Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
As I seen with life. Once you have relocated a few times you realize it is not the area you live in, but how your everyday life makes you feel where you are . If you relocate back to your original home town you realize all places are good just different things to offer. Soon you will start to dislike the reasons why you had moved but you realize another way to deal with it
Aaaannd, this entire thread is why I left Rochester, never to return.
The only thing I miss is fireflies, Abbott's, that cookie store next to East High, and the Italian bakery on Clifford. Oh, and cider and fried cakes.
I can get reasonable replacements here for all of those without trying too hard. There is no earthly reason to stay in a place where hiding indoors from the weather half the time is mandatory, whilst paying huge amounts for taxes and heating costs.
As I seen with life. Once you have relocated a few times you realize it is not the area you live in, but how your everyday life makes you feel where you are . If you relocate back to your original home town you realize all places are good just different things to offer. Soon you will start to dislike the reasons why you had moved but you realize another way to deal with it
Wisdom.
I've lived in a couple of states, and a few countries.
Rochester has a lot going for it. The economy could be better, nobody denies it. but cost of living is pretty good, outdoor activities are excellent, traffic is excellent, crime is excellent (if you stay out of the city core, the odds of being involved in violent crime in the suburbs is close to nil), education excellent (again, stay in suburbs).
A lot of people who are struggling with life in general will blame it on their town. Sometimes it's true. If you are in a town that is dying because a mine just closed and half the town is out of work, it's the town. But roc? If life sucks, it's probably not ROC, it's probably you. I have a couple of neighbors who recently moved to charlotte, NC. They thought rochester sucked. Well, the truth is they were kind of losers. I doubt they are doing better in charlotte.
I'm not even saying I wouldn't move, but many people will rag on a place (or anything, job, relationship etc.) until they are convinced it's entirely rotten to the core.
You can be in the core of the city and in only 15-20 minutes find yourself in mendon or walworth, with mile after mile of corn fields and farm houses. Think you're going to get that in Atlanta or Raleigh? Not until you've sat on a 10 lane highway for a while.
I've lived in a couple of states, and a few countries.
Rochester has a lot going for it. The economy could be better, nobody denies it. but cost of living is pretty good, outdoor activities are excellent, traffic is excellent, crime is excellent (if you stay out of the city core, the odds of being involved in violent crime in the suburbs is close to nil), education excellent (again, stay in suburbs).
A lot of people who are struggling with life in general will blame it on their town. Sometimes it's true. If you are in a town that is dying because a mine just closed and half the town is out of work, it's the town. But roc? If life sucks, it's probably not ROC, it's probably you. I have a couple of neighbors who recently moved to charlotte, NC. They thought rochester sucked. Well, the truth is they were kind of losers. I doubt they are doing better in charlotte.
I'm not even saying I wouldn't move, but many people will rag on a place (or anything, job, relationship etc.) until they are convinced it's entirely rotten to the core.
You can be in the core of the city and in only 15-20 minutes find yourself in mendon or walworth, with mile after mile of corn fields and farm houses. Think you're going to get that in Atlanta or Raleigh? Not until you've sat on a 10 lane highway for a while.
Every friend and extended family member of mine who left the Rochester area within the last 25 years is doing great, where they live. Skills sets and social skills go a long way in metros that are stable and growing. Rochester is neither stable nor growing.
A lot of the folks "left behind" in Rochester are miserable, broke, and often times hooked on various narcotics/drugs. I worked for a few, and around many, in my work career there. Quite frankly what a lot of businesses there in Rochester put up with, or even enable, doesn't fly in ofher places. So many skilled people have left that area that some of the few decent businesses there can't find good help. That fact, coupled with a massive welfare class in the region, will be a huge drag on Rochester as more Boomers retire.
LIKE:
It's a generally bike friendly city
Great choice of restaurants
Lots of character and charm in terms of . architecture
The climate during fall
The beautiful cemeteries and parks with trails
It's proximity to Canada
Accepting of LGBTQ people
DISLIKE:
The racial and economic segregation creating '2 Rochesters', neither of which I seem to fit into
The climate except for fall (summers are too hot and humid, winters are too snowy although I can handle the cold just fine)
Difficult to make friends if you're an outsider or of college student age
Rampant drug abuse in certain areas
Lack of opportunities
LIKE:
It's a generally bike friendly city
Great choice of restaurants
Lots of character and charm in terms of . architecture
The climate during fall
The beautiful cemeteries and parks with trails
It's proximity to Canada
Accepting of LGBTQ people
DISLIKE:
The racial and economic segregation creating '2 Rochesters', neither of which I seem to fit into
The climate except for fall (summers are too hot and humid, winters are too snowy although I can handle the cold just fine)
Difficult to make friends if you're an outsider or of college student age
Rampant drug abuse in certain areas
Lack of opportunities
When you say lack of opportunities, what do you mean?
You'd have to be more specific than that. However, there are thousands of job openings locally. Maybe just not in your field, I guess. A lot of people get jobs by word of mouth. Try to find out where people of your trade hang out and get to know them.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
