Cost of Living

Despite offering first-tier cultural and educational opportunities, Rochester is remarkably affordable.  Cost of living is largely influenced by housing prices, and when it comes to housing prices in America's large metro areas, Rochester is a standout.  Granted the dramatically high property taxes negate some of the savings, but the following statistics are still noteworthy:

• According to Zillow, the current home value index in the U.S. is $180,100.  In Monroe County, the same index is $127,400.  In other words, housing here comes at a 30% discount.
• As per the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey, Rochester has the second most affordable housing of 52 major U.S. markets.  In fact, Rochester has the 19th most affordable housing of 378 markets in 9 countries.
• Unlike certain large American metro areas, Rochester does not price out residents in terms of public education.  As an example, the suburb of Brighton was recently ranked as the 39th most educated place in the country.  Despite this impressive brainpower, the Zillow home value index in Brighton is $165,800...or 8% cheaper than national average!  

Equal Opportunity

Rochester, and the Rust Belt in general, are often pinned as being segregated.  Old industrial cities in America are thought to have invisible barriers which fall along racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and educational lines.  As such, the term "melting pot" is usually replaced by "Wegmans food container with separate compartments."  (That last part is not true.)  Without any doubt, in the city of Rochester educational attainment is underrepresented and poverty is overrepresented (and these statistics tend to fall along racial and ethnic lines.)

But exactly how segregated is the Rochester metro area? Here is one source that suggests not very, at least compared to other large metro areas.  The study, which addressed the segregation of college graduates from those without college degrees within America's metros, identified Rochester as the 8th least segregated large metro.  More segregated large metro areas tend to have more gentrification and high-end neighborhoods which price out certain parts of the population.  Furthermore, more segregated regions tend to have greater wage inequality.  One would imagine that these findings help explain Rochester's relatively affordable housing even in highly touted school districts.

So the next time our local newspapers insist on emphasizing the presence of two Rochesters, please feel free to remind them that the two Rochesters are much closer together than the two LA's, two Dallases, and two Chicagos.

College Destinations Index

Rochester has the bones, resources, and intelligence to be like Austin, Texas, and Portland, Oregon.  As of this moment, however, the general perception of Rochester is nowhere near that of these trendier, younger cities.  Why? Largely, if not solely, due to the lack of a truly vibrant downtown.  While downtown is improving and can come alive during certain festivals, it still pales in comparison to the demands of today's young, educated workforce.  Because Rochester does not have this curb appeal, Rochesterians (such as myself) have to resort to data-driven analysis to prove why the region is top-shelf.  One day (hopefully soon), when Rochester's downtown renaissance is complete, sites like this one will be unnecessary.

In the meantime, here is yet more data showing the company that Rochester keeps (at least statistically.)  The American Institute for Economic Research recently published its College Destinations Index.  The premise behind the research was that the quality of a college education is strongly fortified by the community in which it is received.  In order to identify the best college destinations, metro areas were subjected to 12 measures, namely student concentration, housing costs, city accessibility, arts and leisure, percentage of international students, percentage of workforce in innovation fields, unemployment rate, entrepreneurial activity, brain drain or gain, R & D per student, educational attainment, and earning potential.

Of 271 metro areas with at least 10,000 students, the Top 75 college destinations were determined (15 large metros, 20 mid-size metros, 20 small metros, and 20 college towns).  Among the 20 mid-size metros, here is the ranking:

1. San Jose, CA
2. Austin, TX
3. Raleigh, NC
4. Pittsburgh, PA
5. Buffalo, NY
6. Rochester, NY
7. Nashville, TN
8. Columbus, OH
9. Hartford, CT
10. Salt Lake City, UT
11. Portland, OR
12. Milwaukee, WI
13. New Orleans, LA
14. Oklahoma City, OK
15. Indianapolis, IN
16. Richmond, VA
17. Providence, RI
18. Cleveland, OH
19. Sacramento, CA
20. Cincinnati, OH

Here is a link to the complete listing of all 75 metro areas.  It is noteworthy that New York, particularly Upstate, is very well represented.

Africa

Here are a few highlights from a recent short trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe:

1. Seeing lions, cheetahs, rhinos, elephants, buffaloes, hyenas, and giraffes on a game reserve.
2. Visiting the former residence of a worldwide icon whose life was devoted to eradicating oppression, Nelson Mandela.
3. Enjoying a sunset cruise along the Zambezi River.
4. Experiencing one of the world's largest waterfalls, Victoria Falls, on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
5. Drinking South African wine.

Is there any possible way that our beat up, disrespected town could offer a similar experience? Shockingly, sort of:

1. Okay, so deer, rabbits, and squirrels don't quite match up to the above.
2. Rochester boasts the former residence of an individual who fought against the oppression of women, Susan B. Anthony.  Although perhaps not as iconic as Mandela, her work was clearly critical.  She, like Mandela, was arrested for her passion (granted she did not spend 27 years in prison).  Rochester was also home to one of the most important abolitionists, Frederick Douglass.
3. Cruises along the Erie Canal and Canandaigua Lake are readily available.  (I've done neither but have heard they are well worth doing.)
4. Rochester is about 90 minutes from another one of the world's largest waterfalls, also on the border of two countries, Niagara Falls.  Closer to home, Rochester's High Falls is considered the largest urban waterfall in the country.
5. The local wine scene is pretty sweet.

High Falls

(A tiny part of) Victoria Falls 

Stress

Rochesterians benefit from a low cost of living and remarkably short commute times.  Coupled with the fact that no sacrifice occurs from an educational or cultural perspective, the overall package is nothing short of marvelous.  We've seen that this high quality of life might explain the high rate of volunteerism.  One would imagine that it might also translate into less stress.

CNNMoney recently ranked 55 metropolitan areas with over 1 million people in terms of stress.  The methodology looked at five broad categories including the economy and money, work, family, lifestyle, and crime.  The 10 Least Stressed Out Cities (from most to least stressed) were:

• Sacramento, CA
• San Jose, CA
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Hartford, CT
• Buffalo, NY
• Richmond, VA
• Minneapolis, MN
• Raleigh, NC
• Rochester, NY - 2nd least stressed
• Salt Lake City, UT

Summer

Even the staunchest Rochester pessimists concede one positive about the region: the summers are phenomenal.  In addition to providing a ludicrous number of cultural festivals, music events, free movies, and outdoor activities, the summers are...comfortable.  With oppressive heat being kept to a minimum, Rochesterians can enjoy the season without losing IQ and gaining irritability.

Just how pleasant are the summers? Among the country's 51 largest metropolitan areas, here is the short list of the regions with a mean June-August temperature under 70 degrees:

• San Francisco, CA (61)
• Seattle, WA (65)
• Portland, OR (67)
• San Jose, CA (69)
• San Diego, CA (69)
• Buffalo, NY (69)
• Rochester, NY (69)

Water

As noted by RocWiki, the sun always shines in Rochester (at the proper altitude.)  The reality is that a few clouds can be seen in the Rochester sky from time to time.  And from time to time, the clouds can bring a touch of precipitation.  Precipitation comes from the condensation of water vapor in the atmosphere and subsequently falls to the surface of the earth.  Aside from giving local meteorologists a challenge and causing many a Rochesterian to whine, precipitation provides one other thing...water.  Thanks to this water, Rochester does not have:

• Extreme to exceptional drought, as is being seen in much of the country's most populated state

On the other hand, Rochester does have:

• 7% of the world's fresh water supply