<p>As a parent, I get an email called "Parents Buzz". Yesterday's had this</a> piece about things to do in Rochester. The university's website is woefully lacking in this kind of information. </p>
<p>I think it would be terrific if Admissions put some effort into this information because people, both parents and kids, want to know. People constantly ask about how well the shuttle buses work, where they can shop or eat, etc. </p>
<p>BTW, my feeling about Rochester the city is that if the winter were nicer it would be a pretty darned attractive place to live. It has a lot of culture - great museum - nice restaurants, etc. My point in saying this is that if Rochester the place were in a warmer climate people would be clamoring for what it has, which is a good thing.</p>
<p>We lived in Rochester for seven years. Some of the best things about the area are actually in the suburbs. The Villages of Fairport and Pittsford have nice walking/biking trails along the canal. Almost all of the suburb public schools are very good, but the City schools - not so much. The Rochester City Ballet is very good and well regarded, as is the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. The Amerks are very popular for hockey.</p>
<p>Downtown has really struggled over the years, especially with the loss of Xerox and Kodak (not total loss of course, but extreme downsizing of two of the largest employers). I believe UofR may be the largest employer now, but don’t quote me on it. The things people go downtown for are the things listed in your link - Dinosaur BBQ, Java’s, the Memorial Art Gallery, etc. Downtown is no longer the business center it used to be. Many businesses have moved out to the office parks in suburbs like Fairport and Penfield.</p>
<p>You are right, it is a nice place to live with a good cost of living and definitely a great place to raise a family. But the winters are never-ending and oppressive, and that is a big part of the reasons we left.</p>
<p>For nine days in late June Rochester ROCs it with the International Jazz Festival. This is a world class event. Oh, and my D said she is going to Eddie Money this weekend at the Lilac Festival.</p>
<p>Rochester in the summer is full of festivals. My kid’s favorite is the garlic festival. </p>
<p>A huge problem for NY State as a whole is the high level of real estate taxes. I can buy a humongous home in the Park Avenue area - well maintained, lovely area - for less than a 1BR near me. But I’d pay almost twice as much in real estate taxes as on my house, which would be several, maybe 7 or 8 times as much as on that 1BR condo. This doesn’t affect the city so much, in part because the tax bills in multi-family buildings tend to become part of the monthly charge, but it kills upstate. When real estate tax bill is $20k or more, you’re looking at nearly $2k a month on top of everything else. That limits real estate prices where there isn’t the kind of density-driven demand you see around NYC. </p>
<p>From what I can see, huge numbers of UR people live in Brighton, which is literally next to campus, and has excellent schools and many nice neighborhoods. And yes, UR is the largest employer. That has become common in mid-sized cities as research has grown in importance. When you think “UR”, you must include the hospital and all the research organizations not just the university + Eastman.</p>
<p>We’re also from the Boston area and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the Rochester area during our 4 trips to drop off/pick up our D during her time at UR. </p>
<p>To give a sense of the value loss caused by the tax level, the difference between there and Boston area taxes for a 1BR (in Brookline) would be around $250k (figured at 6% to be fair). That amount is the “unaffordability” of upstate NY. We focus on the changes in Kodak, etc. but Rochester has held up well while the entire upstate region has lost population.</p>
<p>The difference would be less if you owned less of a house in Rochester but this gives a measure of the affordability issue. It also shows just how attractive NYC must be in real terms.</p>