It's not perfect, but we love it here
-
12/28/2022
Rochester isn't perfect (I'll detail pros and cons), but it's certainly perfect for me and my husband. We've lived here for 4 years and are getting ready to purchase our first home here.
Pros:
-Affordable housing (you can still find beautiful/historic homes under 200k)
-Decent and affordable public transit if you live in the city (or immediately outside of the city) and a great city for bike commuting
-All four seasons
-Traffic is not a concern compared to other cities like the DMV area or NYC
-It's the perfect size - I truly believe mid-sized cities are up and coming (it's not too big and overwhelming like NYC but not too small where you're bored all the time)
-So many festivals, farmers markets, flea markets, etc
-So much history and pride in this city
-Proximity to Canadian border makes for fun and quick weekend trips
-Climate Haven - Rochester, like many other cities in the Northern US (Madison WI, Chicago IL, Buffalo NY, etc) is in the goldilocks zone for the future of climate change
Cons:
-Crime - like others have said, the crime is very concerning and is something we're always mindful of but thankfully we've never had any scary experiences in the 4 yrs we've lived here
-Not many options for townhomes and condos if you're not interested in purchasing a single-family home
-Not many options for supermarkets outside of Wegmans. It obviously dominates the city but it would be nice to have other decent options (ex: Whole Foods)
-So much snow! Our winters can be ROUGH to get through and honestly has made me consider moving a few times lol, but the pros outweigh the cons. The upside is all of the winter activities and our proximity to ski/mountain resorts like Ellicottville and Bristol Mountain.
That's all I could think of right now! But I highly recommend visiting Rochester for yourself to see all it has to offer! We love the Flower City!
Jahasia | Rochester, NY