Ithaca sits at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake, carved into the landscape by the gorges that define the region. It's one of the most beautiful college towns in America -- and one of the most logistically difficult to move out of. Cornell's campus perches on East Hill, 400 feet above downtown. Ithaca College sits on South Hill. Both campuses are connected to town by steep roads that turn slippery every spring when late-season rain and snowmelt hit. Moving a futon down from Collegetown to a storage facility on the flats is not a casual afternoon task.

Storage Scholars eliminates the hill problem entirely. We pick up your belongings directly from your dorm room or off-campus apartment -- whether you're at the top of East Hill or halfway up South Hill -- store everything in a climate-controlled facility, and deliver it when you return. No renting a truck and navigating the switchbacks on Buffalo Street. No convincing a friend with a car to make three trips up and down the hill. No leaving your stuff in an apartment over summer while Ithaca's freeze-thaw cycles and summer humidity do their damage.

Ithaca's weather is unforgiving. Winters bring heavy snow and sub-zero wind chills. Springs are wet and unpredictable. Summers swing between humid 80-degree days and cool nights. This constant cycling between extremes is hard on stored belongings -- wood warps, metals corrode, fabrics develop mildew. A non-climate-controlled storage unit in the Ithaca area subjects your stuff to these swings from May through August.

Storage Scholars provides fully climate-controlled storage that holds steady regardless of what Ithaca's weather decides to do. Our team coordinates with both Cornell's and Ithaca College's move-out calendars, arrives at your room with packing supplies, and transports everything to a regulated facility. Your furniture, electronics, and personal items stay protected while you're gone.

Ithaca is remote. There's no easy way to say it -- the closest major city is Syracuse, an hour north. New York City is a 4.5-hour drive. Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington DC are all five hours or more. If you're an incoming Cornell or Ithaca College student moving from out of state, driving to Ithaca with a loaded car through winding upstate New York roads is a significant undertaking. Our ship-to-school service lets you pack and ship your belongings ahead of time. We receive them at our Ithaca facility and deliver directly to your dorm room on move-in day. You arrive in Ithaca without a car full of boxes.

Moving between housing in Ithaca means navigating steep grades, narrow streets, and limited parking. Collegetown -- the dense neighborhood adjacent to Cornell's campus -- has buildings stacked up hillsides with minimal loading space. If you're moving from a dorm on North Campus to an apartment in Collegetown, or from Ithaca College's Terraces to a house on South Aurora Street, the terrain alone makes it physically demanding. Our team handles the route, the elevation, and the logistics of getting your belongings from point A to point B without you breaking a sweat or an axle.