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Rochester, New York

Encyclopedia : R : RO : ROC : Rochester, New York

Rochester, also known as both The Flour City and The Flower City, is a city in Monroe County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, Rochester had a population of 219,773. As of 2004, the population given by the U.S. Census Bureau was 212,481, making this the third largest city in New York State. Rochester is also the county seat for Monroe County.

The City of Rochester is at the center of a larger Metropolitan Area which encompasses and extends past Monroe County and includes Genesee County, Livingston County, Ontario County, Orleans County, and Wayne County. This larger conurbation, or Metropolitan Area, has a population of 1,037,831 people as of the 2000 Census. As of July 1, 2005, this population rose slightly to 1,039,028. [link] Principal suburbs of the city include Brighton, Chili, East Rochester, Fairport, Gates, Greece, Henrietta, Irondequoit, Penfield, Pittsford and Webster.

The current Mayor of Rochester is Robert Duffy.

Contents

Founding and early history

On November 8, 1803, a one-hundred acre (ca. 40 ha) tract of land in Western New York along the Genesee River was purchased by Colonel Nathaniel Rochester, Major Charles Carroll, and Colonel William Fitzhugh, all of Hagerstown, Maryland. The site was chosen because of three cataracts on the Genesee, offering great potential for water power. Beginning in 1811, and with a population of fifteen, the three founders surveyed the land and laid out streets and tracts. In 1817, the Brown brothers (of Brown's Race) and other landowners joined their lands with the Hundred Acre Tract to form the Village of Rochesterville.

By 1821, Rochesterville was named as the seat of Monroe County. By 1823, Rochesterville consisted of 1012 acres and 2,500 residents, and the Village of Rochesterville became known as Rochester. Also in 1823, the Erie Canal aqueduct over the Genesee River was completed, and the Erie Canal east to the Hudson River was opened. By 1830, Rochester's population was 9,200, and in 1834, it was re-chartered as a city.

Rochester became known first as "The Young Lion of the West", and then as the "Flour City". By 1838, Rochester was the largest flour-producing city in the world, and by 1840, it was the 19th largest city in America, with a population of 20,191. With the population having doubled in only ten years, Rochester became known as America's first "boomtown."

The population reached 62,386 in 1870, 162,608 in 1900, and 295,750 in 1920.

Geography and climate

Barges on the Genesee River
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Barges on the Genesee River

Rochester is located at [43°9′56″N, 77°36′41″W] (43.165496, -77.611504)[Geographic references#1GR1]. Rochester is east of Buffalo and west of Syracuse.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 96.1 km² (37.1 mi²). 92.8 km² (35.8 mi²) of it is land and 3.3 km² (1.3 mi²) of it (3.42%) is water.

Rochester's geography comes from the glaciers during the Cenozoic era. The retreating glaciers created the Genesee Valley and left rolling hills (drumlin fields) around it, including (from west to east) Mt. Hope, the rolling hills of Highland Park, Pinnacle Hill and Cobb's Hill. These glaciers also left behind Lake Ontario (one of the five fresh-water Great Lakes), the with its waterfalls and gorges, Irondequoit, Sodus and Braddock's Bays, numerous local streams and ponds, the Ridge, and the nearby Finger Lakes.

Lake Ontario is sufficiently deep off-shore of Rochester that Rochester could have year-round access to a reservoir of cold water, which could be used for deep lake water cooling.

According to the City of Rochester, the city presently has 537 miles (864 km) of public streets, 585 miles (941 km) of water mains, 44 vehicular and 8 pedestrian bridges, 11 public libraries, 2 police stations (1 for the east side, 1 west (formerly 7)), and 16 fire stations. The principal source of the city's water is Hemlock Lake, which, with its watershed, is wholly owned by the city. Other water sources are Canadice Lake and Lake Ontario. The 30 year annual average snowfall is 95.0 inches (2.4 m). The mean July temperature is 71.3 ºF (21.8 ºC), and the mean February temperature is 23.6 ºF (−4.7 ºC).

Rochester has 4 distinct seasons, although its often cold and snowy winters may garner the most attention. Autumn features brilliant foliage colors, and summer sees high humidity but temperatures that rarely exceed 90 degrees.

Demographics

Rochester
Population (1840-2004)[Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990], United States Census Bureau, accessed May 14, 2006
1840 20,191
1850 36,403
1860 48,204
1870 62,386
1880 89,366
1890 133,896
1900 162,608
1910 218,149
1920 295,750
1930 328,132
1940 324,975
1950 332,488
1960 318,611
1970 296,233
1980 241,741
1990 231,636
2000 219,773
2004 212,481 (est.)
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 219,773 people, 88,999 households, and 47,169 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,368.3/km² (6,132.9/mi²). There were 99,789 housing units at an average density of 1,075.3/km² (2,784.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 48.30% White, 38.55% African American, 0.47% Native American, 2.25% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 6.58% from other races, and 3.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.75% of the population. Rochester also has the largest deaf population per capita in the United States.

There were 88,999 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.1% were married couples living together, 23.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.0% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,123, and the median income for a family was $31,257. Males had a median income of $30,521, versus $25,139 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,588. About 23.4% of families and 25.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.5% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Rochester is home to a number of international businesses, including Eastman Kodak, Bausch & Lomb, Sutherland Global Services, Rochester Midland Corporation, Paychex, and Gleason Corporation, all of which make Rochester their world headquarters. Xerox, while no longer headquartered in Rochester, has its principal offices and manufacturing facilities in the Rochester area. Because of the high prevalence of imaging and optical science among the industry and the universities, Rochester is known as the world capital of imaging. The Institute of Optics of the University of Rochester is ranked number one in the country, and the Rochester Institute of Technology has one of the best imaging science departments in the country. In 2005, the University of Rochester became the largest employer in the Rochester area, surpassing Kodak.

Rochester is also home to regional businesses such as Frontier Telephone of Rochester, Wegmans Food Markets, Inc., High Falls Brewing Company, Roberts Communications, Inc., The Sutherland Group, PAETEC Communications and major fashion label Hickey-Freeman. The Gannett newspaper company and Western Union were both founded in the Rochester area by Frank Gannett and Hiram Sibley respectively.

Currently Rochester is experiencing a loss of manufacturing and heavy industries and a sudden boom of highly advanced, technological industries. As a result, many have left the city and its neighboring regions, and the population has declined over the years.

Food

One food that Rochester is proud to call its own is the famous "white hot," made by the local Zweigle's company, which can be found at numerous area restaurants and hot dog stands. Another is the "garbage plate," first served at Nick Tahou Hots.

The area takes the most pride in the Wegmans Grocery store chain, which now has locations throughout the Northeast and Northern Virginia, and was most recently rated the #2 best company in America to work for by Forbes Magazine of whom employees overall, having fallen from #1 in 2005, however, to a much smaller company in San Francisco which employs 100-150 people. It is still number one of employers whom employ more than 10,000 people.

Other local franchises include: Bill Gray's (a summertime hamburger/hotdog joint that lays claim to having "The World's Greatest Cheeseburger"), and Abbott's Frozen Custard.

Major area shopping centers

Top 5 employers

As of 2005, the top employers in the city are:

Companies

Rochester is known for and is home to Eastman Kodak Company [link]. It is also the home of industrial giants Bausch & Lomb, Inc. [link] and Xerox Corporation [link]. Wegmans [link] grocery store chain also calls Rochester home. Payroll giant Paychex [link] is also headquartered in suburban Rochester.

Other major companies in the Rochester metro include:

Many companies not as well known are found here. Many large companies also have divisions housed in Rochester.

Education

Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
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Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School

Education is a primary industry in Rochester. The city and its suburbs are home to a number of colleges and universities, including the University of Rochester, the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry, Rochester Institute of Technology, Saint John Fisher College, Roberts Wesleyan College, Nazareth College, Monroe Community College, and the Eastman School of Music. Together with Alfred University, SUNY Brockport, and SUNY Geneseo, each within an hour of Rochester, these institutions comprise the Rochester Area Colleges consortium.

These schools are known for many great reasons, such as RIT's NTID, National Technical Institute for the Deaf, having an outstanding program for the education of deaf people and a top ranked ASL, American Sign Language, program. MCC is known as one of the best community college systems in the nation, and has a very high ranked soccer team. MCC is home to The Mercer Gallery where students and artists from all over the country exhibit work on a regular basis, located on MCC's Brighton Campus.

The University of Rochester has some of the best undergraduate programs in the country when it comes to the arts, sciences, and engineering, and the med school has top flight research programs and one of the best primary care curriculums in the nation. The Business school is also at the top of its class in many categories.

The University of Rochester's Laboratory For Laser Energetics (LLE) is home to the highest energy laser in the world, the OMEGA laser. OMEGA is capable of emitting light at a power 100 times the electrical power output of the country in less than one billionth of a second. The LLE is currently constructing the OMEGA EP laser, which will be 50 times more powerful than OMEGA and will be the most powerful laser in the world, able to manifest power densities high enough to examine hawking radiation-like phenomena in the laboratory. The U of R's Laboratory for Laser Energetics is especially important now, because it serves at the US's main laser fusion program while the Department of Energy is building the National Ignition Facility. "The Laboratory for Laser Energetics has played a leading, national role in efforts to develop nuclear fusion as a reliable energy source and in the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship program," says University President Joel Seligman.

The University of Rochester is also home to its Eastman School of Music, which, according to U.S. News and World Report, is ranked the number one music school in America.

Culture and recreation

Rochester is home to a number of cultural institutions including Garth Fagan Dance [link], the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, the Memorial Art Gallery, the Rochester Museum & Science Center, the Strong - National Museum of Play, the A|V Room, the Strasenburg Planetarium, and numerous arts organizations. Rochester's [Geva Theatre Center] is the city's largest professional theatre.

The pier at Ontario Beach Park offers stunning views of Lake Ontario and is a popular walk for Rochesterians
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The pier at Ontario Beach Park offers stunning views of Lake Ontario and is a popular walk for Rochesterians
The city's Victorian era Mt. Hope Cemetery includes the final resting place of several famous Americans, including Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, and George Baldwin Selden (inventor of the automobile). Rochester is also known for its extensive park system, including the Highland Botanical Park, Cobb's Hill Park, Durand-Eastman Park, Genesee Valley Park, Maplewood Park, Edgerton Park, Seneca Park and Ontario Beach Park.

The city also has 13 full-time recreation centers, 19 swimming programs, 3 artificial ice rinks, 66 softball/baseball fields, 47 tennis courts, 5 football fields, 7 soccer fields, and 43 outdoor basketball courts. Echoing its famous history as the Flower City, Rochester still has a yearly Lilac Festival for ten days in May, when nearly 400 named varieties of lilacs bloom, and 100,000 visitors arrive from as far away as Europe and Japan.

Suburban Mumford is home to the Genesee Country Village and Museum, a combination of: a model village, where numerous examples of local architecture are preserved; sporting art and carriage museums; a nature center; and model gardens. Further south of Rochester is the scenic Letchworth State Park, the so-called "Grand Canyon of he East", with its spectacular canyon and waterfalls. Also to the south and southeast is the glacially-formed Finger Lakes Region, with its numerous lakes and waterfalls.

Rochester has developed a number of festivals that celebrate the many aspects of Rochester life, and most of which occur between late spring and all throughout summer. These include the Rochester International Jazz Festival, now (2006) in its fifth year; the Corn Hill Festival (arts, crafts, and food in this historic Third Ward neighborhood); the High Falls Film Festival (held at the George Eastman House's Dryden Theatre and the Little Theatre downtown); the Image Out/Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (also held at the Little Theatre); the Clothesline Art Festival (artists from the region display their works on the grounds of the Memorial Art Gallery); the Park Avenue Merchants Festival; the Lilac Festival at Highland Park (world famous for its lilac bushes); the Rose Festival at Historic Maplewood Park; the Rochester Music Festival; and the Cold Rush Winter Celebration (celebrating the wide variety of winter sports in the Rochester area). There is something for everyone in these festivals.

Vernacular

Also of interest is the local vernacular. Soft drinks are called "pop" (at least among the older generations), while hotdogs are called "red hots" or "white hots". The town of Chili is not pronounced like the food, but "chi(as in latte)-lie"; the neighborhood of Charlotte is not pronounced like the North Carolina city but rather with the accent on the second syllable. A "Rochester accent" is often described as including the pronunciation of the city itself as "Rhaaaaach'str".

Media

Rochester has one daily newspaper, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. There are two free weekly publications as well: City Newspaper, which is an alternative news weekly; and Rochester Insider, a weekly extension of the Democrat and Chronicle geared towards the under 35 crowd. Other publications include the Rochester Business Journal, covering the local business community, and the monthly Empty Closet, New York's oldest gay and lesbian community newspaper.

Rochester has 6 Broadcast television stations:

Rochester's cable television provider is Time Warner Cable, which provides the market's WB cable-only affiliate (WRWB "WB16") and RNews, a 24-hour local news channel.

Points of interest

Sports

Rochester was named the #1 Minor League Sports market in the country by Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal in July, 2005.

Professional sports


Club
Sport
Founded
League
Venue
Logo
Rochester Red Wings Baseball 1929 International League Frontier Field Rochester Red Wings Logo Rochester Americans Ice hockey 1956 AHL Blue Cross Arena Rochester Americans Logo Rochester Raging Rhinos Soccer 1996 USL First Division PAETEC Park Pittsburgh Passion Logo Rochester Knighthawks Indoor lacrosse 1997 NLL Blue Cross Arena Rochester Knighthawks Logo Rochester Rattlers Field lacrosse 2001 MLL PAETEC Park Rochester Rattlers Logo Rochester Razorsharks Basketball 2005 ABA Blue Cross Arena Rochester Razorsharks Logo Empire State Roar Football 2005 WPFL East Rochester High School Empire State Roar Logo Rochester Raiders Indoor football 2006 GLIFL ESL Sports Centre Rochester Raiders Logo

Rochester currently has eight professional sports teams. The Rochester Red Wings baseball club, the AAA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, play in the International League. The Rochester Americans ice hockey team, the AHL affiliate for the NHL Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers, are commonly known as the "Amerks". The Rochester Raging Rhinos soccer club play in the USL First Division, which is the second-highest level American soccer league.

There are two professional lacrosse teams in Rochester. The Rochester Knighthawks club plays indoor lacrosse in the National Lacrosse League during the winter and spring. In the summer, the Rochester Rattlers club plays field lacrosse in the Major League Lacrosse organization.

The newest professional sports teams in Rochester are the Rochester Razorsharks (in the new American Basketball Association), the Empire State Roar (in the Women's Professional Football League), and the Rochester Raiders (in the Great Lakes Indoor Football League).

Professional golf also comes to Rochester regularly. The PGA Championship and the US Open have been held at Oak Hill Country Club several times (along with the 1995 Ryder Cup), and the Wegmans Rochester International LPGA tournament is held yearly at Locust Hill Country Club.

While Rochester currently has no teams at the top level of any of the major American sports, that was not always the case. From 1920-1925, Rochester was home to the Rochester Jeffersons, a charter member of the National Football League. From 1948-1957, the Rochester Royals played in the National Basketball Association, winning the NBA championship in 1951. The Royals, after several moves, are now known as the Sacramento Kings.

There are also 3 independent pro-wrestling leagues, Roc City Wrestling, Next Era Wrestling, and NWA Upstate, in the area.

College sports

Although there are numerous colleges and universities in the Rochester area, almost all college sports are played at the NCAA Division III level. The lone exception is the RIT men's ice hockey team, which moved up to the Division I level in 2005. Hobart College, an hour away from Rochester in Geneva, has a Division I men's lacrosse team.

Transportation

Maritime transport

There is marine freight service at the Port of Rochester on Lake Ontario, which is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence Seaway.

A high speed passenger/vehicle ferry across Lake Ontario linking Rochester to Toronto, Ontario commenced service on June 17, 2004. Using the vessel Spirit of Ontario I, the service was marketed using the name "The Breeze," and had its first sold-out trip from Toronto to Rochester on Canada Day, July 1, 2004 despite many skeptics' claims that this would never happen. However, on September 7, 2004, Canadian American Transportation Systems abruptly suspended service for financial reasons. At a public auction held on February 28, 2005, Rochester Ferry Company LLC, a subsidiary of the City of Rochester, purchased the vessel for $32 million. In April 2005 it was announced that Bay Ferries Great Lakes Limited would operate the vessel using the marketing term "The Cat". Service between Rochester and Toronto restarted on June 30, 2005. Service was discontinued by Mayor Robert Duffy after 2 unsuccessful seasons of operation; a large debt load and a lack of clear business direction were cited as main factors in his decision. On May 3, 2006, Mayor Duffy announced the sale of the Fast Ferry to Euroferries Ltd. for $29.8 million. The ferry will be used to provide service between Dover, England and Boulogne, France. The ferry is expected to depart the Port of Rochester for good sometime during the week of May 14-20, 2006.

Airport

Rochester is served by the Greater Rochester International Airport. Daily scheduled air service is provided by Air Canada / Air Georgian, AirTran Airways, American, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Northwest, United, and US Airways.

Mass transit

Both Amtrak (passenger) and freight lines provide rail service to Rochester. Rochester has intercity and transcontinental bus service via Greyhound and Trailways.

Local bus service in Rochester and its immediate (Monroe County) suburbs is provided by the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA) via its Regional Transit Service (RTS) subsidiary. RTS also provides suburban service outside of the immediate Rochester area and also runs several smaller transportation systems in outlying counties.

From 1927 to 1957, Rochester had an underground transit system. At the time, it was the smallest city in the world to have one. Sites that describe the system call it the "Rochester Subway", but pictures show that it used single streetcar vehicles. By today's standards, then, it would be called a light-rail system. There are proposals to put in a new system, possibly using some of the old tunnels. One proposal includes converting the old Broad St. Bridge tunnel into an underground pedestrian walkway, which would also include a Rochester Transportation Museum, and a rumoured "tram" system.

See http://www.vintageviews.org/vv-tl/maps/pages/subway.html for a map of the old line. The Genesee River bridge that it used retains the lower track level.

Roads

There are three exits off the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) that serve Rochester. Rochester has an extensive freeway (expressway) system which connects all parts of the city and the city with the Thruway.

Interstate 390 runs north-south, spurring north from I-90 (exit 46) and routing through Rochester's western suburbs. Its northern end is at I-490, however it continues north as State Route 390 until it merges into the Lake Ontario State Parkway. South of I-90, I-390 runs to Avoca, New York, where it meets up with U.S. Highway 15 and the Southern Tier Expressway, I-86.

Interstate 490 runs east-west through Rochester, starting at Le Roy, New York and ending in Victor, New York. It interchanges with the two other Interstates in Rochester: I-390 at the western city limit and I-590 at the eastern limit, as well as connecting at both ends with the Thruway, I-90 (exits 45 and 47).

Interstate 590 runs north-south through Rochester's eastern suburbs. Its southern end is at I-390, while the northern end is at I-490; the highway continues north to the shore of Lake Ontario as State Route 590.

In decreasing usage is the term "Can of Worms," referring to the previously dangerous intersection of Interstate 490 and expressway NY-590 on the eastern edge of the Rochester city limits, bordering the suburb of Brighton. In the 1980s, a multimillion dollar project created a system of overpasses and ramps that reduced the danger but resulted in the loss of certain exits.

Citizens of note

See List of New York Rochesterians

Sister cities

Rochester has ten sister cities, as designated by [Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)]. They are all dedicated by a branched concrete walkway over the Genessee River, dubbed the Sister Cities Bridge:

References

External links

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