Living in Rochester
Rochester is a wonderfully livable community. It is a mid-sized city that offers a great range of cultural activities, including an incredible music scene (in part because of the presence of the Eastman School of Music); numerous festivals, including the annual Jazz Festival and the Lilac Festival; a large number of outstanding restaurants; and great public school systems. At the same time, the cost of living is very low (many residents own houses), and traffic and commute times are minimal. And then there’s Wegmans—consistently voted the best grocery store in the US for a reason.
It takes literally minutes to go from anywhere in Rochester to one of the beautiful parks in the greater Rochester area or to get outside of town to enjoy an enormous range of outdoor activities in the Finger Lakes region, including skiing, wine tasting, and spectacular hikes (such as along the gorges in Letchworth Park and Watkins Glen).
A common misconception is that the weather in Rochester is bad. In fact, winters are less cold than in many other major US cities, with an average high temperature in January (the coldest month) of 32 degrees F; sure, we get snow, but many residents embrace and celebrate the snow, which offers great skiing, snowshoeing, and sledding options. The spring, summer and fall are all wonderfully enjoyable.
And home ownership is common among our residents and fellows. The University has partnered with the city of Rochester and local banks to incentivize residents with up to $20,000 credit toward the purchase of a house in the neighborhoods near the University and Medical Center. Learn more about this amazing program.
A Few of Our Favorite Things About Rochester
I enjoy trying all the diverse bars and restaurants around town with friends and family. I also like to visit the Finger Lakes where there are so many different wineries/breweries, hikes, and towns to explore. I also enjoy trying out the many local golf courses around."
I love hanging out in the parks nearby and can often be found up a tree with a book. There's access to beaches and the river for kayaking. I'm also finally learning to ski!"
One of my favorite places in Rochester is on the towpath along the Erie Canal. That is where my husband proposed to me, and we love taking walks with our dog there."
The parks and beautiful foliage. Love all the festivals. The town is full of arts and culture. Everyone is super friendly!”
RESTAURANTS! So much food diversity at a range of prices. Also the numerous local parks - Durand Eastman, Highland, Cobbs Hill, Mendon Ponds, etc. There are also so many attractions within driving distance; Toronto, NYC, Boston, Philly, nature in Vermont, Maine, NH.”I'm a latte lover and love perusing through the various coffee spots in Rochester with my favorite being Glen Edith Coffee Roasters on Elton Street. There are also great hiking/running trails in the area including the Genesee Valley Trail and Letchworth Park that I enjoy exploring with my husband, who is a radiology resident here. Situated in the Finger Lakes Region, the Rochester area also has plenty of other attractions that we enjoy including Watkins Glen and waterways. In the fall, apple picking is a must-do and, in the winters, we enjoy going to Holiday Valley (about a 2 hour drive away) where there are great skiing and snowboarding slopes."
Lots of access to parks both city and state, affordable great food and restaurants, accessible outdoors, and fun community events throughout the year.”
Affordable cost-of-living (we bought a house with a yard for our dog), excellent public libraries with large children's areas for my child, the YMCA in Pittsford (also amazing for the baby, and we get reduced membership rates through URMC), and the local hiking.”