Rochester, Minnesota; A great place to be from.
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3/4/2007
Rochester is a great place to be from. There are three major employers in the city, Mayo Clinic, IBM, and Walmart. The cost of living is rising, just like anywhere else. My property taxes have increased over 35% in the last two years. Minnesota state tax has been among the highest in the country for decades. The culture in Rochester is extremely conservative, with very little regard for creating a more appealing environment that would attract a more diverase cross section of people to the city. Downtown is made up of various Mayo owned properties, and the majority of the other real estate directly or indirectly supports Mayo functions (hotels, office space, and such). There are a few nightspots that I think more people would frequent if there were other reasons to come to downtown. Rochester has not seen a big name rock band since Bon Jovi was here in the early 90's. Things that could be percieved as unhealthy or adverse to the city or it's population are generally not welcomed here. Some of that is bad and some good. I think I've said enough for now.
Jeff | Rochester, MN