Few areas boast the caliber of cultural offerings that are found in Oneonta . Its galleries, museums, artistic organizations, local artists, and a vigorous college community combine to make Oneonta a cultural center in the Catskills. The Upper Catskill Community Council of the Arts is a regional arts service organization supporting area amateur and professional artists through programs, workshops, monthly exhibits and grants. UCCCA regularly sponsors a Festival of the Arts which draws the participation of craftsmen, area artists and performers from throughout the region.

The 80-piece Catskill Symphony Orchestra offers five concerts a year which are repeated in other area towns. Beginning over a quarter century ago as the Oneonta Symphony, it has matured into an outstanding professional orchestra.

The Glimmerglass Opera, in nearby Cooperstown, offers professional opera every summer. For over a decade, the Community Chorale has performed a wide range of serious choral music. It draws 60 members of high quality amateur talent from a thirty mile radius for its productions.

Oneonta is the proud home of what is indisputably the finest regional theater production company in this corner of Upstate New York, Orpheus Theatre. Staging at least three productions per year, the Orpheus Theatre's musicals are a much anticipated highlight of the Oneonta cultural calendar.

Hartwick College and the State University offer their own full program in music, drama and the visual arts. The colleges also sponsor extensive gallery openings and present well known speakers on various topics throughout the year.

Last, but not least, is the growing Foothills Performing Arts Center on Market Street, soon to become the home of major productions for the region, including a theater capable of seating over 600, and having state-of-the-art production facilities.

A variety of training and post-secondary education is available at facilities in and around Oneonta. BOCES, located 10 miles away in Milford, is a vocational school providing high school technical training in carpentry, nursing, secretarial skills, auto mechanics and farming.

Its excellent educational system and variety of recreational offerings make Oneonta an ideal place to raise your family. The Oneonta City School District prides itself on schools that rank high academically and are fully accredited in all areas. Over 2,000 students attend the four public and one private grammar schools, the Middle School and High School with 94% of its students going on to college or other post-secondary education.

The Oneonta Job Corps Academy provides residence and training to approximately 350 students age 16-24. Placement assistance, medical and dental services, and a living allowance are all provided. Vocations offered are Cement Masonry, Tile Setting, Auto Mechanics, Autobody Repair, Welding, Health Occupations, Business & Clerical, Electrician, Culinary Arts, and Child Care Worker. Job Corps is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and is operated by Satellite Services Corp. Springbrook, headquartered in Milford Center, with satellite offices and residences in a three-county region, is a residence and school for more than 550 people with developmental disabilities.

Oneonta became an educational center in 1889 with the founding of the Oneonta Normal School which became a part of the State University of New York in 1948. Hartwick College was founded in 1928 as an extension of nearby Hartwick Seminary. Both colleges contribute greatly to the economic stability of the community and to OneontaÕs reputation as an educational and cultural center.

The State University of New York, College at Oneonta is located on a 250-acre campus with an annual enrollment of approximately 5,500 students and a full and part-time staff of over 1,200. SUNY-Oneonta offers over 50 undergraduate major fields of study and 20 graduate programs, in addition to international study, cooperative programs and pre-professional study. Sixteen "Red Dragon" varsity sports are offered, in the facilities of the Alumni Field House as well the Chase Physical Education Building, which houses a gymnasium, bowling alleys, handball courts and a swimming pool. Students also take advantage of the large variety of clubs and organizations centered around the Charles W. Hunt College Union. The college's Fine Arts Center houses music studios, rehearsal halls, art studios, the Laurence B. Goodrich Theatre, The Arena Theatre and the Fine Arts Gallery. Major cultural activities include numerous theatrical performances, monthly art exhibits in two college art galleries, performances by the Catskill Symphony Orchestra, and lectures, concerts, conferences, discussions and shows are presented on a wide variety of topics. The college's Center for Economic and Community Development links the resources of the college to business and community organizations to promote development through such services as strategic planning, research, leadership instruction, and small business training.

Hartwick College is situated on a 375-acre wooded hillside overlooking the valley. It has an annual enrollment of 1,500 students and a full and part-time staff of over 400. Hartwick offers 30 undergraduate degrees. The Hartwick "Hawks" participate in 20 varsity sports, some with NCAA and ECAC affiliations, and a nationally competitive Division 1 Men's Soccer team. The Binder Physical Education Center houses gymnasiums; handball, squash and racquetball courts; saunas; modern dance room; swimming pool; and a fitness and training center. Outdoor facilities include playing fields, tennis courts, a track, and an Astro-turf¨ field. Hartwick students may also take advantage of the 914-acre Pine Lake Environmental Center eight miles from the main campus. Mostly undeveloped, Pine Lake has an unusual natural diversity which includes a 12-acre spring fed lake. The Anderson Center for the Arts has complete facilities for the study of art and music - practice and rehearsal studios, fine art collections, a theater, and the Forman Gallery for exhibitions. Yager Hall is the home of a newly renovated museum of some 20,000 Native American artifacts as well as a Fine Arts Collection.

Hartwick is the summer home of the well known and respected New York State Music Camp and Institute and offers many summer programs for all ages in sports and the arts.

The Utica School of Commerce offers day and evening college level courses in business. USC offers one year diploma programs and two year associate degrees in office technician, business management, business administration and accounting. In addition, USC has been awarded branch campus status through the State Education Department in Albany; which means that all required courses can be taken in Oneonta.