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Cornell University
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Cornell University - Local Atmosphere - Local Atmosphere - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.08

Local Atmosphere

B-
Where does this grade come from?View all Local Atmosphere rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Local Atmosphere Grades:

Quick Stats

Fun Local Trivia
  1. Ithaca offers more restaurants per capita than New York City.
  2. An alternative currency called Ithaca Hours was founded in 1991 by Paul Glover. Ithaca Hours are honored locally by more than 400 businesses.
  3. 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.
  4. Cayuga Lake splits the upper half of Tompkins County in two. The lake stretches about 40 miles northward from Ithaca, is the longest of the Finger Lakes, and is one of the deepest lakes in the eastern United States at 435 feet.
  5. Newfield Covered Bridge was erected in 1853 to protect those crossing the Cayuga Inlet Creek in Newfield. It is still standing and is the only covered bridge in the Finger Lakes District.
Notable Natives
  • Gillian Anderson
  • John Lithgow
  • Gavin MacLeod
  • Christopher Reeve
  • Carl Sagan
  • Rod Serling
  • David Foster Wallace
  • Paul Wolfowitz
Local Slang
  • Beast: Refers to the beer Milwaukee's Best, which you'll find in kegs at most fraternity parties
  • Full Suicide: The Full Sui, found only at Hot Truck, comes on a half loaf of garlic bread. It is built by layering tomato sauce, mushrooms, sausage, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese. Finally, it is baked to perfection. What a sandwich!
  • IC: Ithaca College, sometimes called IK
  • Ithacating: The perpetual mist, similar to a light drizzle, which is unique to Ithaca
  • Libe Slope: The hill that leads from west campus to the libraries and the quad of the College of Arts and Sciences is fondly called Libe Slope. The length of Libe Slope at the longest section is 480 feet, and the steepest angle is approximately 18.8 percent.
  • Nasties: Name given to Bear Necessities, a convenience store/dining hot spot located in Robert Purcell Community Center on North Campus.
  • Prelims: Short for "preliminaries"; some classes, rather than having a midterm and a final, will have 1-3 prelims spaced throughout the semester, as well as a final.
Points of Interest
  • Buttermilk Falls
  • Cayuga Lake
  • The Gorges
  • Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Fine Art
  • R. H. Treman Park
  • Taughannock Park
  • Wineries

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

It’s no secret that Ithaca is not an urban environment. Those used to large cities may find Ithaca’s activities to be limited. However, the town is actually quite dynamic, with beautiful outdoor scenery allowing for fun recreational activities, local festivals, lots of restaurants/shops, and a vibrant activist community.

The Cornell campus itself is teeming with activities, as is Collegetown, adjacent to the campus—you never have to leave Cornell to find something to do, but there’s plenty of activity in Ithaca if you look for it. Activities range from athletic, like salsa-dancing, to academic, like any one of the many distinguished speakers who lecture on campus. For those who crave an urban setting, New York City, Philadelphia, and Montreal are all within reasonable driving distance. It’s no secret, though, that Ithaca’s weather, like much of the Northeast, is often gray, cold, and dreary. Still, the campus’s beauty is unparalleled in the spring and summer.
 

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Cornell Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Local Atmosphere at Cornell University

amc427

Human Development '15

2.3
C

Nothing Much Outside the Campus

Great for hippy people, but the small,isolated atmosphere probably isn't a great fit for city people such as myself. Beautiful, with lots of lakes, gorges (which I had never even heard of before coming to Cornell) and hills make it pretty aesthetically pleasing. Collegetown is a joke, nothing to do there unless you're into the bar scene and even then those are closing down left and right. Great pita place there though. All in all, beautiful but boring.

Apr 22, 2012

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Local Atmosphere at Cornell University

kappy99

Information Technology '13

3.8
B+

Laid Back

Pretty low key, quiet, not much happening, shopping is OK if you have a car.

Apr 18, 2012

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Local Atmosphere at Cornell University

hottbingo

Computer Engineering '14

3.5
B

Stay on Campus

There is a lot to do on campus, but not much going on in the surrounding area.

Jan 08, 2012

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Page 1 of 9
User rating for Cornell University - Local Atmosphere is 3.5 out of 5 based on 27 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the local atmosphere on the following topics

What is the local atmosphere like at your school?

What is the proximity to other universities? Is there much interaction?

Can you see yourself living here after graduation?

Facts

Shopping Centers
  • Carousel Mall (Syracuse)
  • Ithaca Commons
  • The Shops at Ithaca Mall
Major Sports Teams None:
City Web Sites
Distances to Nearest Major Cities
  • New York City: NY: 4 hours, 30 minutes
  • Philadelphia: PA: 5 hours
Did You Know?
  • There are large, beautiful gorges all over Ithaca, including on Cornell's campus. Almost everyone seems to own a shirt that says, "Ithaca is Gorges," or some variation there of.
  • The Ithaca Friends of the Library used book sale is the third largest in the country. On the last day of the sale, you can buy a bag of books for $1! The fall sale is for two weeksin October.

Movie TheatersWhat's This?

Cinemapolis
171 E. State St.
Ithaca
(607) 277-6115

Cornell Cinema
101 Willard Straight Hall
Cornell campus
(607) 255-3522

Fall Creek Pictures
1201 N. Tioga St.
Ithaca
(607) 272-1256

Hoyts Cinema
2251 N. Triphammer Rd.
Ithaca
(607) 266-0717

Regal Cinemas at The Shops at Ithaca Mall
40 Catherwood Rd.
Ithaca
(607) 266-7960

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Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Mandy Kain and Radhika Arora
Hometown
Hewlett, N.Y., and Ithaca, N.Y.

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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