Resident Life
Living in Rochester and Upstate New York
Welcome to Rochester...gateway to the Finger Lakes!
Expansion Management Magazine ranked Rochester as number one among metropolitan areas having the best Quality of Life in the Nation. In addition, Places Rated Almanac ranked Rochester as the sixth best place to live in America in its just released 25th anniversary edition.
It is home to the famous abolitionist, Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. Rochester is rated "the best minor league sports city" in the United States. It is a regular stop on both the LPGA and nationwide golf circuits, having hosted the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, and Ryder Cup.
Rochester was nicknamed the Flour City in the early 1800's because of the huge quantities of grain that were milled for flour and then shipped out on the Erie Canal. In the mid 1800's, westward expansion moved the focus of farming to the Great Plains. Rochester's importance as the center for flour milling had declined due to this movement. Several seed companies started in Rochester and had grown to become the largest in the world. Rochester's nickname was changed from the "Flour City" to the "Flower City" in the late 1800's.
Rochester is known as "Festival City" with festivals almost every weekend from late spring through early fall. One of the best known is the Lilac Festival which kicks off the festival season in early May. Our museums and performing arts are first-rate. Renowned Eastman School of Music, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the University of Rochester (URMC is part of the university) our among the highlights of our great city.
Rochester is a delightfully small "big city" with a "big city" feel.
