Ithaca is located at the southern end of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. It is the county seat of Tompkins County, which is home to Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Tompkins-Cortland Community College. The area is wonderfully scenic, with rolling forested hills, deep lakes, and glacier-carved gorges alive with waterfalls. Much of the county is rural, dotted with hamlets and working farms.

Ithaca's demographics are skewed toward a young median age, although we are becoming a retirement destination, as well. Our county's 100,000-plus population possesses a higher-than-average education level. Our community members come from diverse backgrounds; a look around any of our many restaurants or theaters shows a variety of kinds and colors of faces. The Ithaca area is economically stable and growing.

We tend as a community to be involved in public decision-making. We are compassionate, caring, and socially progressive, and we address equity issues in many public forums. A variety of cultural and recreational options, from concerts to fishing on the lake, add to our diversity. Many points of view, coupled with a generous amount of civic capital, make Ithaca a vibrant place to live.

The weather? We try not to talk about that.