Rochester, New York
City in New York, United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Rochester (/ˈrɒtʃɛstər, -ɪs-/) is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census.[3] Located in Western New York, the city of Rochester forms the core of a larger metropolitan area with a population of 1 million people, across six counties. The city was one of the United States' first boomtowns, initially due to the fertile Genesee River Valley, which gave rise to numerous flour mills, and then as a manufacturing center, which spurred further rapid population growth.[4]
Rochester | |
|---|---|
 (left to right, top to bottom) the Eastman Theater at the Eastman School of Music; First Federal Plaza building; Xerox, Legacy (formerly Bausch & Lomb), and Metropolitan (formerly Chase) towers; Downtown Rochester skyline; Rush Rhees Library at the University of Rochester; Sacred Heart cathedral; row houses in the Grove Place neighborhood | |
 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
| Nickname(s): "The Flour City", "The Flower City", "The World's Image Center" | |
 Location in Monroe County and the State of New York | |
  Rochester  Rochester  Rochester | |
| Coordinates: 43°9′56″N 77°36′41″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Region | Western New York; Genesee Valley |
| Metro | Rochester metropolitan area, New York |
| County | Monroe |
| Founded | 1788; 235 years ago (1788) |
| Incorporated (village) | March 21, 1817; 206 years ago (1817-03-21) (as Rochesterville)[1] |
| Incorporated (city) | April 28, 1834; 189 years ago (1834-04-28) |
| Named for | Nathaniel Rochester |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Mayor | Malik Evans (D) |
| • City council | List
|
| Area | |
| • City | 37.17 sq mi (96.27 km2) |
| • Land | 35.76 sq mi (92.62 km2) |
| • Water | 1.41 sq mi (3.65 km2) 3.6% |
| Highest elevation | 702 ft (214 m) |
| Lowest elevation | 230 ft (70 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • City | 211,328 |
| • Rank | US: 108th NY: 4th |
| • Density | 5,909.45/sq mi (2,281.62/km2) |
| • Urban | 704,327 (US: 62nd) |
| • Urban density | 2,413.5/sq mi (931.9/km2) |
| • Metro | 1,067,486 (US: 52nd) |
| Demonym | Rochesterian |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 146xx (14604=downtown) |
| Area code | 585 |
| FIPS code | 36-63000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0962684 |
| Interstates |    |
| Website | cityofrochester.gov |
Rochester rose to prominence as the birthplace and home of some of America's most iconic companies, in particular Eastman Kodak, Xerox, and Bausch & Lomb (along with Wegmans, Gannett, Paychex, Western Union, French's, Constellation Brands, Ragú, and others), by which the region became a global center for science, technology, and research and development. This status has been aided by the presence of several internationally renowned universities (notably the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology) and their research programs; these schools, along with many other smaller colleges, have played an increasingly large role in Greater Rochester's economy.[5] Rochester has also played a key part in US history as a hub for certain important social and political movements, especially abolitionism[6] and the women's rights movement.[7]
Today, Rochester's economy is defined by technology and education (aided by a highly educated workforce, research institutions, and other strengths born in its past).[8] The city experienced significant population decline due to deindustrialization in the late 20th century. However, its bedrock companies such as Eastman Kodak and Xerox shrank much less severely than the heavy industry steel companies in Buffalo and Pittsburgh), and most Rust Belt metro areas. With strong growth in the education and healthcare sectors boosted by elite universities, the Rochester metropolitan area is the third-largest regional economy in New York, after the New York City metropolitan area and the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Area.[9] Rochester's gross metropolitan product is US$50.6 billion—above those of Albany and Syracuse, but below that of Buffalo.[10]
Rochester is also known for its culture, in particular its music culture; institutions such as the Eastman School of Music (considered to be one of the most prestigious conservatories in the world) and the Rochester International Jazz Festival anchor a vibrant music industry, ranked as one of the top-10 music scenes in the US in terms of the concentration of musicians and music-related business.[11] It is the site of multiple major festivals every year (such as the Lilac Festival, the aforementioned Jazz Festival, the Rochester Fringe Festival, and others that draw hundreds of thousands of attendees each) and is home to several world-famous museums such as The Strong National Museum of Play and the George Eastman Museum, which houses the oldest photography collection in the world and one of the largest.[12]
The Rochester metro is ranked highly in terms of livability and quality of life[13] and is often considered to be one of the best places in America for families[14][15] due to low cost of living, highly ranked public schools and a low unemployment rate. It is considered to be a global city, ranked by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network as having sufficiency status.[16]