Rochester, NY Reviews

easy commute - 5/5/2011
Because of Rochesters continued declining population, The infrastructure is old but built for a much larger population.
Those staying here will have an easy time of it for the most part.
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Moving to Rochester soon - 3/1/2011
Hi all! My family will probably be moving to Rochester from Arizona next year. Needless to say, we will have some adjusting to do in terms of weather and I'm sure even culture. We are excited for the change because Rochester sounds great. I do, however, need some help planning in terms of expenses.

My husband and I both work full time right now and we bring home just under 50K after taxes and medical insurance deductions. After we move, I'd like to work only part time so I can be with our kids more and my husband will be studying for his Doctorate degree with a stipend to help support us. What is the average family income in Rochester? I'm hoping we can live on $30K a year. Does this seem reasonable?

I have a good idea of some of our expenses as it does not seem like they will change that much. I don't, however, know how much utilities will run, how much auto gas we will use and how much oil (for heat in the winter) will cost. Could any of you give me an Read More

LLow Cost of Living Leads to Good Lifestyle - 12/28/2010
Rochester is an incredibly affordable place to live. I am in grad school and was able to buy a home. With a couple of roommates, I can cover my mortgage and taxes. The U of R is helping bring entrepreneurial innovation to the city in conjunction with incubators like High Tech Rochester. Move Read More

Extremely Underrated - 11/3/2010
We were apprehensive moving here given the negative image of Rochester that is held by many ("dying" upstate city, horrible weather, conservative, high taxes, etc.) While all of these extreme portrayals have some element of truth, by and large Rochester is a truly unique and wonderful place to live for a variety of reasons. The people are friendly, educated, and extremely open-minded when it comes to acceptance of all comers. The abundance of beautiful parks and recreational opportunities is almost overwhelming. The local education and health system is excellent. There is a shocking amount of culture for a city that has little national recognition. Overall, Rochester is a microcosm of a big-time city which results in a place that has everything minus traffic, a high cost of living, and too many people trying to do the same thing at once. After seven years in the New York metro area, we are absolutely delighted to have stumbled upon this hidden gem.  Read More

Rochester transportation - 11/2/2010
Pretty good bus system. No subways. Bus, train, and flight travel Read More

Rochester - 10/15/2010
Great schools, great colleges and universities, great people but harsh weather. It wears down on you. Read More

It used to be something - 3/23/2010
...back in the 1970's when Kodak employed the masses. This is officially a dead city, mainly supported by a grocery chain (Wegmans, that employs mostly part time workers and pays them crap wages), local private colleges, hospitals, call centers, and basically things that have no export value to produce real money and raise the regional GDP. The property taxes in New York State are very high and make property ownership a losing endeavor. Also there is a 7% income tax in the highest bracket (anything over $20k) and 8.25% sales tax. Unable to vote out the encrusted, tax and spend Democratic incumbents, people have been leaving this area in droves for decades. Those who stay however enjoy relatively short commute times and low housing prices. You may be able to afford the house, but you might not be able to pay the taxes! Also the weather in Rochester is unbearably cold and atrocious for much of the year, save for June, July, August and September. Read More

It's like Shangri-La, a little - 1/19/2010
People leave to some "better" city and....they come back.

Despite weather and taxes like Cold War Russia, we have terrific local food, beautiful parks, a great local music scene (including classical), wonderful old neighborhoods if that's what you want (and ugly new ones if that's what you want), reputable universities (often warranted), manageable size, distinct choices of vibe in distinct neighborhoods, a beautiful beach...I mean what do you want? Besides a little sunshine now and Read More

Snow - 1/12/2010
Too much Read More

Rochester, NY - 12/17/2009
Excellent value and housing Read More