Do you like your neighborhood? Is it friendly, and where everyone knows their neighbors? No matter if you live in the sticks or in an apartment building in downtown Rochester, you have a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood is different.
Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Rochester neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?
Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Rochester are the best. If you’re in one of the places we’re about to highlight, odds are you know you’ve got it made.
Here are the best neighborhoods in Rochester for 2018:
- Park Avenue (Homes)
- Cobbs Hill (Homes)
- East Avenue (Homes)
- Culver-Winton (Homes)
- Browncroft (Homes)
- Ellwanger-Barry (Homes)
- Homestead Heights (Homes)
- Corn Hill (Homes)
- Atlantic-University (Homes)
- Swillburg (Homes)
Read on to see how we determined the places around Rochester that deserve a little bragging rights or maybe you’re interested in the worst neighborhoods in Rochester.
If you’re thinking of moving to elsewhere in New York check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In New York
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In New York
- 10 Most Dangerous Places In New York
How do you determine the top neighborhoods in Rochester for 2018?
In order to rank the best neighborhoods in Rochester, we had to determine what criteria defines a ‘best’.
Using crime, census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We limited the analysis to neighborhoods with over 1,000 people.
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 30 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index the ‘Best City Neighborhood In Rochester.’ We’re lookin’ at you, Park Avenue.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Rochester has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city from best to worst.
1. Park Avenue
Population: 6,568
Median Income: $52,651
Median Home Value: $196,564
Park Avenue and State Street Historic District is a national historic district located at Brockport in Monroe County, New York. The district encompasses 90 contributing buildings and 1 contributing site in a predominantly residential section of Brockport. The district developed between about 1830 and 1930, and includes buildings in a variety of architectural styles including Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival. Located in the district is the separately listed First Presbyterian Church. Other notable buildings include houses dated to the 1830s and 1840s.
More on Park Avenue: Real Estate | Data
2. Cobbs Hill
Population: 1,498
Median Income: $83,224
Median Home Value: $183,550
Cobbs Hill Reservoir is a reservoir located in Cobbs Hill Park in Rochester, New York, United States. The reservoir is used to supply drinking water to the city of Rochester. The source of the water is Hemlock Lake, which lies 30 miles due south of and 400 feet higher elevation than Rochester.
More on Cobbs Hill: Real Estate | Data
3. East Avenue
Population: 6,484
Median Income: $45,774
Median Home Value: $176,290
East Avenue Historic District is a national historic district located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. The district consists of a series of large 19th and early 20th century homes, houses of worship, meeting houses, and museums. It contains approximately 700 structures. Notable structures in the district include the Hiram W. Sibley House, home of Hiram Sibley; Edward E. Boynton House, Rochester’s only work by Frank Lloyd Wright; the Culver House, moved to its present site in 1906; and the Strong-Todd House, once occupied by Henry A. Strong.
More on East Avenue: Real Estate | Data
4. Culver-Winton
Population: 8,082
Median Income: $53,176
Median Home Value: $100,075
More on Culver-Winton: Real Estate | Data
5. Browncroft
Population: 2,975
Median Income: $58,158
Median Home Value: $133,050
The Browncroft Historic District is a national historic district located in the Browncroft Neighborhood of Rochester, New York. The district contains 518 contributing buildings, two contributing sites, two contributing objects, and two contributing structures over 116 acres. It includes 417 residential properties constructed between 1914 and World War II.
More on Browncroft: Real Estate | Data
6. Ellwanger-Barry
Population: 4,121
Median Income: $46,788
Median Home Value: $132,200
More on Ellwanger-Barry: Real Estate | Data
7. Homestead Heights
Population: 4,048
Median Income: $47,811
Median Home Value: $77,350
Homestead Heights is located in northeast Rochester. It is bordered on the west by Goodman Street, on the north by Clifford Avenue, on the south by Bay Street, and on the east by Culver Road, which is also the border between the city and the town of Irondequoit. The neighborhood is a mix of residential and commercial. Real estate values are higher on the eastern end of the neighborhood near the Irondequoit border. The neighborhood is approximately 2214 miles west of the Irondequoit Bay.
More on Homestead Heights: Real Estate | Data
8. Corn Hill
Population: 2,425
Median Income: $37,588
Median Home Value: $136,233
More on Corn Hill: Real Estate | Data
9. Atlantic-University
Population: 1,832
Median Income: $51,814
Median Home Value: $159,400
More on Atlantic-University: Real Estate | Data
10. Swillburg
Population: 1,695
Median Income: $40,186
Median Home Value: $119,980
This wedge-shaped piece of the city is bordered by S. Clinton Avenue on the west, Field St on the south, and Interstate 490 on the east. The neighborhood received its moniker when a 19th-century Rochester pig farmer utilized the area to collect swill for his swine. The area has one of the highest rates of homeownership in the city.
More on Swillburg: Real Estate | Data
Putting A Bow On Our Analysis Of Rochester
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Rochester where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious, here are the worst places in Rochester:
- Dutchtown
- Charles House
- Central Business District
For more reading, check out:
- 10 Safest Places In New York According To Science
- 10 Worst Places To Live In New York State
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In New York
Detailed List Of The Best Neighborhoods In Rochester
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Park Avenue | 6,568 |
| 2 | Cobbs Hill | 1,498 |
| 3 | East Avenue | 6,484 |
| 4 | Culver-Winton | 8,082 |
| 5 | Browncroft | 2,975 |
| 6 | Ellwanger-Barry | 4,121 |
| 7 | Homestead Heights | 4,048 |
| 8 | Corn Hill | 2,425 |
| 9 | Atlantic-University | 1,832 |
| 10 | Swillburg | 1,695 |
| 11 | Beechwood | 9,627 |
| 12 | South Wedge | 3,268 |
| 13 | South Marketview Heights | 3,532 |
| 14 | 19Th Ward | 22,135 |
| 15 | Northland-Lyceum | 4,959 |
| 16 | Lyell-Otis | 8,982 |
| 17 | Genesee-Jefferson | 4,642 |
| 18 | Pearl-Meigs-Monroe | 3,015 |
| 19 | Highland | 5,445 |
| 20 | Maplewood | 16,299 |
| 21 | Charlotte | 7,035 |
| 22 | North Marketview Heights | 4,977 |
| 23 | Mayor’S Heights | 2,234 |
| 24 | Strong | 4,847 |
| 25 | Plymouth-Exchange | 3,886 |
| 26 | Upper Falls | 6,569 |
| 27 | Edgerton | 7,063 |
| 28 | Central Business District | 4,186 |
| 29 | Charles House | 2,877 |
| 30 | Dutchtown | 3,260 |
