Awards & Mentions
The Luxury Travel Guide Awards represent the pinnacle of hospitality achievement, championing the best in their respective fields. Ithaca is honored to be recognized as The United State's Top Emerging Nature Destination in 2017!
Ithaca is the Best of...
Ithaca listed as a Favorite Family Road Trip Destination, Carrentals.com April 2018
Ithaca's Firelight Camps among "10 luxury glamping resorts that "up-the-ante" on style & comfort," Jetsetter.com March 2018
Ithaca named a 2018 Featured Destination "Enjoy the Serenity of Nature & A Cool City Vibe," DaitingAdvice.com
Ithaca named Top 100 Best Places to Live, Livability.com March 2018
Ithaca among Top 50 Most Underrated Cities to Visit in the US, Thrillist Travel February 2018
Ithaca's Firelight Camps named Best Yoga Retreat in New York by Shape, December 2017
Ithaca Beer Company’s flagship Flower Power IPA as one of The 25 Most Important Craft Beers Ever Brewed by Food & Wine Magazine, January 2017
Experience the Finger Lakes Tours in Ithaca ranked in TripAdvisor’s Top Wine Tours in the U.S., TripAdvisor 2016
Cornell University and Ithaca College ranked in Top 30 List of LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges & Universities by Campus Pride Index, August 2016
Ithaca is ranked the #2 Best Small College Town by USA Today, April 2016
Men's Journal names Ithaca one of ten Best Places to Live, March 2016
Ithaca named Coffee Capital of New York State, January 2016
Ithaca Farmers Market as one of 10 of America’s Best Farmers Markets by Travel + Leisure, September 2015
Ithaca named Healthiest City in New York State by 24/7 Wall Street, September 2015
Ithaca ranked among the 20 Best College Towns in America, April 2015
Ithaca named among Best Small Cities for Young Single Women, March 2015
Robert H. Treman State Park named Best Swimming Spot in New York State, March 2015
10 Cheapest Urban Cities for TwentySomethings, February 2015
Ithaca named 9th Most Exciting College Towns by MSN Real Estate, May 2014
The Finger Lakes is ranked the #8 must-visit spot on the "Wine Tours of the World" feature from ABC News, April 2014
Tompkins County is named the #2 "Healthiest County in New York" by CountyHealthRankings.org, April 2014
Ithaca named the #10 Best New York Art Spots that Aren't in NYC by the Huffington Post, March 2014
Tompkins County named a top producer of Notable Baby-Boomers by The New York Times, March 2014
Ithaca named one of "America's Most Romantic Towns" by Travel + Leisure, January 2014
Ithaca named #1 Best College Town by The 2013-2014 AIER College Destinations Index, November 2013
Ithaca ranked #3 "10 Secretly Amazing Cities for Wine Lovers" - MSN Real Estate online, October, 2013
Ithaca Ranked #1 "Top 10 Cities You Want to Walk to Work" by MSN Real Estate online, September 2013
Finger Lakes Region in "America's Top 10 Lakes to Visit this Fall" - The Daily Beast online - Conde Nast Traveler, September 2013
Ithaca named in "Top 25 Youngest Best Places to Live - America's Best Small Towns" - CNN Money, August 2013
Cornell University ranks #5 "Ten Coolest Schools" - Sierra Magazine, August 2013
Ithaca College Among Nation's Best; Ranks Radio #1 & Theater #7 - Princeton Review, August 2013 (link to The Ithacan)
Ithaca ranks #4 for "10 Most Livable Cities" - MSN Real Estate News, August 2013
Ithaca Farmers Markets Ranks #4 in "8 Must-Visit Farmers Markets Around the U.S." - Zagat.com, July 2013
Ithaca ranked #8 - "10 Great Places to Live" by Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, July 2013
Ithaca ranked #3 of US Cities for Work-Life Balance by NerdWallet.com, July 2013
Ithaca named #1 Smartest City in America by VentureBeat online, June 2013 (based on study by Luminosity)
Ithaca named #1 best college town in America - "Top 10 Best College Towns in America" by Business Insider, January 2013
Ithaca named "Most Secure Place to Live" for municipality with less than 150k residents by Farmers Insurance Group, October 2012
Ithaca ranked "#1 College Destination" by American Institute for Economic Research, October 2012
Cornell ranked #5 in the "Top 25 Colleges for Outside Readers" from Outside Magazine, August 2012
Ithaca ranked #5 in "The 10-Best Cities for Millennials," by Moving.com and 24/7WallSt.com, July 2012
Ithaca ranked #1 for “Prime Workforce Growth” among 365 metro statistical areas, Area Development Magazine, June 2012
Ithaca ranked 3rd best city for “Finding Employment Right Now,” Forbes, May, 2012
Cayuga Scenic Byway ranked “Top 10 All American Road Trip” by Yahoo Travel, May, 2012
Ithaca ranked Top 10 in “Great Quirky Places to Retire,” AARP Magazine, April 2012
Ithaca/Tompkins County ranked a “Top 10 Small to Mid-sized Fourth Economy Community” by Fourth Economy Consulting, April 2012
Ithaca ranked a top-seven retirement town in “Retire Here, Not There,” Smart Money, Nov. 2011
Ithaca ranked one of the “10 Best Places to Retire 2012” by US News & World Report, Oct. 2011
Ithaca ranked one of 19 “Perfect Towns” by Outside magazine, Oct. 2011
Cornell ranked #19 in “100 Best Companies” by Working Mother magazine, Oct. 2011
Cornell ranked second in “Best Employers for Workers over 50” by AARP, Sept., 2011
Ithaca ranked #9 on AARP's list of "10 Affordable Cities for Retirement." AARP Magazine Sept-Oct, 2011
Top Ithaca once again ranked in "Top 100 Places to Live" by RelocateAmerica.com, June, ‘11
Ithaca ranked top-10 city for "Carless Retirement" by US News & World Report, online, March 2011
Ithaca ranked #6 in "America's Foodiest Towns," (pop under 250,000) by Bon Appétit magazine, Sept. '10
Ithaca ranked #1 "Best College Town" (under 250,000 pop.) by American Institute for Economic Research, Sept. ‘10
Ithaca ranked #7 in "America's Brainiest Metros", The Daily Beast, online, August, ‘10
Ithaca ranked #1 among 350 U.S metro areas as the best place for recent college grads, The Daily Beast, online, June, ‘10
Ithaca ranked in top-100 places to live, top-10 recreation cities and top-10 small towns by RelocateAmerica.com, April, ‘10
Ithaca listed a "Top Retirement City for Wine Lovers," US News & World Report online, May 2009
Ithaca ranked third (again, see Dec. 07) in Farmers Insurance study, "Most Secure Places to Live - Small Towns," May 2009
Ithaca ranked in top-100 American cities by RelocateAmerica.com, April 2009
Ithaca ranked a top-10 city for job-seeking retirees, US News, Jan. 22, 2009
Ithaca ranked #1 "Best Middle Class Housing Markets" by Forbes.com, Dec. 4, 2008
Ithaca's Gimme! Coffee ranked #2 in "9 Great Coffees," by Saveur magazine, issue 114, Oct. 2008
Cornell University named #1 employer for people over 50 by AARP Magazine, Sept. 2008
Ithaca's Gimme! Coffee ranked best coffee bar by Food & Wine magazine, Sept. 2008
Ithaca ranked #1 "green commuter" city by AARP Magazine, Sept. 2008
Ithaca Beer named New York's #1 craft brewer at the annual Tap NY Festival, Aug. 2008
Ithaca ranked #6 in "The 20 Best Towns in America" by Outside magazine, Aug. 2008
Ithaca's EcoVillage selected as a top-8 "Ecotopia" by Forbes magazine, April 2008
Ithaca chosen as a top-10 global travel destination by Gore-Tex and the Adventure Travel Trade Association, April 2008
Ithaca ranked 2nd in Smart Money magazine's "7 Best Places to Retire in an Economic Downturn," Feb. 2008
Ithaca ranked third among "America's Smartest Cities," by Forbes Magazine, Feb. 2008
Ithaca schools ranked 2nd nationwide among metro areas under 500,000 by Expansion Management Magazine, Dec. 2007
Ithaca ranked third in Farmers Insurance study, "Most Secure Places to Live - Small Towns,": Dec. 2007
Ithaca ranked third in Relocate America's "Top 100 Places to Live in 2007," Relocate-America.com, April 2007
Ithaca ranked second in "Best Green Places to Live," by Country Home magazine, April 2007
Ithaca listed as one of the 10 "Best Places to Live" for gays and lesbians by The Advocate, March 27, 2007. The Advocate is the nation's leading LGBT publication
Ithaca ranked first in "12 Great Places You've Never Heard Of," Mother Earth News magazine, July/Aug. 2006
Ithaca ranked among the "12 Hippest Hometowns for Vegetarians," VegNews magazine, July/Aug. 2006
Ranked eighth in "50 Smart Places to Live", Kiplinger's Personal Finance, June 2006
Ithaca ranked 17 nationwide among the "Best Places for Business and Careers," Forbes magazine, April 2006
Ithaca ranked fourth in Relocate America's "Top 100 Places to Live in 2006," April, 2006. Relocate-America.com
Number-One City for Knowledge Workers, "College Towns Are at the Heart of the Knowledge Sector Economy," Expansion Management magazine, March/April 2006
"12 Great Places to Retire", Kiplinger's Personal Finance, March 2005
"Number-One Emerging City," in the book "Cities Ranked and Rated" by Bert Sperling and Peter Sander, 2004
"Best healthy city in the Northeast," Organic Style Magazine, September / October 2003
Ithaca Ranks 14 in Outside Magazine's "40 Best College Towns," September 2003
"Best Lesbian Places to Live - The Ten Lesbian-Friendliest Cities in the USA," Girlfriends Magazine, November 2002
"America's Five Best Mountain Biking Towns" Bike Magazine, June 2002
"Best Places to Vacation," Money Magazine, April 2002
"100 Great Escapes: Top-10 Trips," Travel & Leisure Magazine, March/April 2002
"American Values - Where to Buy a Retirement Home," Smart Money Magazine, Feb. 2002
The Ithaca Farmers Market named one of the "60 Best American Public Places," Utne Reader, January 2002
"Best Fly Fishing Through North America, Fish and Fly Magazine, winter 2001
"25 Terrific Places to Bring up a Family," Mothering Magazine, July/ August 2001
"America's Most Enlightened City," Utne Reader, May 1997
