Rochester, New York

Rochester, NY - a city in western New York that holds the following distinctions:

• exports more per capita than any other city in the US
• home to lots of deaf/Deaf people (thanks to RIT/NTID)
• home base for Kodak, Xerox, and Bausch and Lomb

There is another Rochester out in Minnesota or some other boring state.

Originally founded by Nathaniel Rochester, for whom the city is named.

Known as both the Flower city (during the late 1800's Rochester was know for its greenhouses and flower exports) and the Flour City (during the early 1800's Rochester was a major producer of milled grains.)

Rochester surrounds the Genesee river (name given to popular local brewery) which the world's second largest north flowing river (second to the Nile, of course.) This river also has 3 falls including the upper, middle and lower falls. The lower falls (referred to as High Falls in the city itself (and home the High Falls district, the cities prominent night life area)) is the second largest water fall in North America (second to Niagara Falls.)

Home to Frederick Douglass, a prominent anti-slavery journalist and himself an escaped slave. Also a major stop on the underground railroad's route to Canada (trough either Niagara Falls or across lake Ontario.)

Current information on the city:

Rochester is home to Eastman Kodak, Xerox, Bausch & Lomb, and Blue Cross. Through these companies, it holds the highest number of the top tier of Olympic sponsors.

Today, Rochester's MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) in home to over 1 million people. Its suburbs include; Gates, Greece, Chili, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Henrietta, Rush, Brighton, and Irondequoit. All residing in Monroe County, surrounding counties include Yates, Ontario, Genesee, and Wayne. Towns also included in the MSA include Victor, Gananda, Palmyra (birthplace of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), Brockport and Macedon.

Rochester is located approximately 60 miles from Buffalo, 50 miles from Syracuse, and 140 miles from Ithaca. It is centrally located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. Interstate 90 passes just south of the City and US Route 20 passes through Victor, further south.

Rochester is home to many minor-league sports teams. The Red Wings (AAA baseball), Rhinos (current A-league soccer champions), Americans (AHL hockey), Knighthawks (indoor lacrosse), Brigade (arena football), and Rattlers (outdoor lacrosse.)

Rochester is also known for its continuous festivals, including the Lilac Festival (celebrating the blooming of the Lilac bush), the Cobb Hill Art Festival, and the East End Fest.

Though the core employers of the city continue to decline in strength (especially Kodak and Xerox) it continues to be a center of economic growth with an emphasis on small business.

My hometown, and home to over 500,000 people within the city and surrounding suburbs.

• Education: Colleges include RIT, UofR, MCC, and SUNY Brockport. There are also many other colleges close by, such as Cornell, SUNY Oswego, or SUNY Geneseo.
• Suburbs: Fairport, Churchville, Chili, Gates, Wheatland, Ogden, Scottsville, Spencerport, Henrietta, Greece, Brighton, East Rochester, Webster, Penfield, Palmyra, Pittsford, Riga, Rush...
• Major TV Channels: 13 - ABC, 8 - CBS, 10 - NBC/21 - PBS/31 - FOX
• Major corporations: Kodak, Bausch & Lomb, Paychex, Xerox
• Local Culture:
  • We are home to the makers of Jolt Cola.
  • Everyone in Rochester has seen the trippy Easter bunny and Santa Claus commercials for the House of Guitars. They've been running the same ones for years and years. The shop itself is a great place for musicians and is mildly famous among rock stars.
  • We are home to Genny beer. However it has recently been sold to a larger beer manufacturer.
  • Tahou's garbage plates are famous here. and the reason why people flock to get incredibly greasy food from the 2 or 3 locations within Rochester.
  • We were the Flour City. Now we are the Flower City - because of the annual Lilac Festival. We also sometimes are known as The Imaging Capital of the World for the heavy Kodak and Xerox influence.
• Random factoids:
  • Became heavily populated during the 1800's due to it being a popular stop along the Erie Canal
  • Susan B. Anthony was famous women's rights activist from Rochester, and Rochester has a rich history in women's rights.
  • George Eastman created Kodak in the late 1800's here in Rochester. His business became a staple to the area's workers. He also contributed heavily to the UofR, and his home is now a museum for the history of film. It is also a very popular spot for wedding photos.
  • We get more snowfall than does the North Pole per year. This is because the North Pole gets some snowfall but it stays around, whereas we get a ton of snow which then melts, and we are then assaulted by another massive wave of snowfall.