Celebrate City Living in Rochester
by Chris Clemens
The Celebrate City Living campaign in Rochester, New York is the collaborative effort of a few key organizations committed to lauding the benefits of living within the city’s borders. The City of Rochester has fully endorsed the efforts of the Rochester Coalition for Neighborhood Living, who has partnered with groups like the Landmark Society of Western New York and the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors to create a team dedicated to helping you find the exact spot in the city that you will love the most. They’ve recently built a new, really fantastic website and have their annual Housing Expo coming up, so they reached out to ask if I would help spread the word. As someone who was born and raised in a Rochester suburb and now enjoys owning a home in the city, I definitely wanted to help showcase what city living has to offer.
Much like our Queen City neighbor-to-the-west, the last few years have seen a tremendous uptick in younger generations feeding social media timelines with their favorite things about the city. Built on the very foundations of technological innovation and manufacturing, the same notion of creative design has now gone into smaller, more sustainable ideas that are the result of a grassroots movement wanting to be part of the revitalization of New York’s third most populous city. It may have been cool to move out of the city and into the suburbs 50 years ago, but those tables are quickly turning. People are beginning to recognize that Rochester has a long list of awesome reasons to enjoy being in the city.
The new Celebrate City Living website is a super user-friendly design that serves as a resource for anyone looking to make the experience of living in Rochester one that is fulfilling. Resources for homeowners like grants for a new roof or how to select a realtor are alongside assistance for renters like how to understand your rights as a tenant. An overview of each of the neighborhoods is offered so that anyone looking for a place to live next to a great hiking park will know to choose the North Winton Village and anyone wanting to live right downtown on the river in a historic landmark home will know to checkout Corn Hill.
In addition to having the website filled with resources, they’ve also started to host a few events. The first “Neighborhood Spotlight” was in the Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA) at the end of February and featured local businesses doing free fitness classes, an improv class and a lot of opportunities to meet others who live and work in the area.
Their flagship annual event is coming up on April 16 and will be located downtown in Rochester’s City Hall. The Housing Expo takes places from 10a-3p and will include exhibitors representing all of the areas a potential homeowner or renter might need assistance with learning more about. A few workshops will be presented, one of which I’m guessing will be interesting to anyone who is a fan of this blog: “Hidden Gems Of Rochester”. Equally as intriguing for anyone who loves exploring will be the 3-hour bus tour of Rochester’s neighborhoods led by Cynthia Howk of the Landmark Society of Western New York. For only $5.00, you’ll get an expert’s look into the history, culture and layout of some of Rochester’s best spots to live. Over the years I’ve been doing research and exploration I’ve interacted with Cynthia a few times. She’s super knowledgeable and will make that tour one not to miss!
In addition to the CCL website, you can join me in following them all over social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and using the hashtag #CelebrateCityLiving
See you in the city!
Sources and Additional Reading
Celebrate City Living website
City of Rochester website
Landmark Society of Western New York website
Chris Clemens is the Founder/Publisher of Exploring Upstate. From his hometown in Rochester, he spends as much time as possible connecting with the history, culture, and places that make Upstate New York a land of discovery. Follow him on Twitter at @cpclemens
