Quality of Life can be measured by a variety of factors including access to cultural amenities, recreational activities, cost of living, excellent schools, weather, and an environment in which to raise a healthy and educated family. The Greater Rochester Region offers an exceptional quality of life. It has the arts, culture, sports and nightlife of a big city, but the ease and comfort of a small town.
Forbes named Rochester the 3rd Best Place to Raise a Family based on the cost of living, short commutes as well as affordable housing available in our community. Forbes also recognized Rochester as the 4th Most Affordable City due in part to our diversified economy and history of sustained low cost of living.
In addition to a beautiful, varied landscape, an abundance of cultural and recreational activities, Rochester is one of the least-congested cities in the U.S., with an average commute of just 20.3 minutes.
Additional Rochester Rankings
- MSN selected Rochester at the #1 Most Livable Bargain Market
- Forbes selected Rochester the 3rd Best Place in U.S. to Raise a Family
- Ranked as one of the top 10 places to vacation by Money magazine.
- Ranked 7th according to Places Rated Almanac among 225 metro areas for recreational amenities.
- Men's Health magazine ranked Rochester as the 3rd healthiest place for men to live.
Housing
|
Median Home Price, Q2 2011 |
$118,900 |
|
Affordability Index, Q1 2011 (Percent of Homes Affordable to Families Earning Median Incomes) |
84.4% |
|
Home Ownership Rate, 2009 |
69.8% |
| Sources: National Association of Realtors, National Association of Home Builders, US Census Bureau |
Commute
|
Percent of Congested Daily Travel, 2009 (Peak Time) |
10% |
|
Mean travel time to work, 2009 (minutes) |
20.3 |
| Source: US Census Bureau: 2009 American Community Survey |
Climate
|
Annual Precipitation (inches) |
33.98 |
|
Daily Average Temperature - January (Degrees Fahrenheit) |
23.9 |
|
Daily Average Temperature - July (Degrees Fahrenheit) |
70.7 |
| Source: National Weather Data Center, 2010 |
Cultural & Recreational Rankings
Education
(0-100 scale) |
98.58 |
|
Ambiance Rankings
(0-100 scale) |
90.0 |
|
Recreation Rankings
(0-100 scale)
Places Rated Almanac, 2007 |
98.1 |