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Ithaca, NY sits at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes, a hilly small city defined by gorges, waterfalls, and a heavy student population. Cornell University crowns East Hill and gives the city its intellectual gravity, and students are a defining part of daily life. The line that Ithaca is gorges earns it: over a hundred waterfalls sit within a short radius, with gorge trails between downtown and campus. Downtown centers on the pedestrian-only Ithaca Commons, while Collegetown buzzes with student energy. Public green space runs from Cornell Botanic Gardens to state parks like Taughannock Falls, and the Ithaca Festival in June fills the streets with music. For a walkable, outdoorsy college city with natural drama, Ithaca is hard to beat.
The most convenient district, packed with student apartments a couple of minutes from Cornell, lively and loud on weekends.
West of campus at the base of East Hill, this area draws students who want a leafy city-neighborhood feel and frequent bus service.
Just northeast of Collegetown, it borders Cornell directly and offers good transit with a calmer vibe.
Here's what you need to know about getting around Ithaca.
Ithaca's bus system is excellent, with TCAT serving most of the county. Cornell students get a transit pass tied to their ID, so hopping a bus to campus or downtown is easy. Bus service connects Collegetown, downtown, and outlying neighborhoods, and many students skip a car entirely thanks to TCAT.
Walkability is strong in dense areas like Collegetown and around the Ithaca Commons. From Collegetown you reach campus in a couple of minutes, while Fall Creek and downtown are a manageable walk. The city is built on hills, so the East Hill climb to Cornell is a real workout, and biking is popular but the hills and winters make it seasonal.
Parking near campus can be tight, so plan ahead if you bring a car. A car is most useful for the bigger Finger Lakes parks and regional errands rather than daily commuting. Many students manage without one given how well TCAT covers the area.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
Ithaca runs pricier than most upstate towns. Recent averages land around $1,840 for a one-bedroom and $2,112 for a two-bedroom, so splitting a multi-bedroom in Collegetown or Fall Creek brings the per-person figure down meaningfully. Expect Collegetown to sit at the higher end given its proximity to Cornell.
Browse student housing near each Ithaca-area university.