Ithaca Ranked “Top College Town Where Recent Grads Should Stick Around”

With a strong startup scene, natural beauty, a smorgasbord of foodie restaurants, and a wealth of festivals and cultural events, Ithaca, New York is a prime location to set down roots for recent college grads. Realtor.com looked at the 700 largest markets around the country and ranked Ithaca #5 in the list of “Top College Towns Where Recent Grads Should Stick A­round.”

The article gives a shout out to the Rev:Ithaca Startup Works members who launched the online grocery app, Rosie, as well as the creators of Ursa Space Systems; both alumni from the Cornell eLab student accelerator program.

Adriana Condarco, the economic development specialist at CREA, told the website, “The traditional go-to locations after graduation are New York, Denver, and Boston, but here you have access to interesting and exciting companies that you might see elsewhere.”

With an environment harboring so many different startups and a wealth of resources to support entrepreneurs, Ithaca has become a go-to place for entrepreneurs to set up shop.

The Southern Tier Startup Alliance (STSA) is an alliance of business incubators working to support and promote entrepreneurship resources in the Southern Tier region of New York.  Jackie Meshako graduated from Ithaca College in 2015 and now works for the STSA as a project assistant.

“I studied entrepreneurship at school so staying in Ithaca was a perfect next adventure after school,” Meshako says. “Ithaca is very progressive and has tax incentives, mentor support, lab space, and networking to support startup founders and their teams.”

CREA employees like Evan Montgomery and Josh Fidanque are fresh from crossing the stage and receiving their diplomas. As a Film, Photography, and Visual Arts major from the Park School of Communication at Ithaca College, Montgomery is providing video and photography services to help startup members create engaging stories.

“It’s hard to explain all that these businesses are doing and I want to be able to complete those narratives,” he says. “Ithaca is a great place to start because it has shaped a lot of who I am as a person.”

Fidanque, a Marketing and Communications strategist at Rev says the learning experiences he gets in a small city are far more valuable than working in a more corporate atmosphere.

“I like helping startups because I can be really creative and create new paths to solve challenges. It’s also great to be surrounded by so many peers in the startup space—we are all rooting for each other, sharing advice, and celebrating each other’s wins.”

Although the winters can be a little long, Fidanque focuses on the positives: “Ithaca is gorges! Why would I want to be in a hot, muggy city when I could spend my post-grad summer in a beautiful place with stunning lake views like this?”

Read more from the Realtor.com article here. 

Featured Image Photo Credit: Brad Marzolf