About Rochester

Nestled between Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes wine region in Upstate New York, Rochester is a well-kept secret. Visitors tell us we have the arts, culture, sports and nightlife of a much larger city, but the easiness of a small town. We think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the richness of life in Rochester.

What Are Rochesterians Like?

For starters, we are healthy, well-educated, friendly, industrious – and not stuck in traffic. Want proof? Read on.

• Rochester is in western New York, midway between Buffalo and Syracuse, on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, just northwest of the Finger Lakes
• We are the country's 47th largest metropolitan area.
• City population – about 220,000 (third largest in New York, behind New York City and Buffalo)
• Metropolitan region – 1.1 million (Monroe and surrounding five counties: Orleans, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario and Wayne)
• Length of commute: You won't have time to finish your coffee on the ride in – 21 minutes, the 17th shortest commute among 216 large counties surveyed.
• Distance by car: Toronto - 3 hours, NYC - 6 hours, Boston - 7 hours, Adirondacks – 3-5 hours, Niagara Falls - 1.5 hours (approx.)
• Median age – 36.6 (44% are 25 to 54 years old)
• Ethnic/racial background – 85% white, 10% African American, 4% Hispanic
• Most common ancestry: German (approx. 1 in 4)
• Nearly a third of people over 25 have at least a bachelor's degree.
• Median household income: $44,943 (New York state - $43,602; nation - $41,349)
• Climate – Long snowy winters, short springs, warm sunny summers, brilliant falls. As gardeners know, Lake Ontario moderates our winter temperatures; we're USDA zone 6A, the same as St. Louis, MO!

Rochesterians Are Involved

What do you expect from the city of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass? We have one of the highest charitable giving rates in the country. But we're more than that.

Rochester was named an All-America City in 1998. That's because so many of us are working to make this a great place to live, from City Hall to neighborhood groups. Our award-winning Neighbors Building Neighborhoods program and Neighborhood Empowerment Teams gives citizens a way to take concrete action on issues that affect their neighborhoods. Like most cities, we have our challenges. But our focused efforts are producing positive developments all over the city.

Through neighborhood initiatives, new zoning laws and other policies, the city of Rochester and its citizens are bringing to life a comprehensive plan, Rochester 2010: The Renaissance Plan.


Getting Down to Business

From the earliest days of its flour mills on the banks of the Genesee River, Rochester has always found a way to make things happen. Something about this place breeds innovation and an enterprising spirit. You could say our boat floats a little higher in the water. The Big 3—Kodak, Bausch & Lomb and Xerox—rose to greatness here and once dominated local employment. They're still at it, but now smaller, more nimble firms, many of them Big 3 spinoffs, are launching a new era in Rochester's economy. This is an exciting time to be at work in Rochester! If you're in biotech, telecom, photonics or IT, you should be working here.

Time to Play

We know you work hard, but you like to have fun, right? Here, the dream of a balanced life is a reality for many. You can have a great job with plenty of down time for the rest of your life.  Check out our Arts and Exploring the Area sections for more information on how you can spend your down time.