Brooktondale Trestle, 1875
Brooktondale’s story
100 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 5 maps from 1900 on.
- 1926Brooktondale is settled
BrooktondaleNY
The town was settled in 1926 and has 327 residents today.
Photo: seabamirum · CC BY 2.0
Is Brooktondale a good place to live?
24% of residents live below the poverty line in Brooktondale, above both the New York town median (9.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Brooktondale has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
327 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Brooktondale: who provides what
Brooktondale is unincorporated, so Tompkins County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNew York State Elec & Gas22.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet3 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesTompkins CountyTompkins County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTompkins County Board of ElectionsTompkins County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2026
ZIP code1481714817 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Brooktondale.
Work & commute
In Brooktondale, the average trip to work runs shorter than in the typical New York or U.S. town
The top destinations are Ithaca (31%), Ithaca (13%) and New York (7%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 9 miles.
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Brooktondale0%
Ithaca31%
Ithaca13%
New York7%
Lansing7%
9 mi
median commute distance
11
jobs based in Brooktondale
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2024 · ACS
Natural hazards
Brooktondale faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 78% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Brooktondale, 90% come from inland flooding.
78risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Who lives here
More children than New York overall
Children under 18 are a third of residents (21% statewide); people 65 and older are 8% of residents (18% statewide). Brooktondale: 47% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
38.1median age · NY overall 39.8
BrooktondaleNew YorkUnited States
Ages · share of residents
35%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma0%
High school33%
Some college8%
Associate’s12%
Bachelor’s23%
Graduate24%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 53% and 82% women
The Census survey reached too few of Brooktondale’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±14.5 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Brooktondale | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 22% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.8% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 35.2% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 4.3% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 3.1% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.6% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 0% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.3% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 7.8% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.9% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.8% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 24.2% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
In Brooktondale, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Brooktondale’s typical July afternoon high works out to 81°F.
63″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–34°
Spring34–56°
Summer56–79°
Fall40–60°
Oct 3
typical first frost
May 11
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Compared with most of New York and the rest of the country, fewer of Brooktondale’s adults get no exercise outside work
A third of adults sleep under 7 hours in Brooktondale. Of 32 CDC measures, Brooktondale beats the New York average on 18 and trails it on 3. Among adults here, 11% report frequent physical distress and 27% have obesity.
| Brooktondale | Typical New York town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 25% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
32 measures vs. New York
18 better11 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Brooktondale | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.7% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.2% | 17.2% |
| More adults with depression | 21.8% | 17.5% |
Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca
9.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 45 attractions →Seneca Lake and 21 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brooktondale. Close and well known come first.
32 mi LakeSeneca Lake
26 mi LakeCayuga Lake
6 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf Field
24 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
15 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
7 mi MuseumHerbert F. Johnson Museum of Art80K visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Seneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Schoellkopf Field: Alex Sergeev, (www.asergeev.com) Originally uploaded by en:User:Cornell010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Watkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0 · Taughannock Falls State Park: Michael C. Rygel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Brooktondale
14pages on Brooktondale
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Brooktondale
Ithaca CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Ithaca5.7 mi$53,540 tuitionCornell UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Ithaca6.3 mi$69,314 tuitionTompkins Cortland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Dryden10 mi$6,970 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Brooktondale residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Brooktondale for work
Where Brooktondale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
11jobs based in Brooktondale
0%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2024
About Brooktondale
Hamlet and CDP in New York, United States
Brooktondale is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in the Town of Caroline, Tompkins County, New York, United States. The community is 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Ithaca. Brooktondale has a post office with ZIP code 14817, which opened on July 30, 1832. As of the 2020 census, Brooktondale had a population of 261.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 283 ft
- ZIP code
- 14817
Questions about Brooktondale
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Brooktondale, NY a good place to live?
Brooktondale has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.