Anyone who plans on moving to Rochester, NY, will naturally have questions about what they can expect. That means you should research what you can learn about New York state and its cities beforehand.
You should not only compare it to the national average and learn about moving to Rochester, NY, but also get your questions answered. Doing so will help you move as you learn what Rochester Americans can expect in the area.
Rochester at a Glance
If you look into Rochester, NY, statistics, the city has roughly 210,606 Rochester residents. The town has plenty of residents and takes up some space available, giving you multiple options and points to consider as you move to Rochester, NY.
Rochester Real Estate Market
Speaking of New York State, you’ll want to look into real estate while moving to Rochester. The median value of Rochester real estate is approximately $113K, which is significantly lower than the surrounding areas.
The real estate supply in Rochester, NY, includes suburban, wood-siding homes for sale, multi-family units, and low-, mid-, and high-rise apartment complexes. This means that the city welcomes everyone from young professionals getting into their first home to established families seeking more space and a laid back environment.
Compared to areas like Washington, DC, which has a home average of over $641K, you’ll notice that Rochester homes are priced well below the national average. As for a good New York state neighborhood, you should try Marketview Heights North and South.
Cost of Living in Rochester
As you look into moving to Rochester, NY, you should review the cost of living and evaluate the quality of life in the city. The overall cost of living index in Rochester is 83.2, low compared to the national average (100) and the rest of the state of New York (121.5).
If you want to know a general living wage for Rochester, NY, you should make about $33,000 before taxes if you live alone and $54,000 if you’re married.
The cost of living will naturally increase for those with children, and if you compare it to other parts of New York, such as New York City, it’ll be lower than those regions. The family average in the United States is $49,000, and Rochester, NY, is above the national average.
Schools in Rochester
You should also review the excellent schools you’ll encounter throughout Rochester, such as Cornell University, Cobbles Elementary School, Barker Road Middle School, and Brighton High School. That means you’ll find multiple public schools in Rochester if you look into private or public schools.
You’ll notice that the University of Rochester is one of the highest-rated colleges in the country. Considering this alongside the Rochester Institute of Technology and other colleges, you can rest easy knowing you or your children will have great colleges and education.
Economy in Rochester
Over 60% of the population over 16 has a job, showing that Rochester has a decent employment rate, making the unemployment rate around 40%. That means you can find a career in the area if you run into issues with your job, but you’ll need to search.
As for industries and the top employers, you have the University of Rochester, Wegmans Food Markets, the Rochester General Health System, and even Xerox. So if you want to work in food, health care, and other industries, you’ll have work if you don’t mind the commute times.
More About Moving to Rochester, NY
Whether you want to live in downtown Rochester, Greater Rochester, or other areas, you should learn more about the large city. Then, as you look into the excellent food and opportunities in Rochester, NY, you’ll see why you should live there and enjoy the Greater Rochester area.
Winter Wonderland
Rochester remains an excellent option for winter weather, especially if you’re a sports enthusiast. Not only can you enjoy the winter conditions, but you can go outdoors and enjoy various sports, including skiing, snowboarding, and hockey.
You’ll notice that Rochester has large amounts of snow, sometimes getting as much as 90 inches of snow during the coldest months. Since you have plenty of snow alongside the lake-effect snow, you’ll have many opportunities for hockey games and similar activities as you live there.
However, you must note that the average commute time will increase during the cold season. Sure, it’ll be nice and quicker during the summer months, but you’ll come across those slower times, so prepare accordingly, especially if you move during the hottest month.
While the warmer months won’t have many issues weather-wise, the winter month will have ice and slippery roads, so be careful during the harsh winters. You may even want to put chains on your tires to stop them from getting stuck in the snow, so you’ll remain safe during commutes.
Excellent Food
Not only will you enjoy the weather, but you’ll soon view Rochester as a city of food lovers. You have a variety of restaurants to enjoy, including Nick Tahou’s, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, and Good Luck – Rochester.
For example, you have the Garbage Plate at Nick Tahou’s, with plenty of good food. You also have good barbecue food and red hots and white hots. Red hots refer to beef hotdogs, while white hots are pork hot dogs, so you have multiple options when you eat at places.
These only consider the large companies and options, so you also have street fairs and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. You can easily find homemade pasta, macaroni salad, hot sauce, and plenty of food in the city of food lovers.
You can even find an American bistro, Rochester red wings, and plenty of variety in this wonderful city. So even if you have particular tastes, you’ll find tons of food, enjoy it, and purchase it at an affordable cost, making the food worth it.
Festivals Galore!
If you’re planning on moving to Rochester, NY, you’ll want to know about the best festivals in the area and what they offer. Some call Rochester the Festival City since it provides many opportunities to enjoy popular festivals and events.
- Rochester Lilac Festival
- Rochester Fringe Festival
- Rochester International Jazz Festival
- Corn Hill Arts Festival
- ROC Holiday Village Winter Festival
Some people consider Rochester the flower city because of the Rochester Lilac Festival. You can enjoy the festival for nine days and move on to another, like the Rochester Fringe Festival. This one has multiple groups performing at the venue for people to enjoy.
For music lovers, they can go to the Rochester International Jazz Festival. Since Rochester has a rich art history, as shown in the Rochester Museum, you can go to the Corn Hill Arts Festival to see what different artists created.
As you deal with the dozens of inches of snow, you can enjoy the ROC Holiday Village Winter Festival. With popular festivals and events for you to visit in multiple seasons, you’ll have fun while enjoying the area’s natural beauty.
Sports Teams
As you look into Rochester, you’ll be happy to know that professional sports teams are part of the city culture in Rochester. Not only do you have Buffalo Bills and plenty of baseball games to attend, but you also have other local sports teams, such as the Rochester Rhinos, you can support and watch.
For example, you have RIT Women’s and Men’s D1 Hockey teams, allowing you to enjoy the live games and go around the city. So while you may encounter rush hour for games, even for minor league teams, you’ll have plenty of sports to enjoy.
If you don’t like the common sports people like, such as hockey or baseball, you can also look into ice skating and plenty of other winter sports. With that in mind, Rochester remains one of the most exciting cities regarding sports events and fun.
Plenty of Parks
If you look into the Finger Lakes region, you’ll notice that Rochester, NY, offers plenty of parks for your needs, such as Highland Park. However, if you don’t want to go there, you’ll find other parks around the Finger Lakes region near the Erie Canal.
You can visit Letchworth State Park, Ontario Beach Park, Cobbs Hill Park, and similar locations. As you look into the location, you’ll come across plenty of green scapes, so you can take advantage of the locations when you don’t have snow and ice storms.
You can even find them near Lake Ontario and throughout Rochester, NY, where you can enjoy hikes, biking, and going on a jog. As you go through the areas, you’ll find plenty of activities to have fun while in the festival city.
If parks matter to you, ensure you live near the Erie Canal or Lake Ontario to visit beautiful parks and locations. You can also go swimming and make the most of your experience, allowing you to enjoy Rochester, NY, and the surrounding areas.
Also, you can enjoy amusement parks if you want to go somewhere fun with others, so do some research and find different options. You’ll find multiple opportunities whether you want something in biking or driving distance.
Hot Attractions
Not only do you have the Park Avenue Festival, but you also have the Kodak Corporation, the Museum of Play, the National Toy Hall of Fame, and East Avenue. These don’t even include other art museums, such as the Memorial Art Gallery.
For example, you can learn about Kodak’s history at this location, visit museums, and learn about cameras. You also have the National Toy Hall of Fame if you want to check out some of the best toys throughout history, showing you different toys and exciting facts.
The same applies to many other museums, including the Rochester Museum and Science Center. The Museum of Play also tackles different toys and their history, which remains a solid choice. East Avenue also has plenty of history for those interested.
Since you live close to Canada, you can easily visit Niagara Falls if you live in Rochester. You can quickly look up various museums in this educated city and find places that interest you.
FAQs: Moving To Rochester, NY
As you look into Rochester, NY, you’ll have some questions, so go through the frequently asked questions to understand what you can expect from New York.
Is Rochester NY a good place to live?
Yes, Rochester, NY, is an excellent place to live, especially if you want a desirable location with high affordability of homes and low annual crime averages. It also has one of the hottest job markets, meaning you can go there and find jobs in various industries, allowing you to get consistent work.
Public transportation can also be safe, mainly if you stick to the better areas of the city. You can communicate with real estate agents to find the best places and make the most out of your experience in Rochester since you’ll see that the city does have a decent crime rate.
If you want a place focused on culture and plenty of food, you’ll enjoy Rochester and view it as an excellent place to live. That, alongside some high-paying jobs and great activities, will ensure you never get bored living there.
Is it expensive to live in Rochester, NY?
Regarding the real estate market, no, Rochester isn’t an expensive place to live. You’ll find multiple homes at reasonable rates and good places to rent, especially compared to New York City, which has costly real estate.
While real estate may not be too expensive, living costs are decently high regarding other expenses. Since you’ll need to pay for gas, electricity, food, and similar expenses, the price will add up, causing Rochester to cost more than the national average.
On the other hand, Rochester sits at the lower end of the price for New York, meaning it’ll remain an excellent location for those who plan to live there.
What salary do you need to live in Rochester?
The required salary changes based on how many people you have in your home. If you plan to live there alone, you should average about 16 dollars an hour, which will come up to about 33,000 before taxes to cover all your cost of living needs.
The amount sits above the national average, especially if you have a family, so be prepared if you move there. Luckily, 15 dollars per hour is the minimum wage in New York, so it won’t be too challenging to make enough money to get by in Rochester.
While the real estate costs and median home costs remain low, you have other expenses to cover. For example, you have food, utilities, gas, and miscellaneous costs, which add up with time and can lead to a significant market expense.
Does it snow a lot in Rochester, NY?
Yes, Rochester gets tons of snow, which makes sense when you consider it’s toward the north end of the state and close to Canada. You can expect plenty of snow if you live there, so prepare yourself before you move there.
That means purchasing plenty of snow clothes, including snow jackets and boots, to keep yourself warm. Ensure you also review the weather report as you live there and even purchase an ice scraper to remove anything that freezes to your window. In short, you should expect snow to arrive during most winters in Rochester.
Why is Rochester booming?
Since Rochester offers multiple job opportunities, people can live in the area and make more money. In addition, since people can earn good money in the area, they can tackle the cost of living and enjoy the lower home prices.
Since the homes have lower prices, they’ll naturally have fewer taxes on the houses, allowing people to live there comfortably. People can quickly retire in the area, cover their expenses, and live comfortably. Those with families can raise their kids there while enjoying good schools.
Why are people moving to upstate New York?
People want to avoid the more expensive areas of New York, so they’re moving upstate. That way, they can stay in the state they love while enjoying the area’s lower prices and natural beauty.
New York has many locations with various cities, so some people want to escape that life and try something closer to nature. They also love how upstate New York still has cities and the aspects they love while offering more opportunities for festivals, museums, and experiences.
What part of Rochester is best to live in?
Many people love living in Greater Rochester, so they’ll be closer to Lake Ontario. If you intend on living in a nicer area of Rochester, NY, you should aim for Marketview Heights and similar locations.
People will naturally worry about different parts of New York, but as long as you aim for good school districts and regions, you’ll live in a nice part of Rochester, NY. Marketview Heights is nice and has Foreclosure Prevention Services to help you keep your home.
You should also consider areas near the Erie Canal and other vital locations, though they may get noisy. It comes down to what you prefer while also looking into the places you can afford, alongside any crime rates in various parts of Rochester, NY.
Final Thoughts
As you look into New York and see what moving to Rochester offers, you’ll pick up on its excellent housing market and amazing culture. You can go there, enjoy Greater Rochester and let yourself have fun while you live in Rochester, NY.
As you look into Greater Rochester and other parts of Rochester, NY, you should search for properties and sign up for alerts on new homes, condos, and other listings. Once you’re ready to take the plunge into homeownership, make sure to contact a local eXp agent to assist you as you look for a New York home.
