Rochester, New York
Major Charles Carroll, Colonel William Fitzhugh Jr, and Colonel Nathaniel Rochester purchased a 100-acre tract of land along the Genesee River on the 8th of November 1803. These three men from Hagerstown, Maryland, chose the site because its three cataracts offered great potential for water power. They surveyed the land and laid out streets in 1811 with a population of just 15 people. The village was named Rochesterville in 1817 before being shortened to Rochester in 1822. By 1823, the Erie Canal aqueduct over the Genesee River connected the city to the Hudson River. New commerce from the canal turned the village into America's first boomtown. By 1830, Rochester's population had grown to 9,200. In 1834, it was rechartered as a city. By 1838, it was the largest flour-producing city in the United States. A series of religious revivals occurred as part of the Second Great Awakening, including a particularly notable revival led by Charles Grandison Finney which inspired local social reform movements.
German immigrants John Jacob Bausch and Henry Lomb launched Bausch & Lomb in 1861. Inventor and entrepreneur George Eastman founded Eastman Kodak in 1892. In 1895, trucking executive George F. Roth and others founded the Rochester Cash Register Company. Xerox was founded in Rochester in 1906 as the Haloid Company. During World War II, Rochester factories produced fuel tanker ships, optical equipment, and radio proximity fuses. The dawn of the 20th century saw rapid growth driven by waves of immigrants arriving from Germany, Italy, Poland, and elsewhere. The population reached 62,386 in 1870, 162,608 in 1900, and 295,750 in 1920. By 1950, the population had reached a high of 332,488. The surge in new arrivals resulted in the city becoming a hotbed of labor activism. From the 1920s and continuing into the post-war era, Rochester grew into a power center for newly formed industrial unions. It was one of the very few American cities where the labor movement was powerful enough to mount a successful general strike when in 1946 an estimated 50,000 workers across multiple sectors walked off.
With industrial restructuring in the later 20th century, Rochester's manufacturing workforce shrank. Kodak, long the city's largest employer, conducted massive layoffs prior to a 2012 bankruptcy. Xerox and Kodak each laid off thousands of workers in the 1990s and 2000s. In 1950, the Census Bureau reported Rochester's population as 97.6% White and 2.3% Black. Rochester's black population tripled to more than 25,000 during the 1950s. Discontent exploded in the three-day 1964 Rochester race riot, which resulted in five deaths, 350 injuries, nearly a thousand arrests, and 204 stores looted or damaged. By 2022, the city's population had declined to 209,352 with 45.1% recorded as White and 38.4% as Black or African American. Although the total population declined, new arrivals continued to move to the city and change its demographic profile. The city became a major destination for refugees in the 21st century. In 2017, Rochester affirmed its status as a sanctuary city and in 2025 was sued by the second Trump administration for immigration issues.
The Eastman School of Music is one of the most prestigious conservatories in the world. The Rochester International Jazz Festival was established in 2002 and takes place in late June at dozens of clubs, concert halls and free outdoor stages throughout Downtown Rochester. It regularly draws over 200,000 visitors. The George Eastman Museum houses the oldest photography collection in the world. The Lilac Festival at Highland Park is attended by hundreds of thousands annually. Established after an 1898 gathering, it features the largest collection of lilac varieties in North America. Geva Theatre Center is the city's largest professional theater. The East End Theater is on East Main Street in the theater district. The Eastman Theatre hosts the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and other musical/drama events. The Strong National Museum of Play is another major cultural institution. The city also hosts the Rochester International Film Festival in June and the Corn Hill Arts Festival in July.
In the 21st century, deindustrialization has occurred. Xerox and Kodak each laid off thousands of workers in the 1990s and 2000s. Bausch & Lomb moved to Bridgewater, New Jersey, in 2014. In 2005, the University of Rochester became the city's top employer, a title it holds today. Major employers now include Rochester Regional Health, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and Carestream Health. A high technology industry has grown in Rochester, fostered in part by collaborations between private startup enterprises and local higher learning institutions. High Tech Rochester provides local startups with mentorship, office space, and other resources. The Institute of Optics of the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of Technology have popular imaging programs. A research hub for photonics has operated in the city since 2015 following federal and state investment. The median single-family house price was $247,000 in the third quarter of 2023 in greater Rochester, an increase of 10.3% from a year earlier.
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Common questions
When did Major Charles Carroll, Colonel William Fitzhugh Jr, and Colonel Nathaniel Rochester purchase the land that became Rochester, New York?
Major Charles Carroll, Colonel William Fitzhugh Jr, and Colonel Nathaniel Rochester purchased a 100-acre tract of land along the Genesee River on the 8th of November 1803. These three men from Hagerstown, Maryland chose the site because its three cataracts offered great potential for water power.
What year was the village named Rochesterville before being shortened to Rochester in 1822?
The village was named Rochesterville in 1817 before being shortened to Rochester in 1822. By 1834 it was rechartered as a city and by 1838 it was the largest flour-producing city in the United States.
Where did Frederick Douglass found The North Star abolitionist newspaper?
Frederick Douglass founded The North Star an abolitionist newspaper in Rochester in 1847. He gained a circulation of over 4,000 subscribers in the United States Europe and the Caribbean while living there until his home was destroyed in a fire in 1872.
When did the population of Rochester reach its highest recorded number according to the Census Bureau?
By 1950 the population had reached a high of 332,488. In 2022 the city's population had declined to 209,352 with 45.1% recorded as White and 38.4% as Black or African American.
Which year did the University of Rochester become the top employer in Rochester New York after Kodak layoffs?
In 2005 the University of Rochester became the city's top employer a title it holds today. Major employers now include Rochester Regional Health the Rochester Institute of Technology and Carestream Health following decades of industrial restructuring.