downtown Ithaca, NY, a university town in upstate New York which is the location of Cornell University and Ithaca College, among others. It is located on the first fl. Founded in 1973, Moosewood was the wellspring for seminal vegetarian cookbooks and was instrumental in launching the vegetarian movement. Bon Appetit magazine put it among the thirteen most influential restaurants of the twentieth century.
The city is also home to one of the United States' first local currencyIn economics, a local currency is a currency not backed by a national government, and intended to trade only in a small area. Advocates such as Jane Jacobs argue that this enables an economically depressed region to pull itself up, by giving the people li systems, the Ithaca HoursIthaca Hours is a local currency in Ithaca, New York. It is credited as the first modern local currency and has inspired similar systems throughout the world. It is notable as one of three monetary reform measures named as viable alternatives to Bretton W, and has pioneered the Ithaca Health FundThe Ithaca Health Fund is a cooperative health insurance in Ithaca, NY. It was founded by local resident Paul Glover., a popular cooperative health insurance.
The dominant local newspaper in Ithaca is a morning daily, The Ithaca JournalIn 1912 the Ithaca Journal was purchased by Frank E. Gannett becoming the second local newspaper of what would later become Gannett Co, Inc. It continues to be locally edited and printed in downtown Ithaca. Some history of the Ithaca Journal s political l, 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.
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