Not a city for the self sufficient law abiders - 11/1/2021

Roch (and Minnesota) is a great place IF you live off the govt dole; subsidize undesirable things (through generous welfare benefits, lax law enforcement and sentences, sanctuary cities, low income housing, social promotion in schools, etc.) while punishing desirable things like making things, obeying the law, earning money, having personal responsibility, starting businesses, being thrifty, living conservative values, and being self-reliant. There is so much "other" stuff to support in this town, add in Mayo wanting tax payers to subsidize all the stuff they want.

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Bad for progressive thinkers and diversity - 10/30/2020

Rochester is very vanilla. As a progressive, this place is not good. The area leans conservative and you'll see Trump signs everywhere... so that tells you the type of mentality that dominates here. The drivers are the worst I've seen since living in Georgia/ Florida. I'm going to invest in a dash cam and make a YouTube channel about it. Not only will you get mowed down in a crosswalk or have someone constantly riding your bumper in icy conditions or honking at you if you go the speed limit, but at least three times a week people, I get stuck behind a driver that stops in the middle of the road or blocks traffic for no visible reason. Folks are very inconsiderate and it's maddening. They're most often old, white people in expensive cars or country bunkins in oversized trucks. I don't mind the cold winters, but it's frequently -15F or below December through March. Then you get hit with hot, humid summers that are unbearable if you don't have forced air conditioning. Because of the two extremes, utilities can be pretty pricey. We didn't get a spring or fall transition this year. We just went from cold to hot and back to cold again. Other folks have already mentioned the high cost of living. A semi-decent apartment from the 1980s will run you about $1,400 a month for a two bedroom. The lower end apartments on the bad side of town go for around $1,000 a month. Most people from Rochester have been born and raised locally so you don't get a lot of worldliness or outside views unless you're a doctor at the Mayo Clinic hired from afar. The water quality is also very, very bad due to insecticide runoff from the Mississippi River. We've had to live off bottled water since we got here. Lucky for us, we're not here for the long haul.

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Too cold for too long - 1/26/2020

I moved here over 20 years ago from California and I was in shock for the first couple of years that people actually lived in such a cold climate! Winter starts around October and ends around May. It's just ridiculous. On the upside, it's been a good safe place to raise my sons and affordable. That's all changing now that Mayo has decided to become a destination medical center. A studio rents for about 900.00 a month now. There's not a lot to do here either, not that I leave my house in the Winter unless I have to. I'm about ready to retire now and am thinking of moving somewhere warmer where I can actually enjoy life instead of being stuck inside watching tv for 6 months out of the year. I've lived a lot of places and one thing I will say is there are plenty of jobs here. The problem now is you'll need 2 or 3 of them just to afford rent. I still work part-time and most of the people I work with have a ful-time job and a part-time job or work overtime to make ends meet. Even then it's hard if anything out of the ordinary coms up. Property taxes jump up around 100.00 every year. I pay about 140.00 a month just in property taxes now and I'm on the low end. If you ask me, if people are going to live where it's so freezing cold most of the year they should at least be given a break on rent and taxes. It's sad that Florida and Arizona are so much cheaper and warmer too! This will most likely be my last Winter in Minnesota. I'm too old for this kind of cold.

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F*** You, Rochester, and F*** Minnesota. - 5/21/2019

Rochester's kind of like one of those little chocolates with the bright, cheery candy shell. Except the insides aren't chocolate. Living costs are creeping up and up and up as we start to feel the full effects of the Destination Medical Center project. Housing costs are getting ridiculous. 500 a month for an efficiency apartment that didn't even have a kitchen sink - it had a hot plate and a microwave on a wire cart, parked on carpet. The realtor suggested I wash dishes in the constrictive shower or the bathroom sink. The apartment itself was claustrophobic as all get out. This isn't even out of the ordinary. (Best part, SOMEONE TOOK THAT APARTMENT.) Lots of new apartments going up. Can you guess what kind? That's right, LUXURY apartments! Oh yeah. None for you, filthy lower-class plebeians! Go live in one of the exurbs, like Byron or Kasson or Stewartville, we don't want your service-industry-working non-doctor self here! Can't commute? Too bad, sucker. Property taxes are getting bad enough that a lot of local businesses can't keep up. I've seen at least a dozen different businesses shutter, restructure/relocate or reduce operating hours over the course of the last 18 months or so. Mayo snags employees from surrounding businesses at alarming rates, but don't let that make you think any of these businesses want to hire you! Oh no. Want to bag groceries because you need a paycheck? Screw you. We'll just hire a high-schooler or something, you can pound sand, chump. Did you think that if you stayed away from Marion Road you'd be safe? Think again! Have a drive-by, just a stone's throw from downtown! Also, watch out for the many homeless in the area, they can be pretty aggressive! And don't count on the police to do anything about it. They can't even be bothered to run a squad car by your apartment building when someone attempts to rip the knob off your apartment's front door. They don't care. No one cares. Drivers think they have a God-given right to make a right turn here and boy you better be careful about stepping into that crosswalk, Walk signal or no. I mean, hell, I nearly got run down by a LEFT turner, when I was in the crosswalk BEFORE THEY HAD EVEN STARTED THEIR TURN. Pedestrians are speedbumps in Rochester, and drivers will be happy to remind you of your place on the traffic food chain. But, I mean, after you lose your job due to restructuring or whatever, get shot at, hit by cars, and run out of money, you can count on the Mayo Clinic to nurse you back to health for a sum that'll make you wish they had just let you die with some kind of dignity. It's all good. Rochester's the nicest tomb you'll ever die in.

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Rochester, MN is a Midwest Gem - 4/23/2019

I lived in Rochester for over 2 decades. It's quite a gem in the Midwest. A metropolitan up and coming city. Home to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic. It is easy to get around and extremely safe with one of the lowest crime rates in the country. It's also a great place to raise kids. Shopping and dining choices are abundant. I found the business community to be dynamic for people of all ages. Rochester is a great place for medical care. The Mayo Clinic performs miracles every day that don't happen anywhere else in the world. Cost of living is reasonable. Yes - winters can be rough (duh-it's in the Midwest) but there are festivals and activities that embrace the season like Social Ice. If you're not a winter person, like I'm not, the city is designed for indoor people. I used the skyway and subway systems for my winter walks. Summers in Rochester, MN are the best! Beauty abounds with abundant trees, parks and gardens. There's always something to do. Destination Medical Center is bringing a great deal of positive innovation-The downtown is going through a beautiful renovation and the plans are quite exciting with more green spaces and people-friendly areas. There are tons of biking and hiking trails! You can literally bike across the entire city because of the trail system. If you're looking for a smaller to midtown city, you should consider Rochester, MN

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Why does winter have to last so long? - 9/7/2018

First off, I will start with the good. Rochester is small enough not to have the problems of bigger cities, not yet at least. Traffic is pretty decent, though it does seem to be getting worse. The crime rate is pretty low for a city it's size and the overall infrastructure seems to be fairly well maintained. I have lived here almost 8 years and never had a power outage. Rochester is also big enough to have many of the things that big cities offer. There are many excellent restaurants, especially downtown and many more seem to be arriving all the time. In fact the city seems to be growing very fast, but not too fast. There are plenty of shopping options and there are some concerts once and a while at the civic center, but I wish there were more. However, it is close enough to the twin cities, an hour and a half, that one could head there for a concert or sporting event every now and then. Now the bad, and the absolute number one bad thing about living here is the weather. I am originally from Southern California, so go figure. The worst in my opinion, is of course the winter. It's bitterly cold and snowy and very, very long. Winter is at least five to six months, so if you like that, you'll love it. I don't. I have heard people here say, "Well, you get all four seasons!" That is true, however the worst season is the longest. When winter lasts six months, there's not much time for the other three. Do the math. But it is Minnesota and I should have known better. After 8 winters, I am done. The other thing about Rochester, and I do consider this a bad thing, is the Mayo Clinic. It dominates the entire city. Their buildings are everywhere and they are so full of themselves they feel they can do no wrong. Don't believe me, just google "escape from Mayo Clinic" I am not saying the clinic is bad, just that they are overrated and this comes from personal experience. They have some of the best specialists in the world, I will give them that, however their family practice is horrible. If you move here, do yourself a favor and get a doctor at Olmsted Medical Center, not Mayo. So, would I recommend Rochester to people? Yes, if you can handle the winter. There are a lot of worse places to live

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Med City - 2/14/2016

Looks like I have to write something here prior to commenting on other people's posts, so here goes. Outside of climate, Rochester, MN is a great place to live. With a population nearing 115,000, it's MN's 3rd largest city and home of the original Mayo Clinic. The city is large enough to have an appreciation of the Arts, but not so large that it has lost all of its "small town" feel. The crime rate is very low here and there are recreational/biking trails all over the city. How bad can it be? The Dalai Lama comes here all the time ;-)

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From the view of a Midwesterner - 6/10/2013

I am an upper 20-something, young married individual with no children and 2 small dogs. I grew up in a town of about 13,000 people in Iowa, went to college in a town of 5,000 for 4 years, lived in Bangor, Wales, UK for a semester, and lived in Bloomington, IN for 3 years before I moved here. Here is my honest and as thorough of a review that I can give of Rochester, MN: We moved here in the fall of 2011 and 'endured' a very mild winter by Minnesota standards (meaning, only 1 week of temperatures consistently below 0 degrees Fahrenheit). We have found the town of Rochester to be big enough to have a decent amount of things to do (we're more outdoorsy people, so night clubs were not high on our priority list of things to do). There are a ton of movie theaters, a few bowling alleys, quite a few parks with trails to hike, 2 dog parks, several fitness centers, lots of BIKE trails (more on this later), decent restaurants (more are coming into town all the time to add a bit more diversity to the restaurant selection), and quite a few places to shop (including a really nice outdoor adventure retail store that I say is like a locally owned R.E.I.). To many, that's not a lot of things, and I know there is more than I listed, we just don't really have the income to visit them (like any shows/events at the Mayo Civic Center, for example). Rochester is a large town that has a small town feel. Over the course of time, you start to recognize people you've seen at different places. Lots of people have lots of different connections all over the place, so if you join any sort of group, you're bound to meet more people through your first group of people. People dabble in lots of different things here to keep themselves busy. As far as traffic goes, if you're from a small town, Rochester is busy--all the time. If you're from a metropolitan area, traffic is nothing. Here's my perspective: it really doesn't take that long to get from one place to another, as the city is actually made for its population. All of the busiest roads (that I know of) are 4 lanes in the most concentrated parts where people are driving most often. The roads are fairly well maintained, though the city has a really bad habit of repairing potholes in the cheapest way possible, so come next weekend, that hole will be back and they have to fix it again. I wish they would just fork out the money and fix the craters WELL the first time so they wouldn't return. The frost-thaw-refreeze cycle of the 2 winters we've lived through here in Rochester really makes those little holes in the road very bad come about January/February. My last point about driving in this town is that there are 2 rush-hours. I'm not sure when the morning one starts, but I'd say the worst of it is from 7am-9am, especially 7-8am. The next rush is from 3-6pm. While there are no traffic jams, the pace of movement is considerably slower and much more congested. The longest line of cars I have seen during rush hour has been about a half mile long on Broadway/Hwy 63. I know this line is longer on Highway 14 up to Civic Center drive, as lots of people commute to work from Byron and farther out. I'm just not sure how long it stretches, but someone who commutes from that way could confirm that. Our 2nd winter had much more cold and snow, but it still wasn't horribly cold or snowy like it is farther up north in this state. It was consistently below 30 degrees all winter though, and when it was super windy (which happens any time the weather changes here), the cold really bites. Most people don't spend that much time outside in the winter, so it really doesn't matter that much. If you do spend lots of time outside, you get used to it--there are lots of winter activities (Snowshoeing, sledding, XC Skiing, etc.) to enjoy both in Rochester and the surrounding area (ex: many people go skiing at Welch Village Ski Resort). Spring is my favorite time of year in Rochester for 2 reasons. You must know that I'm a big people-watcher before I say the next thing. The first reason I love spring in Rochester is because all the people come outside--it's like all the bears coming out of hibernation. I think it's quite comical, as they never seemed to exist until the weather is warmer. The 2nd reason is because Rochester is a Tree City USA and has tons of flowering trees, as well as many avid gardeners. There are so many flowers to be seen, especially in the downtown area near the central part of the Mayo medical complex. Driving through people's neighborhoods is quite enjoyable to see flowers and nice landscaping (well, most neighborhoods where we go). Speaking of neighborhoods, we live on the north side of town, about a mile north of downtown. We have a taste of the ghetto apartment complexes north of us and of the kind house owners we live amongst (we are renting a house). Before we moved here, we were told to stay away from the southeast part of town, because that is where most of the 'undesirable' people live. Now that we've lived here, we understand why a little bit. Let me just put it this way, when the cars parked in the neighborhood are too nice compared to the appearance of the houses, there's something wrong. I know some really great people who live in this neighborhood, but they, too, understand the differences between Pill Hill (where the doctors live), all the outskirts area where the 'respectable' people live, and the people on the south side. I'm sure I'll offend some people who read this, but here's a bit of insight into the type of people we are: even though we don't have a lot of money, we're still good people who strive to have a decent quality of life, getting along with our neighbors/trying to live in harmony with those around us. It's frustrating when you don't have a lot of money, you then get grouped in with lots of people who don't care about quality of life as much and live a dumpy way, that is extremely inconsiderate of those around you. Hopefully you kind of get where we're coming from at least a little bit. As non-parents, we don't know a whole lot about the education system, but we do know that "there's something in the water here", if you catch our drift. Babies are popping out everywhere! The average age is 35, and most people here are very concerned with raising families. We think Rochester is as good a place as any for this; it's relatively clean and Mayo is a really good health system. Minnesota nice. It's so true. They'll smile at you in public and will give you directions anywhere, except their own house. It's difficult to make friends here. Most people seem content staying in with their families and the friends they already know. You really have to put yourself out there to make friends, and even then people still might avoid the commitment of friendship with you the new person. This is such a weird phenomenon given the fact that this town is bunch of transplants from everywhere (it's really hard to meet a born and bred local). While this adds to the diversity of the area, it causes the city to lose its small-town feel, as the children raised here don't stay here. I see this as a problem, and have always felt a bit unsettled here for the aforementioned reasons. I've written about the roads, but I haven't written about the drivers. Despite the bike trails, and the few roads with bike paths painted onto them, this isn't really a bike friendly town. Please read the comments written by the walking woman farther down on this comment list to see more. Drivers of cars don't appreciate bikes being on the road, because they take away from the driving space the cars 'need'. I've heard many a tale of a biker being yelled at simply for riding on the road. Bikers have to be tough-skinned to drive these roads with these drivers. The drivers do have a point though--many bikers fail to respect the fact that traffic signs and signals were meant for all individuals on the road, not just those with motorized engines. The real bikers know the rules of the road, though there are a few cocky exceptions. It's really the casual riders you have to worry about on the roads. Anyway, back to the drivers. Picture this: Kind of slow, casual midwestern drivers mixed with crazy, intense, always-seem-to-be-in-a-hurry + nobody-else-on-the-road-matters-but-me drivers (I like to categorize the latter drivers as those from the east coast and big metropolitan cities). As you can probably imagine, this makes for rather harrowing driving situations at times. Add to this the fact that there are people paying more attention to their phone than the road, people who refuse to turn their heads to see if anyone might be beside them when they want to change lanes without signaling, and the other unpredictable factors of driving, and it can be a mess. In the winter, you have those from the south with 4-wheel drive cars who think that is the solution to driving on icy roads too. If you're always a defensive driver, you'll be fine, just please drive at least the speed limit in this town or else you're a danger to all the other drivers. Next thing: Pedestrians rarely pay attention to their own traffic signals. This makes actually trying to obey them as a driver much more difficult when pedestrians are walking out on an orange hand, and you have a green arrow to turn. Add to this the last minute pedestrian when the light is turning yellow for the drivers (usually 2-3) out in the middle of the intersection, and you can expect to always have a long delay getting through traffic lights, especially in the downtown area. Now for the bike trails. Rochester has a fairly extensive bike trail system that is quite nice. Most of it is really smooth, and is super nice to ride a road bike on. It's true that there are parts where you have to cross a road, but most that I've encountered aren't that busy. As both a biker and a dog walker on these trails, I understand both perspectives. First of all, even though they are called BIKE trails, all signage makes them out to be pedestrian trails, because bikers are always supposed to yield to everyone else. The problem with that comes when you've got the group of 2-6 people walking on the trail, but taking up the entire trail. The biker yields, and basically comes to a stop, while the walkers hog the whole trail--not very fair or considerate. When you're trying to get in a good ride, it's frustrating to have to slow down for these types of people, especially when you call out that you're coming up behind them and they take their sweet, sweet time to move. Add to this the people who are plugged in--they can't even hear you coming. So when a bike flies by a pedestrian, part of the reason is because they're naturally faster than pedestrians, and part is because they're actually able to get by a person without having to stop. I get this as a pedestrian who has been speedily passed by silent bikers. I try to keep my dogs out of the way, and haven't had any complaints from either side on my dog walking habits or my biking habits. I'm sure there is much more I could write about this town, but my post is long enough as it is. Overall, I like it, but Rochester is a relatively expensive place to live--all the special events are priced towards those who can easily afford an average of $30 a person (IBM and doctor-folk). The economy is relatively good here, and if you can learn how to be content with a service job, finding a basic job to pay the bills is easy (though don't be surprised if you have to have more than 1 to get by!). Check out city-data.com to see the cost of living index--it's above the national average of 100, but not as high as large metropolitan areas. As I mentioned before, I've always felt a bit unsettled here--I'd rather live in a slightly more established place, where the locals actually want to stay, in addition to some new people moving in. Rochester is nice, it's just not for me--especially not with the increase in many of Minnesota's taxes this next year (2013).

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Cold - 9/24/2012

The cold winters are too cold and last too long for me.

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Best of both worlds - 8/31/2011

I recently moved from Dallas, TX to Rochester, MN. It has been quite a shock to say the least. However, the cultural diversity despite the small town feel is great. There is plenty to keep you entertained and best of all it is all so close to you! It only takes a few minutes to get from one side of town to the other and you never have to deal with traffic. You have the best medical care with Mayo and with IBM headquarters here it is also a rising star in the tech field.

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Rochester, Minnesota - 2/26/2011

First off the positive, Rochester is a nice city,with a population of around 100K, its a nice size, easy to get around and a good clean safe palce to live, with Mayo Clinic, World Class Medical Care being its number 1 asset. Its a great place to go when your are in need of medical care, thats for sure. Unfortunately,it is Minnesota, and with that comes a very difficult climate that beats you up with a vengence, and Winter is a season that dosen't seem to want to leave very fast.Winters icy grip takes a toll everything it touches, the roads, buildings,nature,homes,cars, and most brutal to your body, your health both mental and physical. It has no mercy, you feel older than you are, every injury you ever had lets you know when the icy cold touches your body, your skin drys up with the heated homes and you look 10 years older after one winter. It is a hard life in this climate, I have lived in kinder,gentler climates and prefer it and seek to return to that asap.

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Minnesota Nice - 10/27/2010

I've been here for a couple years now for work. Like others have said it's great if you're married with kids. In my experience the people aren't that nice, they just pretend to be. They call it "Minnesota Nice", which I guess is another way of saying fake. Of course some people are incredible, but in general, I've been shocked at the unfriendliness of people here. They claim diversity, which could be true but the mindset and stares of the people make you feel unwelcome if you're not of the majority. You can always tell when someone isn't from around here because they will speak to you out of the blue. It feels like they are stuck in the past and have no intentions on changing. They've had exhibits on cultural diversity and advertisments about it, which to me says a lot about what lacks here. Kudos to the people trying to educate others on how to be more open minded. Don't come here just for a job because the location and the community matter just as much as the employment.

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The Goods and Bads - 5/10/2010

I was born and raised in Rochester. Last year I moved to Clarksville, TN and I saw some differences. Minnesota in itself is cold. The temperatures are bad for anyone who likes a little warmth. I have heard, however, that the people there are great. I personally, felt that was partially true. Also, they are better drivers. They know to be cautious in bad weather and sometimes you'll have those bad drivers no matter where you go. If you like alot of diversity, races, and culture. Rochester is the place to be. I personally, don't like the feeling of having to look over my shoulder periodically. I'm sorry, but I feel the town is overrun with Somali people. The jobs suck. Like another person wrote, unless you are going to work for IBM or the Mayo clinic, you're out of luck. They do have a community college, but the whole town has no feel of community. After hours, there is nothing to do. You have your bars, and a dirty old club that needs serious updating and sterilization. Other then that, the closest thing that may be of some interest lies in the Twin Cities. Rochester's schools are terrible. They are too big for anyone to get a proper education. Not only that, but they used to have a park that was filled with geese. I mean, overpopulated....like a new york population. They were everywhere. Well, this was a popular and a landmark, but now they have shoo'ed away all the geese and any tradition we had before. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I'm glad to have the bike paths cleaner. I'd say the only good thing that Rochester, MN has to offer, other then family time, is bike trails. We don't have any here in Clarksville, but there is nothing special about the town at all.

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Bad neighbors - 4/30/2009

Have lived here most of my life, however in the last 10-20 years the nice neighborhoods within 5 miles of town have become filled with undesirable people buying these more affordable homes, bringing in low moral values and loud party/motorcycle/monster truck type younger people. To get away from this you have to be able to afford a very expensive home in the very outskirts of town and pay very high taxes, over and above the already high taxes we pay in MN. I don't recommend living here unless you work at Mayo as a doctor or nurse and can afford the nicer neighborhoods and don't want to bike to work. Biking and walking are not easy in this city, either. Not to mention the frigid temps from October through April, and very high humidity from May to September!

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Nice Small Town - 4/3/2009

Rochester is a nice small town. Mayo Clinic, 2nd best health care provider in the world is based here. So why move? Winters! It's just plan to cold!

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Crime - 3/27/2009

This is a fantastic place to live and work. With that said I believe it sends a message when your area growth since 2000 is 13% yet your Public Safety growth fails in comparison. An even stronger message is when some of the community is trying to organize the "Guardian Angels" to patrol city streets. To me that says, "We need more Police".

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Grew up in Rochester, will never return. - 11/12/2008

Rochester was a great place to grow up. Good quality and fairly diverse schools; the town is small enough to bike anywhere in less than 20 minutes. That said, I will never move back. Rochester is somewhat culturally stuck in the early 80's. There are 3 classic rock radio stations for a city the size of almost 100,000. Go to any bar (pretty much only sports bars) in the city and all you hear is classic rock as well. It's almost like going back in time in a way. Even the local television station and newspaper don't yet seem to have technology or advertising capabilities past 1985. It's very strange. Beyond that, it's a very boring town with limited job opportunities. If you can't get a job at Mayo or IBM, you really have no choice but to work at a low paying retail or hospitality job. But if you can get a job at one of the two places, and your only plans are raising children- it's the best place to be.

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Great place to raise kids - 9/22/2008

Rochester is a great city to raise kids in. Lots of nice parks and bike trails. Good schools. Friendly people.

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Really Nice - 5/12/2008

Rochester has over 60 miles of milti-use paved paths for bicycling, walking, walking your dog, etc. There are two dog parks and it is very rare to see a dog being walked off lead. The city is surrounded by wooded hills and many of the houses are backed up against hills with wooded back yards. The first three springs here a doe gave birth in the wooded back yard next to mine even though and I live in a well established area. I've lived here for 5 years and rarely hear a siren and feel safe walking my dogs alone. Public transportation (cab or bus) is accessible. Many people bicycle to work and to run errands, some even year-round. Snow removal is excellent and people keep their sidewalks clear of snow as well. The air is cool and fresh and often actually sweet smelling, usually with a breeze which keeps you cool in the summer and the insects at bay. You should know Minnesota is one of the states with higher taxes but you actually get something back from paying them. I'm very happy to live here.

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Rochester, Minnesota - 4/10/2008

Rochester is a great place to raise a family!

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