Rochester
Rochester is a city in western New York State, United States, serving as the county seat of Monroe County and situated along the Genesee River near the southern shore of Lake Ontario. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population stood at 211,328, ranking it as the fourth-most populous city in New York.[1] The city gained early prominence in the 19th century as a leading flour-milling hub, powered by the Genesee River's waterfalls, which earned it the nickname "Flour City" before a rebranding to "Flower City" amid its nursery and seed industries.[2] By the late 1800s, Rochester shifted toward manufacturing innovation, becoming a global center for photography and optics through the founding of Eastman Kodak by George Eastman in 1888 and the later headquarters of Xerox, which drove economic expansion and employment peaks in the mid-20th century.[3][4] Like other Rust Belt locales, Rochester has faced pronounced deindustrialization, losing over 50,000 manufacturing jobs since 1990 amid corporate downsizing and technological shifts, contributing to a poverty rate exceeding 30% and violent crime rates of 19.8 incidents per 1,000 residents as of recent analyses.[5] Current economic anchors include the University of Rochester, healthcare services, and education, though the metro area's reliance on shrinking legacy sectors has fueled population stagnation and outmigration. Rochester also holds historical significance as a residence for abolitionist Frederick Douglass and suffragist Susan B. Anthony, who advanced their causes from the city in the mid-19th century, alongside its legacy of progressive reforms tied to the Underground Railroad and women's rights movements.[6]Places
Settlements in England
Rochester is a town in the unitary authority of Medway, Kent, in southeastern England, positioned at the lowest crossing point of the River Medway, about 50 km east of London. The settlement originated before the Roman invasion of AD 43, when it served as a pre-existing community fortified by the Romans as Durobrivae, meaning "the stronghold by the bridge," featuring a strategic bridge and defenses along a major road linking east Kent to London.[7][8] By the late 3rd century, Durobrivae had developed into a walled town, but it was largely abandoned after the Roman withdrawal in the early 5th century. The site revived in the Saxon period as a small village, gaining ecclesiastical importance in AD 604 when Augustine of Canterbury established the first bishopric there, with Justus as the inaugural Bishop of Rochester. Following the Norman Conquest of 1066, Bishop Gundulf oversaw the construction of a stone castle starting in 1088 on the site of a Roman fort and an earlier timber structure, alongside the rebuilding of the cathedral, making Rochester England's second-oldest extant cathedral after Canterbury.[9][8][7] In 1190, King Richard I granted Rochester its first charter, affirming its medieval status as a borough and city. The castle, featuring one of Europe's tallest Norman keeps completed around 1127 under Henry I, endured sieges such as King John's in 1215 during the First Barons' War and Simon de Montfort's in 1264, but declined after the 13th century, becoming obsolete by the 16th. Rochester retained city status until 1998, when local government reorganization merged it into the Medway unitary authority, though campaigns persist to restore formal recognition. The 2021 census recorded a population of 67,274 across 14.96 km², with a density of 4,497 persons per km².[8][7][10] No other settlements named Rochester exist in England, with the Kent town remaining the sole bearer of the name, derived from its role as a fortified river crossing rather than a direct Roman "castra" etymology common to many *-chester places.[7]Settlements in the United States
Rochester, New York, situated in Monroe County on the Genesee River, emerged as a significant settlement following early 19th-century development spurred by the Erie Canal's completion in 1825, which facilitated flour milling and earned the city its historical nickname, the Flour City.[11] The area saw initial settlement in the late 18th century, with the village of Rochesterville incorporated in 1817 and reorganized as the city of Rochester in 1834; it was named after Colonel Nathaniel Rochester, an early landowner and promoter.[12] As of recent estimates, the city's population stands at 204,882, making it the third-largest in New York state after New York City and Buffalo.[13] Rochester, Minnesota, in Olmsted County along the Zumbro River, was established in 1854 by settler George Head, who named it after his hometown of Rochester, New York, and incorporated as a city on August 5, 1858.[14] Its growth accelerated with the founding of the Mayo Clinic in 1864, transforming it into a major medical center; the city serves as the county seat and ranks as Minnesota's third-largest municipality.[15] Recent population estimates place it at around 121,000 residents. The settlement originated as a stagecoach stop amid fertile farmland, enduring events like the 1883 cyclone that destroyed much of the downtown but spurred resilient rebuilding.[16] Numerous smaller settlements named Rochester exist across the United States, including towns and villages in states such as Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin, often with populations under 5,000.[17] For instance, Rochester Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, has grown to over 70,000 residents since its incorporation in 1986 from earlier townships.[18] These locales typically trace origins to 19th-century pioneers honoring the New York namesake, though many remain rural or suburban without the industrial or institutional prominence of the principal cities.[19]Settlements elsewhere
Rochester is a hamlet in Athabasca County, northern Alberta, Canada, located approximately 3 kilometres east of Highway 2 and 93 kilometres north of the town of Athabasca.[20] It serves as a staging area for the Athabasca Oil Sands Area and had a population of 72 residents in the 2021 Census of Population.[21] In Australia, Rochester is a town in the Shire of Campaspe, Victoria, situated 180 kilometres north of Melbourne along the Campaspe River, which supports local agriculture and recreation.[22] The town features rural and semi-rural communities, with notable attractions including silo art and a sports museum, and recorded a population of 3,154 in the 2021 Census.[23] Additionally, a smaller rural locality named Rochester exists in the Wakefield Regional Council area of South Australia, approximately 136 kilometres north of Adelaide, primarily consisting of agricultural land with limited residential development.[24]Administrative areas
Rochester has been the name of several historical and current administrative divisions, primarily in England and the United States, distinct from incorporated settlements. In England, Rochester served as a municipal borough from 1835 to 1974, governing the area around the historic city center in Kent. This entity was reformed in 1974 into the City of Rochester-upon-Medway, a non-metropolitan district that encompassed Rochester, Chatham, and surrounding wards until its abolition in 1998, after which it merged into the Medway unitary authority. Additionally, Rochester functioned as a parliamentary borough from 1295 to 1918, electing two members to the House of Commons until boundary changes reduced it to a single-member seat, later evolving into constituencies such as Rochester and Chatham (1955–1997) and the current Rochester and Strood (from 2010). These electoral divisions covered parts of north Kent, including the Medway Towns area. In the United States, Rochester is the name of multiple civil townships, which are unincorporated administrative subdivisions handling local governance such as zoning, roads, and elections within their counties.| State | County | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | Sangamon | Third-order administrative division encompassing rural areas near Springfield; established as a township for local civil functions.[25] |
| Minnesota | Olmsted | Township providing services like road maintenance and planning; governed by a town board with elections and zoning oversight.[26] |
| North Dakota | Cass | Rural township administering local matters including public safety and resident services within Cass County.[27] |
| Ohio | Lorain | Township subject to annual audits for fiscal accountability; covers approximately 30 square miles with limited population.[28] |
| Pennsylvania | Beaver | Second-class township with a population of 2,708 (2020 census); manages commissioners, planning commission, and sewer authority; borders the Ohio River.[29] |