Backtracking to an Intro

In all my excitement to start this blog, I neglecting something rather important: Introducing folks to the Rochester and Finger Lakes region!

Rochester, NY is a small/medium-sized city in western New York (though if we are talking to someone from New York City/Long Island, we may as well just say "Upstate" since it seems you folks designate any region north of Westchester County as "Upstate," amiright?). Formerly known as the Flour City for its flour mills, it is now more commonly called the Flower City for its many nurseries, and also for its famous Lilac Festival in the spring where a plethora of flowers of all kinds are featured in Highland Park. It is the county seat for Monroe County.

In 2008, Rochester had the largest state economy after New York City. Not terribly surprising when we have been birthplace to several national corporations, including Eastman Kodak (lending Rochester its nickname of "Image Capitol of the World"), Xerox (who have since moved their headquarters), Bausch and Lomb, and several others. Plenty of historical figures either started in Rochester or made it their home, and I hope to share some of these fascinating folks with you all.

Famous faces excluded, diversity abounds in Rochester, though admittedly the farther away from the city the population is generally whitewashed. There are people here every shade of the rainbow and a fairly large immigrant population from many countries (leading to many fine restaurants and nifty stores, I might add), though some neighborhoods have a larger concentration of people from certain regions. There is an active and open LGBT population, and Rochester has one of the biggest (maybe by now it is the biggest) concentrations of deaf people in one area, largely due to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, part of Rochester Institute of Technology (which, in fact, is in the suburb of Henrietta).

The crime rate for the city is not great - it's unfortunate that some of us are saddened but not surprised to hear of the latest murder downtown - but it has been improving. And as of 2004, Rochester was rated the friendliest city in America (this according to my social psychology textbook at the time)! I find that an intriguing contradiction myself.

The Finger Lakes region, as one might imagine, refers to the area surrounding the Finger Lakes (shocker, right?). This generally includes Ontario, Wayne, Seneca, and Yates Counties, though some do also include Livingston, Genesee, and Orleans Counties to the west, some go east to Cayuga County, and some even stretch into the Southern Tier. Having lived in Monroe County my whole life, I am more familiar with it and therefore will likely write about that region most, but don't be mistaken: places within a short drive of Monroe County will be given their fair share.

Rochester and the Finger Lakes, in my opinion, make for a wonderful study in extremes. The City of Rochester alone paints a broad spectrum, with some areas destitute and decrepit, boarded up and graffitti'd over, the sorts of places where antsy suburbanites lock their car doors, assuming you could get them out there in the first place - then other places that are restored Victorian mansions with beautifully manicured lawns with up-and-coming businesses all within walking distance. Although Rochester is relatively small - especially when compared to places like New York City, Chicago, etc - I hear people who live in Ontario and Wayne Counties, both fairly rural areas, describe it as "the big city;" while I see those areas as "the boonies," they see my neck of the woods as "scary" and "ghetto" despite the fact that it's a nicer neighborhood in the city.

In reality, we are both right. This region has a small amount of hustle-and-bustle, but nothing overwhelming. There are petite sky scrapers and not too far away are stretches of farmland. The grapevines in one sleepy town make the wine sipped by the hipsters in the swankest new place downtown. Museums to feed the mind and manure piles to feed the crops (OK, so that one isn't so poetic).

And yes, it is even lilacs and snowflakes.