[Ex-Ithacan]

^ckh,
Collegetown was still dominated by students while I was growing up there (the 50's & 60'S). But there were a lot more permanent residents there. Many of the smaller apartment buildings had year round owners living on the first floor (my family for instance), and there was a more diverse selection of retail options. As now there were tons of bars (actually probably more back then) and restaurants, but there were also barber shops, a sporting goods store, more food markets, clothing stores, and other shops providing goods and services found in many urban neighborhoods or small towns. We even had an elementary school a couple of blocks from my building. A couple of blocks further south was a hospital. Now both the hospital and school have been converted to student housing.
There are still some year round residents, but all the families I knew have moved on. I do believe it was a great place to live and grow up. As a kid I got to meet people from all over the world, and learned about other cultures and such. Of course I'm looking back with mostly fond memories and probably forgetting some of the less enjoyable issue which may have occurred.