Ithaca named one of the best college towns in America

This 2015 photo shows Samuel Curtis Johnson Hall, School of Management, on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. (Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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Central New York is home to one of the best college towns in America, according to a new report.

Ithaca, N.Y., ranked No. 8 in the nation among “Best Small College Cities” in WalletHub’s 2023 list of the Best & Worst College Towns & Cities in America. Ithaca, home to Cornell University and Ithaca College, was also named 19th overall among all sizes of U.S. cities with a university or college population of at least 7,500 students.

Ithaca has previously been recognized as the nation’s best college town by Business Insider, and Cornell University frequently ranks among U.S. News & World Report’s top 20 best colleges in the country. WalletHub’s analysis found Ithaca had one of the highest shares of rental units and one of the best social environments, including factors like college students per capita, the number of breweries, and city accessibility.

WalletHub, a financial website, compared more than 400 U.S. cities based on 32 key factors, including academic, social and economic growth potential. Data included costs of living, quality of education, crime rates, job availability, student loan debt, nightlife options and the presence of NCAA Division I sports teams.

The results were then grouped into large, midsize and small cities, as well as overall rankings. According to the methodology, large “cities” (which include cities and towns for simplicity) were considered those with more than 300,000 people; midsize cities have 125,000 to 300,000 people; and small cities have fewer than 125,000.

Austin, Texas, ranked in the top spot nationally and among large college cities, followed by Ann Arbor, Michigan, at No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 1 among small college cities. Three cities in Florida — Orlando, Gainesville and Tampa — rounded out the overall top five.

Other Upstate New York cities that made WalletHub’s list of the best college towns and cities include Buffalo (No. 51 overall, No. 17 among midsize college cities); Troy (No. 57 overall, No. 25 among small college cities); Rochester (No. 91 overall, No. 27 among midsize college cities); Albany (No. 105 overall, No. 43 among small college cities); and Syracuse (No. 181 overall, No. 58 among midsize college cities). New York City ranked 387th in the nation and last among large size cities.

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