NYC to Rochester...grateful for your feedback (Buffalo, Irondequoit: school, university)

[BKtoRochester?]

All great points! Independent film is my biggest love, so having that available is a big positive. As for the indie music scene, it's appealing at the possible opportunities to help establish a scene, especially with all the universities in the area. That will be a big draw to bands if there are promoters wanting to establish a scene. Just a thought...

Thanks for all your feedback. It's definitely making my decision easier..

[garmin239]

Originally Posted by BKtoRochester?

[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]All great points! Independent film is my biggest love, so having that available is a big positive. As for the indie music scene, it's appealing at the possible opportunities to help establish a scene, especially with all the universities in the area. That will be a big draw to bands if there are promoters wanting to establish a scene. Just a thought...

Thanks for all your feedback. It's definitely making my decision easier..

I pretty much exclusively listen to "underground" music and there is plenty of it around here for live shows..... As far as indie, alternative, punk, metal and rap goes at least. Places like the bug jar, penny arcade, montage, dubland underground, montys krown, and water street all have bands play.

[BKtoRochester?]

That's good to know. I saw that Hold Steady are coming to Water St which is positive. I'm just surprised there aren't more bands from New York City that stop off in Rochester and Buffalo before heading to Toronto. They often seem to skip upstate and go straight to Toronto. Either way, as I said before this only means there's opportunity for developing a scene!

[garmin239]

Originally Posted by BKtoRochester?

That's good to know. I saw that Hold Steady are coming to Water St which is positive. I'm just surprised there aren't more bands from New York City that stop off in Rochester and Buffalo before heading to Toronto. They often seem to skip upstate and go straight to Toronto. Either way, as I said before this only means there's opportunity for developing a scene!

I don't know how it works for every band, but for friends bands, it all depended on the tour route. It seemed that if they were coming from the midwest, wrapping up a tour, it would be more likely they would stop off in Rochester or Buffalo. But coming from the south or east, it would not be too convenient for them.

[BKtoRochester?]

Thanks for all your feedback. It's definitely making my decision easier..

Having experienced the amazing indie music scene in Brooklyn and how it has transformed certain areas commercially (bars, local business, restaurants all benefit), it most importantly creates a buzz which attracts young people (students and young professionals) to want to relocate and live there making the city more diverse, interesting and appealing.

Philadelphia, Atlanta and Austin are all examples of this. Detroit is now trying to create a scene too for this reason. These cities attract young artistic people because they have a buzz about them due to the indie music/art scene; however this can only exist if the city has a low cost of living. There needs to be venues and raw space for development (old factories and downtown loft spaces etc), and it helps to have a large student population as there is a constant rotation of people who will remain interested.

I think Rochester has a chance to attract this demographic because of these reasons, which in turn benefits the city in so many ways. Just thinking out loud, but I don't see why it can't build on its arts/music scene due to these reasons.

[cheese9988]

I am originally from Buffalo, but I have lived in Raleigh also. For the most part I like Rochester more than Buffalo. The exceptions being food, radio stations and the shops around the Buffalo neighborhoods.

IMO the Buffalo has better local food. Some of the radio stations in Rochester are terrible, 92.9 for example, 106.5 out of Buffalo is much better. I cannot find anything that has a large enough cluster of shops that can compare to something like Hertel ave in Buffalo. If someone could point one out, that be great, but the density of the shops doesn't seem to be there.

I'm not putting Rochester down. The traffic here is one of best, and that is compared to all the larger cities I have been too. The economy is far better than Buffalo. I like how quaint Park ave is, the shops and residences are very close together. Makes me feel like I am in a village rather than a city. The weather here doesn't seem to be nearly as windy as Buffalo either.

[usjpn4u]

I would add Gates to the list ( It was quiet when I was there) places to shop, gyms, great schools and atmosphere overall. No place is perfect in the entire area moving into the city in one of the neighborhoods mentioned above would work. The city schools aren't that bad. I'm successful and I went to Jefferson before it became a middle school, and then went to East High. The vast majority of the students that wanted to succeed, they made it. It's up to the student and their parents mostly. (open to debate of course but I made it and have seen the world coming from Rochester) a place little known throughout the world until I remind folks of the major companies we have.

[aaron4040]

Originally Posted by BKtoRochester?

Thanks for all your feedback. It's definitely making my decision easier..

Having experienced the amazing indie music scene in Brooklyn and how it has transformed certain areas commercially (bars, local business, restaurants all benefit), it most importantly creates a buzz which attracts young people (students and young professionals) to want to relocate and live there making the city more diverse, interesting and appealing.

Philadelphia, Atlanta and Austin are all examples of this. Detroit is now trying to create a scene too for this reason. These cities attract young artistic people because they have a buzz about them due to the indie music/art scene; however this can only exist if the city has a low cost of living. There needs to be venues and raw space for development (old factories and downtown loft spaces etc), and it helps to have a large student population as there is a constant rotation of people who will remain interested.

I think Rochester has a chance to attract this demographic because of these reasons, which in turn benefits the city in so many ways. Just thinking out loud, but I don't see why it can't build on its arts/music scene due to these reasons.

I know I for one would love to see it turn into something like Willamsburg, Detroit, Atlanta, or Austin. There is a fairly cool local music scene, though I warn you I'm biased, as I am part of that scene. It's better, IMHO, than the ones in most other places I've lived. Because Rochester isn't a big enough city to have a ton of separate musician "cliques", there is a lot of mashing of musical styles. One of the bands I play in is a metal/bluegrass/reggae hybrid thing, while another is a garage-y psychedelic pop group. Everyone knows everyone else, maybe not personally but by a couple of degrees of separation. You get the idea. Heck, I may even know Garmin and not realize it. Also, having moved here a few years ago myself, good musicians are readily accepted, new musical ideas are encouraged, and it's not too hard to find work.
With the Eastman School of Music downtown I'm kind of surprised we don't see more from the students while they're here. I know that playing out was one of my favorite things to do in college, so I'm wondering why more kids from one of the top 5 music schools in the country aren't out playing more. Although having to be 21 to play clubs in the area could be a hindrance.
The other nice thing is that with Buffalo, Syracuse, and Ithaca all an hour and a half away, you can go play four nights a week to four different crowds in four different cities and spend every night in your own bed. That is huge for me as I get older and more responsible LOL. There are also a lot of summer festivals to play, park ave, corn hill, the Rochester International Jazz fest, and various "music festivals", which in reality tend to be 20 bands (with only one or two non-jam bands and maybe a live hip hop act thrown in) and a bunch of dancing hippies. You meet a lot of great people and they are fun to play, but usually aren't terribly well run and are not money makers, though in my experience festival shows never are.

[dampier]

Originally Posted by BKtoRochester?

So here’s a little summary about my situation/what I’m looking for when/if I move to Rochester. I hope this gives some background. I’m newly married, and we’re in our mid/late 20s. Based on living in great areas of NYC, I’ve listed below things I’d like the area we choose to offer (doesn’t have to include everything!). Any suggestions of areas that fit this description would be greatly appreciated. I’ve had friends who lived on Park Ave and Monroe Ave and I love the area, but the schools aren’t good which means I’m looking for neighborhoods that border these areas (easy access, within 20 minute drive or less).

Desired neighborhood/area characteristics:
- Has a main street that is walkable (has a sidewalk). Also has path/route to housing so you can easily walk/cycle from home.
- Has a nice range of ‘mom and pop’ shops, such as an independent coffee shop(s), general store, pizza place and deli.
- Nearby park/trail, good for running/cycling
- Food shopping (Wegmans, farmers markets?, local stores like a butcher etc)
- Nice, old houses (Colonial or Tudor preferably). I prefer old over new construction. A neighborhood with a mix of both isn’t a problem.
- Good schools (but not number 1 priority). Standard of living (see above) is as important.

Brighton meets these needs the best of all of the suggestions. As a lifelong resident here, I can give you some insight.

Brighton's central core - 12 Corners, has major streets which link to neighborhoods ranging from non-gated communities to individual side streets. The major streets traditionally have sidewalks, the smaller individual side streets do not (but you wouldn't need them because traffic is very light).

Most of Brighton is a mix of high income professionals (especially east of Clover Street and Elmwood), upper middle class (eastern Brighton mostly), and middle class (central, western Brighton) residents. Brighton was Rochester's first suburb, and the central core side streets off Monroe have most of the town's oldest housing. Side streets off Elmwood and Winton have most of the World War 2/post-war era housing. Although many of these neighborhoods really consist of 7-10 different styles of cookie cutter homes, over the years additions and modifications have dramatically blurred that distinction.

Brighton's 12 Corners has a mix of independently owned shops including Malek's, a long-standing and distinguished bakery known for its Kosher foods. R's Market on Monroe offers easy access for quick market trips without battling larger grocer's parking lots.

Elmwood offers a straight shot to the growing Strong/U of R campus, and I see many bikers traverse it daily. Bike lanes are not common on most streets, but wide shoulders are. The Brighton Police are aggressive about speeding on Elmwood, particularly after some accidents with pedestrians and children.

Wegmans is a five minute drive, as is Tops. You can drive from Elmwood via 590/490 to the Park/Culver neighborhood in five minutes. From Elmwood near 12 Corners to the arts and culture district takes me less than eight minutes.

Although French Road elementary school is a bit further out, anyone living near the 12 Corners area will be able to walk to the middle and high school in minutes. Brighton schools are excellent, and they better be. Taxes in the town of Brighton are very high and increase yearly, even when the economy is not doing well.

Brighton is definitely an east-side community, and most look to Henrietta, or increasingly towards the east for major shopping, especially at Eastview Mall.

Brighton is a mature suburb, which means new housing is rarer than in more outlying suburbs. But those with means have started tearing down and replacing older homes with new ones, and there are a handful of new developments already in place or forthcoming in the Westfall/Clinton area.

Brighton's crime problems are mostly petty theft (bikes from garages, valuables stolen from cars, etc.) Apartment complexes in the Clinton/Elmwood area have the biggest problems with that, but occasionally mini-theft waves occur in different pockets around the community. Violent crime is rare.

Brighton maintains its own town police force, and is extremely effective and fast to respond because cars are strategically placed around the town. The local officers are familiar with neighborhood regulars and frequently spot something that doesn't look right just because of their knowledge of the area.

The town's services are also excellent. Snowplowing is done aggressively, the town picks up yard debris, and the library is also well-regarded.

Your biggest culture shift will come from seeking out things to do. Rochester is not a late-night city, and things close down overnight. Culturally, western New York trends more conservative than downstate, although the town of Brighton is progressive.

Economically, outside of the medical field, things remain challenging, especially in manufacturing. Unemployment is at a 20-year high here, but a lot of new arrivals are taking medical field jobs, where things are much better. Rochester roads, outside of irritating potholes, are occasionally "congested" by our own local definition, but for those coming from NYC you'll wonder where the cars are. Stop and go traffic here usually means a major accident, not a daily event.

The weather will irritate in the winter -- lake effect snow traditionally brings the city some 100 inches of snow every year, and little sun. But the summer is tolerable. We rarely have major damaging weather events -- most are snow or ice related.

[cheese9988]

^ Best post on Brighton that I have found to date.