About Rochester

Rochester, New York is known alternately as the “Flour City” and the “Flower City,” depending which time period in its history you’re referring to.  In the 2004 census it had a little over 210,000 residents and is the center of a larger metropolitan area that clears 1,035,000 in Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, and other counties.

Rochester is in northwestern New York along the Genesee River off of Lake Ontario.  It’s about equal distance from New York City and Boston, and it a little over an hour’s drive east of Buffalo.

The city was founded in 1817 as the Village of Rochesterville and then was re-chartered as the city of Rochester in 1834.  Four years later, the city’s mills, powered by the Genesee River, propelled Rochester to be named the largest flour-producing city in the world, earning it the nickname “The Flour City”.

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Climate

By Car

There are three exits off the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) that serve Rochester: 2 for I-490 and one for I-390.

Exit 46 is Interstate 390, which runs north-south through Rochester’s western suburbs. It becomes State Route 390 after it hits I-490, and then 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 I-86.

Exits 45 and 47 are for Interstate 490.  It runs east-west through Rochester, starting at Le Roy and ending in Victor. It runs into I-390 at Rochester’s western city limit, and I-590 at the eastern limit.

Interstate 590 runs north-south through Rochester’s eastern suburbs. It branches off from I-390 around Brighton, and becomes a state route after crossing I-490.  It then merges with the Lake Ontario State Parkway.

Drive Times and Distances
Buffalo: 70 mi, 1 hr 10 min
Syracuse:  90 mi, 1 hr 30 min
Toronto:  176 mi, 3 hr 3 min
New York City:  333 mi, 6 hr 15 min
Boston,  390 mi, 6 hr 15 min

Public Transportation

Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority
1372 East Main St
Rochester, NY 14609
(585) 654-0200
www.rgrta.org

Local bus service in Rochester and Monroe County is provided by the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA).  The organization also provides less frequent bus routes further away from Rochester into more rural areas.  Schedule and fare information can be found online.  You can also buy multi-ride passes from the website.

Intercity Transportation
Rochester has intercity bus service through Greyhound and Trailways.

Greyhound
187 Midtown Plaza
300 E Broad St
Rochester, NY 14604
(585) 232-5121
www.greyhound.com

New York Trailways
499 Hurley Avenue
Hurley, N.Y. 12443
(800) 776-7548
www.trailwaysny.com

Amtrak
320 Central Avenue
Rochester, NY 14605
(800) 872-7245
www.amtrak.com

Amtrak connects Rochester to New York City through its Empire Service, Chicago and Boston on the Lake Shore Limited Route, and to Toronto on the Maple Leaf line.  See the website for all the stops along the way.

Air Transportation

Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC)
1200 Brooks Ave
Rochester, NY 14624
(585) 464-6000
www.rocairport.com

Rochester is served by the Greater Rochester International Airport, which is owned and operated by Monroe County.  It’s about 4 miles southwest of downtown. Most services are express services to larger airports, especially New York, Chicago, and Boston.

Directions

From Downtown Rochester, take 390 North Expressway to 490 East. Estimated drive time: 12 minutes.

Television

Cable
Time Warner provides cable access to Rochester, along with high speed internet access and other services.

Time Warner Cable
P.O. Box 994
Buffalo NY 14270
(800) 756-7956
www.timewarnercable.com

Radio

Newspapers

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
5 Exchange Blvd
Rochester, NY 14614
(800) 767-7539
www.democratandchronicle.com

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle is the city’s daily newspaper, and its circulation is around 175,000 daily.  The company also publishes two weeklies: The Rochester Insider, which is geared toward entertainment and young adults, and ConXion, geared toward the Latino population.

Performing Arts

Blackfriar’s Theatre
28 Lawn St
Rochester, NY 14607
(585) 454-1260
www.blackfriars.org

Named after a theater owned by William Shakespeare, Blackfriar’s has a variety of different shows that have be entertaining Rochester for 50 years.  The company produces 6 plays each season, everything from musicals to dramas and more.

Geva Theatre
75 Woodbury Blvd
Rochester, NY 14607
(585) 232-1366
www.gevatheatre.org

Gega Theatre is the most attended regional theatre in New York.  It seats over 500 in a renovated naval building on the main stage, and also has a second stage with contemporary performances and comedy.  The theater also produces a series for children.

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Museums

Corning Museum of Glass
One Corning Glass Center
Corning, NY 14830
(607) 937-5371
www.cmog.org

Corning is about 100 miles south of Rochester, but the glass museum here makes the day trip worth it.  Exhibits exploring the history of the art form and live demonstrations educate and entertain all at the same time.

Genesee Country Village and Museum
1410 Flint Hill Rd
Mumford, NY 14511
(585) 538-6822
www.gcv.org

Genesee Country Village is a restored, 1800s era village complete with a log cabin, farmhouse, homes, restaurants, shops, and actors garbed in period attire.  It’s about 20 miles southwest of Rochester and is the largest “living history museum” in the state.  It also has 175 acres with miles of hiking trails.

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Parks

Durand-Eastman Park
4319 Culver Rd
Rochester, NY 14622

This huge park on the shores of Lake Ontario has picnic areas, a golf course, and trails for hiking, cross country skiing, and horseback riding.

Highland Park
171 Reservoir Ave
Rochester, NY  14620

Highland Park hosts the Lilac Festival every May, which attracts thousands from around the world.  There’s also a conservatory, Vietnam memorial, historic castle, and more.  In the winter, there’s an ice skating rink.

Letchworth State Park
1 Letchworth State Park
Castile, NY 14427
(585) 493-3600

The “Grand Canyon of the East” is located about one hour south of Rochester in Letchworth State Park.  There towering waterfalls, 66 miles of hiking trails, horseback riding, biking, skiing, and more at this park.  There’s hotels and lodges in the park, along with plenty of camping space.

Attractions

Woodside Mansion
485 East Ave
Rochester, NY 14607
(585) 271-2705

The Woodside Mansion was built before the Civil War and is home to the Rochester Historical Society.

Casa Larga
2287 Turk Hill Rd
Fairport, NY 14450
(585) 223-4210
www.casalarga.com

Casa Larga is the only winery in Monroe County, and it’s open for visitors to walk the vineyards and see wine production from grape to glass.  The premises are beautiful, with a bell tower and vaulted ceilings in the Italian tradition.

Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse
70 Lighthouse St
Rochester, NY 14612
(585) 621-6179

This 40 foot lighthouse was built in 1922 and restored in 1984.  Its stone walls hold a museum and gift shop.

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Shopping

The Rochester Public Market
280 Union St N
Rochester, NY 14609
(585) 428-6907

The Public Market is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and many holidays.  It has plenty of fresh produces and meat, crafts, flowers, artwork, and more.

Eastview Mall
7979 Pittsford-Victor Road
Victor, NY 14564
(585) 223-3693
www.eastviewmall.com

Eastview is 20 minutes southeast of Rochester and is generally known as the premium mall in the area.  The stores tend to be upscale but not unattainable. There are around a couple hundred stores, six restaurants, and a theater on the premises.

Mall at Greece Ridge Center
271 Greece Ridge Center Drive
Rochester, NY 14626
(585) 225-1140 
www.greeceridgecenter.com

This mall is huge and has hundreds of specialty retailers and department stores.  It’s a nice mall filled with the type of businesses that you’d expect.

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Sports

Rochester was named the #1 city for minor league sports in the country by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal, and with 8 separate professional minor league teams it’s not difficult to see why.

Baseball
Rochester Red Wings
1 Morrie Silver Way
Rochester, NY 14608
(585) 454-1001
www.redwingsbaseball.com

The Red Wings are a Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins playing in the International League.  The team is publicly owned by the fans, and holds the record for the longest professional baseball game ever played, at a whopping 33 innings over the course of 3 separate days.

Hockey
Rochester Americans
1 War Memorial Sq
Rochester, NY 14614
(585) 454-5335
www.amerks.com

The “Amerks” compete in the American Hockey League at Blue Cross Arena.  They’re affiliated with the Buffalo Sabres.

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Education

Community Colleges
Community colleges exist for two major purposes. The first is to serve as a bridge from high school to college by providing courses for transfer toward a bachelor’s degree. Four out of 10 collegebound high-school graduates start their college education this way.

The second function of community colleges is to prepare students for the job market by offering entry-level career training as well as courses for adult students who want to upgrade their skills for the workplace. They often offer programs that are not available at four-year schools, like fashion design.

Liberal Arts Colleges
Liberal arts colleges offer a broad base of courses in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Most are private and focus mainly on undergraduate students. Classes tend to be small and personal attention is available.

Online Learning
Recent years have witnessed the rise of online degree programs, to allow the busy professional a chance to work at their own pace from the comfort of their home on the path to getting a degree. The costs to students are typically the same as for traditional classes— and financial aid is equally available—while the cost to the institution can be much less.

There are online universities ranging from legitimate distance learning systems to fly-by-night degree-mills. It’s important to research a particular institution before deciding to enroll in their system. Generally, brick-and-mortar schools that also offer online classes are the safest, though there are plenty of fully accredited online universities out there.

Nearly 3 million students are believed to be taking online classes at institutions of higher education in the United States this year. That number has been growing about 25% a year recently. Now, virtually all public higher education institutions, as well as a vast majority of private, for-profit institutions, now offer online classes. By contrast, only about half of private, nonprofit schools offer them. Online schools offer everything from Associate’s degrees to Doctoral programs with available emphases in everything from Business Administration to Criminal Justice to Nursing. Some programs require students to attend some campus classes or orientations, but many are delivered completely online. Online courses generally require a computer with a broadband connection, but are now a serious option for the busy professional.

Public vs. Private
Public colleges are usually less expensive, particularly for in-state residents. They get most of their money from the state or local government. Private colleges rely on tuition, fees, endowments, and other private sources. Private colleges are usually smaller and can offer more personalized attention and often more prestige.

Universities
Generally, a university is bigger than a college and offers more majors and research facilities. Class size often reflects institutional size and some classes may taught by graduate students.

Upper Division
Upper-division schools offer the last two years of undergraduate study, usually in specialized programs leading to a bachelor’s degree. Students then generally transfer to an upper-division college after completing an associate degree or after finishing a second year of study at a four-year college.

Voter Registration

New York Board of Elections
40 Steuben St
Albany, NY 12207
(518) 474-6220

To Vote in New York, you must be:
A United States citizen.
18 years old by the date of the election
Live at your current address at least 30 days prior to an election.
Not be in jail, or on parole, for a felony conviction.
Submit your registration application 25 days prior to the date of election.

You can register in person at the County Board of Elections or register when you apply for or renew your driver license.  Also, you can register by phone by calling (800) FOR-VOTE or by filling out a form online at the New York Board of Elections Website.

Higher Education

University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14627
(585) 275-2121
www.rochester.edu

The University of Rochester was called “one of the new Ivies” by Newsweek and is home to the Eastman School of Music, one of the top music programs in the country.

Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
1100 South Goodman St
Rochester, NY 14620
(585) 271-1320
www.crcds.edu

The school was founded in 1850 and is a theological college of Baptist origin.  The school has around 100 full time students.

St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry
120 French Rd
Rochester, NY 14618
(585) 271 3657
www.stbernards.edu

St. Bernard’s is a Roman Catholic school that has undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education courses.

Rochester Institute of Technology
One Lomb Memorial Dr
Rochester, NY 14623
(585) 475-2411
www.rit.edu

RIT is known for its science and technical programs.  It’s the 10^th largest private university in the country and is also home to one of the top deaf education programs.

Saint John Fisher College
3690 East Ave
Rochester, NY 14618
(585) 385-8000
www.sjfc.edu

Saint John Fisher is a Catholic college with Pharmacy, Nursing, Business, Education and Arts and Science programs.  It’s also home to the NFL’s Buffalo Bills training camp.

Roberts Wesleyan College
2301 Westside Dr
Rochester, NY 14624
(800) 777-4792
www.roberts.edu

Roberts Wesleyan is a Methodist school founded just post-Civil War.  It was on US News and World Reports Best Value list.

Nazareth College
4245 East Ave
Rochester, NT 14618
(585) 389-2525
www.naz.edu

Nazareth is a private, liberal arts college that has more than 60 different degree programs.  Community service is an important part of the school’s culture.

Monroe Community College
1000 East Henrietta Rd
Rochester, NY 14623
(585) 292-2000
www.monroecc.edu

Monroe Community College is home to the Mercer Gallery that features art from across the nation.

Public Schools

Rochester City School District
131 West Broad St
Rochester, NY 14614
(585) 262-8100
www.rcsdk12.org

The Rochester City School District provides education for 34,000 students in preschool through high school along with 11,000 adults.