My Hometown - Rochester, NY
By: Jill Simmons, PR Manager | October 21, 2008
When I told friends and coworkers in New York that I was moving to Seattle I would hear two things: that Seattle was beautiful and that the weather was horrible. Originally I thought this weather warning was kind of crazy. I mean, I had obviously heard about the gray and the rain, but I had also heard that it doesn’t snow or get really cold. Considering where I grew up, that sounds like pretty good weather to me.
I was born and raised in Rochester, NY which is known for Kodak, Wegmans (Fortune’s #3 best company to work for) and the infamous Rochester delicacy known as “the Garbage Plate“(a combination of home fries, macaroni salad, baked beans, or french fries topped by your choice of meats and dressed with spicy mustard, onions, and hot sauce.)
Rochester has been ranked #6 among 379 U.S. Metro areas in the 25th edition of the Places Rated Almanac for Most Livable Cities. And just this year, Rochester came in at #2 on CNNMoney’s 10 fastest growing real estate markets.
That said, I don’t think I could ever move back. I am permanently scarred by the winters there. Dramatic I know, but growing up it wasn’t unusual for the first snowflakes to fall right before Halloween. And we weren’t in the clear until May. Seriously. I remember brushing snow off my car one Mother’s Day. There is an actual contest between 5 upstate NY cities called the Golden Snow Ball Award, where each city aspires to be the snowiest and whoever wins gets a trophy. The citizens of that city should get a free trip to Mexico or something but..whatever. Syracuse won last year with 109 inches. Rochester only got 106. Rochester is typically regarded as the snowiest city in the U.S with a population over a million. Why I didn’t make a break for it and go to college in California I’m not sure. (I went to Syracuse University, prolonging my snow exposure.)
Of course, it’s not just the amount of snow or the length of the winter season that makes Rochester’s winter brutal. On average, according to weatherbase.com, the temperature drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit 135 days per year. Try waiting for the school bus in those temperatures. Not fun. So yes, while people in New York City tried to warn me about the Seattle weather, my parents, who still live in Rochester, told me how much I’d love the winter here. As for me, I’m kind of looking forward to my first Seattle winter and seeing what all the hype is about.
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- Categories: Hometowns
Comments
7 Comments so far
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GregC on October 21, 2008 6:03 pm
I always found it wasn’t the amount of snow - Syracuse and Buffalo tend to get a lot more - it’s the grey skies from Lake Ontario’s influence that really were demoralizing. When I go back to visit in winter(living now in CO with 320 days sunshine per year) the grey skies kill me.
That said, Wegman’s is the bestest place in the world and I miss it terribly!
Greg
PS: Why is it windy in Rochester? Because Syracuse sucks and Buffalo blows!
Andrew Knight on October 22, 2008 12:05 am
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Patti Smith on October 23, 2008 8:54 am
You will be happy to hear that yesterday we had our first snowfall in Syracuse. It melted before hitting the ground, but it was still snow.
Next time I make the trip to eat a Garbage Plate I will have to take a picture for you. Good luck in Seattle.
Cedar Rapids Real Estate on October 23, 2008 9:40 am
Jill, I know you are looking forward to your first “West Coast Winter.” I grew up in Iowa, moved away to Texas for 19 years and moved back in 2004 because of family. However, I missed the change of seasons; all four of them. In Texas, it goes from green to brown, and back to green. I’m still enjoying my snow fix up here in Iowa!
kyle on March 23, 2009 12:56 pm
you’re so full of it. i’ve lived in rochester NY for 20 years and there’s never once been a single day of temperatures at negative 35 degrees. yea our winters are bad but that’s a little over the top. stop crying about cold weather
Cedar Rapids Real Estate on June 10, 2009 9:21 pm
I lived on the East Coast for over 20 years and I moved to Iowa. I exchanged one colder climate for another.
Jason on November 27, 2009 7:58 am
I grew up in Rochacha and I miss it. Living in europe now for 20 years haven´t seen anything like Rochester ever again. Good luck in Seattle but you´ll miss Rochester more than you´ll ever know.