rochester in the 70s (Penfield, Canandaigua: high crime, suburbs, area)

[mrs.m]

greetings all.... born and raised in rochester.... moved away in my early teens.. will be turning 50 in june... feeling pensive lately about my childhood... i grew up on hayward ave... can anyone tell me what that area is like these days? many thanks

[I'minformed2]

Hayward Ave is dangeriously close to what is today called "the crescent". May even be considered part of the crescent now. South and East of Hayward avenue is still a nice area; but hayward itself is most likely not the place you have the fond childhood memores of. They have moved on to either Ironequoit or Penfield now.

[mrs.m]

Pardon My Ignorance.... What Does The Crescent Mean? Thanks..

[I'minformed2]

ah that's right, you wouldn't know about "the crescent" having left Rochester in the 70's. It's basically the southern half of the 12605 zipcode as well as the southwestern area (some argue all of) the 14621 area code. Basically its an area of the city that has a very high crime rate. Since the 1970's Rochester, like the rest of the country, has undergone rapid suburbanation. Most of the middle class families in Rochester have moved to the suburbs. Suburban Rochester now extends into Ontario County in Victor and (arguably) Canandaigua.