Ithaca, New York is a small, vibrant college town situated on the southern end of 38-mile long Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of central New York State. Ithaca is home to a wide array of bookstores, shops, restaurants, and cultural activities (even professional opera and ballet companies), with nearby wineries, state parks, farms, and forests throughout Tompkins County. Learn more by visiting our Life at Cornell and Getting Involved pages.

Here's what some Cornellians have to say about the place:

"The natural resources of the Fingers Lakes are beautiful!"

"Ithaca is more rural than anything I'm used to. You'll soon grow accustomed to it. On the flip side, the quality of student life at Cornell is great partly due to our location. Because Cornell is in a more rural area, the focus of both the students and the surrounding community is on Cornell. Students don't go off and get lost in the city for the weekend - they stick around and do things at Cornell. People are here because they want to be here."

"Ithaca is a beautiful place, and Cornell is probably one of the only schools you can go to and walk over a gorge 100 feet deep every day. We've got waterfalls, beautiful fall foliage, and state parks. Also, there is so much to do here in Ithaca and on campus that you forget that you're in upstate New York. Ithaca has everything that a city should have (movies, mall, restaurants), and there are more than enough activities happening on campus to keep you happily occupied."