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Hello Rochesterians (I hope that's the right terminology). My husband and are I seriously considering a move to Rochester from Philadelphia, PA. Although I have done as much research as I can, there are some things that will never be evident by exploring Google street view and so I'm hoping to get your input.
Although we love living in Philadelphia, especially now that the city is on a major upswing, I'm from Canada and am desperately trying to relocate closer to the border as I am missing my family and watching all the nieces and nephews grow up. This is usually where people suggest that I just move back to Canada, but that would require going through the process of immigration once more, this time for my husband who is solely an American citizen. Immigration is extremely costly, time-consuming, and life in Canada is a lot more expensive...So relocating somewhere on this side of the border is preferable. My family lives in the Hamilton, ON area, and thanks to the shape of the Great Lakes, leaves few city choices that are nearby. At first I was looking at Buffalo, but now I'm leaning heavily towards Rochester.
Unfortunately, and I hate to say this, I know that anytime we consider a move, whether between neighbourhoods or cities, we are faced with the possibility of not being accepted due to the fact that my husband is black and I am white. I wish this wasn't the case, but previous personal life experience has this concern still highlighted in my mind (my post history will reveal that I asked a similar question when we were buying our house in Philadelphia after years of renting. Neighborhoods are always changing, so this sort of thing can be difficult to get a feel for). I don't mean to suggest that any parts of Rochester are racist or anything like that, but I would really love any input from you all if there is racial tension in any particular parts/neighborhoods of the city that we should avoid relocating to. I'd also love some neighborhood suggestions of where we should consider looking into.
We have a brief two-day trip scheduled to check out Rochester in a couple of weeks (there's a family function in Ontario, and we are leaving a couple of days early to make time to scope out Rochester on the way).
Our short bio: Early 30s, no-kids (now or in the future), my husband works remotely so would be taking his job with him. I just finished my BA and am currently taking the summer off to figure out about this Rochester move, and fix our house up for potential sale. Our household income is right around 100k. Rochester would be by far the smallest city we ever lived in, but some sort of walkability is pretty high up on our list of wants, although we do own a vehicle. I was thinking Corn Hill, South Wedge area? Do people live downtown? Or is it mostly commercial? (I've been eyeing the Sibley Square building which said residential units would start leasing in 2017...).
Thanks in advance for any thoughts related to any of the above. If there's anything in Rochester you think I HAVE to check out while we're there that would swing us towards relocating (I'm pretty much already on board, I just have to convince my husband ) I'd love to hear that too. The fact that Uber and Lyft are finally making its way up there and Greece is supposed to get a Chik-Fil-A is certainly helping![CENTER]Save[/CENTER]
HI star. Looks like you've been doing your research. The South Wedge and Corn Hill would be very good for you. I would also recommend Swillburg, Highland, Park Ave, Neighborhood of the Arts as well as what was previously mentioned. Since you asked, yes, downtown would be good too. About 1500 new units come on the market every year and get scooped up. I believe that you can also purchase your unit in some buildings. Good luck. Feel free to keep the questions coming.
I would say that in the neighborhoods mentioned so far I really don't think you need to worry about the black/white thing for the most part, people are generally pretty accepting around here from what I have seen. I think the farther away from the city you look, the more it "might" be an issue.
As far as downtown goes yes people do live down there, right now I think the population is up near ~7k residents and there is more development going on that should see that number continue to climb. I wouldn't expect "big city" foot traffic but downtown can still be an exciting place to be. The Sibley building which you have already looked up is one of the bigger projects going on right now and is really going to build on all the other recently completed residential projects down there.
Other neighborhoods to check out have already been mentioned, in general the SE side of the city is pretty nice. You should try to check out Corn Hill, Southwedge, Swillburg, Monroe Ave, Park Ave, and NOTA to see how you feel about those areas. Places like Browncroft, North Winton Village, Highland Park are also nice neighborhoods but always seemed a little farther away from stuff to do to me, I like having the option to walk if I want to and the previously mentioned neighborhoods are within walking distance of downtown.
I cosign everything already said in this thread with emphasis on Park Ave, NOTA, South Wedge and North Winton, in that order. Corn Hill is mostly residential and adjacent to the business district of downtown. You may consider looking at rental units in the East End as well, which is a vibrant section of downtown currently undergoing extensive revitalization. It is a stone's throw away from the heart of downtown and borders on the city's best neighborhoods. There are new lofts being constructed on Charlotte St (which you'll have to learn how to pronounce as Shar-LOT, rather than like the city in North Carolina. We have funky pronunciations around here) and there's a ton of investment in that area.
Tower280, The Metropolitan and the Sibley Building are some other places to look at if you're desiring a more urban experience. I will say though, Rochester being much smaller than Philadelphia may be something to consider. Even downtown is not yet a truly walkable area. We have not yet reached the critical mass necessary to achieve this. There is only one small grocery store in center city. Urban retail is not sustainable in many areas, even downtown. For example, even along our bustling Main Street and East Avenue, there are many vacant storefronts that have been sitting that way for years. Even the luxury Tower280 I mentioned only has one retail tenant despite having opened almost two years ago. It may be a few years before this changes. Until then, anywhere you live in Rochester, you will need to have a car or sacrifice quality of life. In the metro as a whole, wealth and economic development (jobs!) heavily favors the suburbs. I believe this is generally the opposite in Philly. I don't want to steer you away. Rochester is a beautiful city and a great place to live. Definitely a big city culture with a small town community. But may I ask what makes you consider Rochester over, say Buffalo?
I think you'll appreciate the cost of living in Rochester as it is one of the lowest in the northeast. Your income will allow you to live anywhere you want comfortably, other than maybe a mansion in Pittsford, especially without kids. It doesn't take much to live well here which is great.
As for you being in an interracial relationship, I doubt you'll have much of an issue. I have been in one for years (black/white) and have only experienced two incidents. Once my girlfriend and I were threatened by a black crackhead clearly out of her mind in a rough inner city neighborhood (not one of those mentioned in this thread). Another time we were insulted by an angry middle aged white woman in the suburbs. Most people are nice. Interracial relationships are actually fairly common here. I wouldn't even advise you to avoid any area of Rochester for this reason at all. There is racism here, but it's mostly behind closed doors and those who judge will almost always keep to themselves. We may be less progressive than Toronto or Philadelphia, but Rochester is still a welcoming city with a long history of championing civil rights.
When you visit, I'd suggest checking out all of the neighborhoods mentioned. Don't just drive through. Take a walk down the main and side streets. Talk to residents to get a feel of the culture here. I think you'll like what you see. As for leisure, I always take out of towners to High Falls. How many cities do you know of that have a major waterfall in the middle of their downtown? It's a beautiful sight. Cobbs Hill, Highland Park and the Erie Canal are some other outdoor areas to explore. Rochesterians will probably rave to you about Wegmans. Trust me, it lives up to the hype. Also, try to catch a festival. There's almost always something's going on here between May and September with the Park Ave Fest being the next big one.
585WNY, that is reassuring that your confrontations on the interracial front have been generally harmless and far between. Philadelphia is progressive, but we do have pockets which aren't so welcoming to others. And, not so much now, but when we were younger, we would get hostility every now and then when we were out and about. Also glad to hear that interracial couples are fairly common there, and maybe we can just blend right in
I'm bracing myself for the small city experience. I think I will be able to adapt well enough, but I'm not quite sure how hubby will. I grew up in the suburbs but he's always lived in Philly. I'm doing my best to win him over to Rochester, but we will have to see.
As per why Rochester and not Buffalo? I'm not too sure. I started out leaning heavily towards Buffalo (hey, they have a subway system, even if incredibly short! and who doesn't like trains? Ugh, why did Rochester rip theirs out? And the city is closer to the border) But there weren't too many neighborhoods I found interesting to live in. Maybe that's just a lack of research on my end. Elmwood Village seemed really cute though, and we did stop there and stomp around and liked it okay, though it seems a lot pricier than Rochester's nice neighborhoods, and we are already cautious of NY state's higher taxes.
Whenever I discussed with professors or family or friends that I was thinking of moving to Buffalo or Rochester, everyone seemed to favour Rochester. I know that I was impressed with Rochester's decision to rip out the inner loop, and the Sibley building leads me to believe there's some new urbanism dreamers out there that I could jive with. The introduction of a bike-share and other such projects tells me that the city is pushing forward with new vision. However, it may end up being Buffalo in the long run, primarily because they offer true gigabit Internet service with Verizon Fios (in very very limited areas). My hubby is a techie, to the point where he runs his own mail server in our basement. I'm not sure I'll be able to convince him that he can get by on anything else.
What would you say are the major differences between Buffalo and Rochester?
As for the car thing, I know I'll be auto-dependent for the most part. I don't see me getting around that though no matter where I end up moving near the border.
I look forward to seeing High Falls. It sure looks pretty from the pictures and I'll be sure to get out of the car walk around to get a better feel for the city. I'll also make sure to see what this Wegmans is all about!
585WNY, that is reassuring that your confrontations on the interracial front have been generally harmless and far between. Philadelphia is progressive, but we do have pockets which aren't so welcoming to others. And, not so much now, but when we were younger, we would get hostility every now and then when we were out and about. Also glad to hear that interracial couples are fairly common there, and maybe we can just blend right in
I'm bracing myself for the small city experience. I think I will be able to adapt well enough, but I'm not quite sure how hubby will. I grew up in the suburbs but he's always lived in Philly. I'm doing my best to win him over to Rochester, but we will have to see.
As per why Rochester and not Buffalo? I'm not too sure. I started out leaning heavily towards Buffalo (hey, they have a subway system, even if incredibly short! and who doesn't like trains? Ugh, why did Rochester rip theirs out? And the city is closer to the border) But there weren't too many neighborhoods I found interesting to live in. Maybe that's just a lack of research on my end. Elmwood Village seemed really cute though, and we did stop there and stomp around and liked it okay, though it seems a lot pricier than Rochester's nice neighborhoods, and we are already cautious of NY state's higher taxes.
Whenever I discussed with professors or family or friends that I was thinking of moving to Buffalo or Rochester, everyone seemed to favour Rochester. I know that I was impressed with Rochester's decision to rip out the inner loop, and the Sibley building leads me to believe there's some new urbanism dreamers out there that I could jive with. The introduction of a bike-share and other such projects tells me that the city is pushing forward with new vision. However, it may end up being Buffalo in the long run, primarily because they offer true gigabit Internet service with Verizon Fios (in very very limited areas). My hubby is a techie, to the point where he runs his own mail server in our basement. I'm not sure I'll be able to convince him that he can get by on anything else.
What would you say are the major differences between Buffalo and Rochester?
As for the car thing, I know I'll be auto-dependent for the most part. I don't see me getting around that though no matter where I end up moving near the border.
I look forward to seeing High Falls. It sure looks pretty from the pictures and I'll be sure to get out of the car walk around to get a better feel for the city. I'll also make sure to see what this Wegmans is all about!
Just curious, but where in Philly is he from and what part of town do you live in now, if you don't mind me asking? I only ask as it may give some frame of reference as to what both of you are use to.
I'd say that Buffalo is more blue collar whereas Rochester is more white collar, but there is some crossover in that regard.
Park Avenue would probably be viewed as Rochester's equivalent to Elmwood Village and the previously mentioned SE Quadrant in general has an overall vibe that is similar: https://rocwiki.org/Southeast_Quadrant
Rochester as a metro has a higher educational attainment in comparison as well.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 07-12-2017 at 07:34 PM..
Just curious, but where in Philly is he from and what part of town do you live in now, if you don't mind me asking? I only ask as it may give some frame of reference as to what both of you are use to.
He is from all over the city. He moved around a lot growing up, so there's no one place where he's from. And many of the places he used to live have changed a lot since then. But if you want to get an idea, then look at 2nd and Lehigh Ave, zip code 19133. Basically, rough city neighborhoods. Now we live in Point Breeze, zip code 19146. Before that we were living in Chinatown (19107) and before that, the Gayborhood (19107).
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) I'd love to hear that too. The fact that Uber and Lyft are finally making its way up there and Greece is supposed to get a Chik-Fil-A is certainly helping![CENTER]Save[/CENTER]
