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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. So, if you're thinking of moving to New York and Rochester is on the top of your list, check out our best neighborhoods to live in.
Here are the best neighborhoods in Rochester for 2020:
So what's the best neighborhood to live in Rochester for 2020? According to the most recent census data, Park Avenue looks to be the best Rochester neighborhood to live in.
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.
Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from best to worst.
For more New York reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In New York
- Cheapest Places To Live In New York
- Best Places To Retire In New York
The 10 Best Neighborhoods To Live In Rochester
Population: 6,881
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $159,055 (Third best)
Median Income: $57,052 (Third best)
More on Park Avenue: Homes For Sale | Data
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.
Population: 4,022
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 8)
Median Home Value: $79,700 (16th best)
Median Income: $52,330 (Fourth best)
More on Homestead Heights: Homes For Sale | Data
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.
Population: 1,495
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $178,800 (First best)
Median Income: $83,062 (First best)
More on Cobbs Hill: Homes For Sale | Data
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.
Population: 3,392
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $123,550 (Sixth best)
Median Income: $59,790 (Second best)
More on Browncroft: Homes For Sale | Data
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.
Population: 2,460
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 4)
Median Home Value: $165,533 (Second best)
Median Income: $37,973 (11th best)
More on Corn Hill: Homes For Sale | Data
Population: 3,991
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $117,657 (Eighth best)
Median Income: $49,988 (Sixth best)
More on Ellwanger-Barry: Homes For Sale | Data
Population: 7,664
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $99,225 (11th best)
Median Income: $51,785 (Fifth best)
More on Culver-Winton: Homes For Sale | Data
Population: 6,623
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 6)
Median Home Value: $134,240 (Fifth best)
Median Income: $46,852 (Eighth best)
More on East Avenue: Homes For Sale | Data
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.
Population: 20,696
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 5)
Median Home Value: $69,691 (20th best)
Median Income: $36,499 (14th best)
More on 19th Ward: Homes For Sale | Data
Population: 1,889
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $99,420 (Tenth best)
Median Income: $45,023 (Ninth best)
More on Swillburg: Homes For Sale | Data
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.
How We Determined The Best Rochester, NY Neighborhoods In 2020
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 then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 32 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, New York has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city from best to worst.
Putting A Bow On Our Analysis Of The Best Neighborhoods In Rochester
If you're measuring the neighborhoods in Rochester where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Rochester aren't all good. Best takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Rochester.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below.
For more New York reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In New York
- Safest Places In New York According To Science
- Best Cities For Singles In New York
- Most Expensive Places To Live In New York
Detailed List Of The Best Neighborhoods To Live In Rochester For 2020
Rank | Neighborhood | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Park Avenue | 6,881 |
2 | Homestead Heights | 4,022 |
3 | Cobbs Hill | 1,495 |
4 | Browncroft | 3,392 |
5 | Corn Hill | 2,460 |
6 | Ellwanger-Barry | 3,991 |
7 | Culver-Winton | 7,664 |
8 | East Avenue | 6,623 |
9 | 19th Ward | 20,696 |
10 | Swillburg | 1,889 |
11 | Pearl-Meigs-Monroe | 3,036 |
12 | Charlotte | 6,806 |
13 | South Wedge | 3,406 |
14 | Atlantic-University | 1,762 |
15 | Northland-Lyceum | 4,774 |
16 | Highland | 5,792 |
17 | Central Business District | 4,457 |
18 | Beechwood | 8,913 |
19 | Maplewood | 17,663 |
20 | Strong | 4,446 |
21 | North Marketview Heights | 4,924 |
22 | Genesee-Jefferson | 4,523 |
23 | Plymouth-Exchange | 3,471 |
24 | Susan B Anthony | 755 |
25 | Lyell-Otis | 9,016 |
26 | South Marketview Heights | 3,378 |
27 | Mayor's Heights | 2,522 |
28 | Dutchtown | 3,302 |
29 | Upper Falls | 6,838 |
30 | Charles House | 2,575 |
31 | Edgerton | 7,051 |
32 | Best | 514 |