Rochester, New York
Known as "The Flour City" and more recently as "The Flower City", Rochester lies towards the southern side of Lake Ontario in the United States. The county seat for Monroe County, the Rochester city metropolitan area has earned the credit of yielding the second largest economy in New York State over the years. Reckoned as an international center for higher education, the city of Rochester is home to a bevy of acclaimed universities, much renowned for their research programs.
Rochester is distinguished for its illustrious medical and technological development and continues to be the site for several noteworthy inventions in consumer products. Multitudinous big-league corporations, such as Kodak, Bausch & Lomb and Xerox have their roots well-placed in Rochester.
With a rich historical heritage, this lake-side city boasts of innumerable museums and historical sites. Alongside charming neighborhoods and quaint canal towns add to the fascinating ambiance of Rochester. Ranked the sixth best place to live in America by the Places Rated Almanac, Rochester is also regarded as one of the ten best American vacation spots, according to Money Magazine. Home to a plenitude of cultural institutions, such as The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the George Eastman house and the Geva theatre center, Rochester is equally famous as an entertainment hub. An assortment of diverse festivals throughout the year lends Rochester an unparalleled lively charm for tourists and natives alike.
Rochester is an attractive city for both local residents as well as tourists. It has something to appeal to everyone's senses. The city is known for its ambient social atmosphere and its lively residents.
Rochester History
After the American Revolution era, the development of modern Rochester actually began. A number of Iroquois tribes were forced to leave New York after the defeat of the Great Britain.
In 1803, Maj. Charles Carroll, Col Nathaniel Rochester, along with Col. William Fitzhugh bought a 100-acre tract along the Genesee River in Western New York, primarily due to the water power potential offered by the Genesee River. With a populace of only fifteen, they began in 1811 and established many streets and tracts. The Brown brothers along with several landowners formed the village of Rochesterville in 1817.
Eventually, Rochesterville became the Monroe County seat in 1821. Thereafter, Rochesterville village came to be known as Rochester and had a population of 2,500 residents by 1823. By 1834, it was given the status of a city with a population of 9,200. The city comprised of a number of Hamlets, many of which had a one-room school, post-offices and a general store. There are two communities still in existence today - Accord and Alligerville.
Gradually, Rochester came to be known as 'The Flour City' by 1838 since its flour production in the United States was the largest. In the middle of the19th century, when the wheat production industry shifted base towards the west, the city began to focus on the nursery business.
Thereafter, when George Ellwanger, who hailed from Germany, along with Patrick Barry, an immigrant from Ireland, ran a host of famous nurseries here, the city got its recent nickname 'The Flower City'. In 1847, Fredrick Doughlass, an erstwhile slave, writer and a speaker against slavery, founded the abolitionist newspaper, The North Star in Rochester. The newspaper promptly gained popularity and was circulated amongst thousands of readers in the United States, Caribbean and Europe.
Famous abolitionist and women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony hailed from Rochester along with Emma Goldman, who fought for labor issues in Rochester.
In the late 19th century, migrants in the city helped Rochester witness a phenomenal growth of several new industries. Inventor George Eastman founded the Eastman Kodak as an entrepreneur. John Jacob Bausch along with Henry Lomb launched Bausch and Lomb. Eastman also supported the development of the Rochester University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Tuskegee University and the Eastman School of Music.
The 20th century saw Rochester become a grand hub of garments manufacturing with a boom in the garment industry. Big-league names such as The Bond Clothing store, Hickey freeman, Stein-Bloch & Co, and Fashion Park Clothes opened their stores here. An automobile company, Cunningham, was founded by James Cunningham and Sons.
The population of Rochester had reached 332,488 by 1950. However, the figure came down to 210,565 later due to a decline in industries and jobs in the area.
About Rochester, New York
A mecca for tourists, the city of Rochester is replete with a plethora of cultural centers, museums, historical sites and shopping areas. Thronged by hordes of tourists every year, this effervescent city prides itself on 13 full-time recreational centers, 3 ice-rinks and numerous baseball fields and tennis courts.
Perhaps the best known feature of Rochester is the Lilac festival, which is held for ten days every year in May. As a tribute to the Flower City, around 400 varieties of Lilac bloom during this time and nearly 100,000 visitors enjoy the rare sights. In late spring and summer, the city comes alive with the Rochester International Jazz festival that witnesses several top notch performers from all across the globe. Furthermore, the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival, Clothesline Art festival, Rochester Music Festival, The Gay pride festival and Puerto Rican festivals are the other buzzing attractions that add to the vivacity of Rochester city.
Night revelers can enjoy a pulsating nightlife at the Rochester's East End district, located in downtown. Dotted with myriad nightclubs, bars, lounges, coffee shops and high-end restaurants, this side of the city never sleeps. The Eastman School of Music, located in this neighborhood, plays host to an interesting medley of music/drama events of international acclaim for the art aficionados.
Two scrumptious food specialties, famous in Rochester as their own, are the 'White Dog', a variant of Hot Dog and the 'The Garbage Plate', which traditionally includes salad, meat sauce, fries, onions, mustard and a choice of hotdog or hamburger. Rochester is also known to be home to French's Mustard, whose address was 1 Mustard Street. The Genesee Brewing Company, makers of Genesee Beers, Honey Brown, Ales and Lagers and Labatt Blue Lime also pride in Rochester as their base.
Catering to varied interests, Rochester boasts of a slew of artistic attractions and spectacular museums. The Strong National Museum of Play, George Eastman House, Rochester Museum and Science center and the Memorial Art gallery are the significant ones amongst others. The George Eastman House is actually the 50-room mansion of the man behind Kodak and is now a photography and film museum par excellence. The resplendent display and the information value on offer make all these museums a must-see for visitors.
The Finger Lakes Wine region is another prominent attraction of Rochester. This charming winery conducts quality wine tours and is also a scenic drive. Amongst historical sites, Susan B. Anthony House and the Mount Hope Cemetery are quite well known. The Genesee Riverway Trail is popular with cyclists, joggers and walkers. Spellbinding and scenic, this trail stretches thirteen miles along the Genesee River.
Rochester, the city that marks the onset of the women's rights movement, is also a haven for shoppers. With abundant shopping malls, including eminent ones such as JC Penny, Bon Ton and Sears, the city doesn't lag behind. The Village Gate Square, which features an array of art galleries, specialty shops, night clubs and restaurants, is another remarkable attraction of Rochester. Especially for the ones fond of lounging through malls and marketplaces, Rochester offers umpteen choices.
About Monroe County, New York
Rochester city is the seat of Monroe County, New York and lies south of Lake Ontario. The county Monroe is named after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States. Located in western New York, Monroe County lies northeast of Buffalo and northwest of Syracuse. As per the census of 2010, the population of Monroe County was 744,344. Monroe County is north of the Finger Lakes. Marked by Lake Ontario, the northern county line is also the state line and the border of the United States.
Initially, when the counties were established, the present Monroe County was part of Albany County. This enormous county included the northern part of New York State as well as the entire Vermont state. In 1802, the Genesee County was created by splitting of the Ontario County. This was still much bigger than the present Genesee County. It comprised of the present day Allegany, Cattaraugus, Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming and portions of Livingston. Finally, in 1821, The Monroe County was formed from parts of Genesee and Ontario Counties.
In the Monroe County, the demographics were spread out with 25.60% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 22.60 from 45 to 60 and 13% were the people over 65 years of age. For every 100 females, there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.20 males. In 1892, Monroe County was chartered as a municipal corporation by the New York State legislature and re-chartered in 1965 under New York Municipal Home Rule law.
Monroe County is the world headquarters for a wide multitude of International Businesses, such as Eastman Kodak, Bausch & Lomb, Paychex and Pictometry International. Xerox has its main offices and manufacturing facilities in Monroe County. Rochester is also known as the world capital of imaging because of the prevalence of superior imaging and optical science in the universities here. Regional businesses like Wegmans Food Markets, Roberts Communications, Inc, PAETEC holding Corp and the major fashion label, Hickey Freeman also have a marked presence in the Monroe County.