Rochester, NY

[Guest neva]

Can anyone tell me a little about Rochester, NY? Is it possible to live there without a car? The best place to find an apartment (near Simon Business school)? I heard that some neighbourhoods are really unsafe - is it really so?

[Guest Guest]

I go to RIT, live in Rochester, NY. There is public transportation but its not frequet. Its hard to live without Car, althout U of R is close to the city and few miles from dowtown. Downtown is litle unsafe but there are good apartments near U of R campus

[Guest guest]

I second that, downtown is not very safe. There are also some areas of the city that are very shady and I wouldn't go there after dark under any circumstances. The nightlife is OK, but pretty mediocre compared to nicer/bigger cities. The weather is horrendous, with lots and lots of snow and wind in the winter. I wouldn't try to live without a car unless you get an apartment close enough to campus (the area is fairly nice/safe). Public transportation is not very reliable and pretty unpleasant to ride on.

[Guest roc]

It would be difficult to live in Rochester without a car. There is plenty of housing available within walking distance of campus, but you will have a tough time getting to supermarkets, restaurants, bars, malls, movie theatres, etc. without having your own car and/or having a housemate who has a car.

The UR campus is enclosed by the Genesee River, Mount Hope Cemetary, and Strong Memorial Hospital so you have to get past one of these boundaries before you get to off campus housing. In general, there are three areas where students live. To the south of campus/Strong Memorial Hospital is the Southwedge area. This area is a pretty safe and you can cut through the hospital to shorten your walk to campus. You'll also be within walking distance of Mt. Hope (road, not cemetary) where there are a few restaurants, bars, CVS, etc.

To the west of campus (Genessee river side) is the 19th ward. A lot of students live here because housing here is really cheap. It's a pretty safe area, but it gets shady as you head north. As long as you stay south of a certain street at night, you'll be fine living in the 19th ward. There is a footbridge that connects the 19th ward to the UR campus. In the past, there have been muggings on the footbridge (again, late at night), which is something to consider if you think you will be walking back home by yourself on most nights.

If you want to spend a little more money (and you have a car) there's also the Park Ave area. This area is nice because it's one of the more active places in Rochester (bars, restaurants, etc.). However it's definately not within walking distance of campus and it would be a hassle to commute back and forth everyday via the city bus system (unless you live closer to the Eastman School of Music where you can catch the busline that goes through campus).

Overall, the area around the UR is pretty safe. The worst areas of Rochester are north of downtown (UR is south of downtown).

[Guest neva]

Guys, thanks a lot! what would be a fair price for kind of good studio in the UR are or Park Ave area?

[Guest roc]

I paid $425 + utillities when I lived around Park Ave (lived with friend in a 2BR apartment). A 1 BR would be $500 - $600 for a "cheap" apartment. Again, the park ave area is NOT within walking distance of the UR campus so you would need a car to get back and forth.

A 1BR place in southwedge or the 19th ward would be more like $300 - $400.

[sabana15]

Hey all,

anyone care to update this thread--where to live/not live and what there is to do? Is the weather that bad? Where should one buy a house?

thoughts/suggestions?

thanks!

[expatbayern]

I would love to see some more updated info, too. It looks like there are lots of places near campus that one could buy a fairly decent house for sub-$100,000 (which means mortgage payments below what I pay in rent for a 1-bedroom now...). Any current students who own/have friends who do? What are pluses/minuses of 19th Ward, South Wedge, Park Ave, other areas? If I wanted to hold a house for longer than 5 years and to rent it out to students after I left PhD program, would that be pretty easy to do?

[RedPotato]

Try looking into the suburbs, which are about 15 minutes out of the city - Henrietta, Brighton and Pittsford (bit more money) or housing developments such as Riverton Knolls. The whole area is filled with students from places like RIT, UR, St.JF, Naz and the Sunys.

Which schools are you looking at?

ps - weather isnt too bad, i think. its cold, it snows. If the school you are looking at is great for everything but the weather, suck it up. there are thousands of people who live here, and manage.

[spartaca]

As far as neighborhoods go - the South Wedge is on an upswing and not too far from the UofR campus. Park Ave. area is where more young people live and thus a little artsier and trendier if that's what you're looking for, but is farther from campus. Not sure what's going on in the 19th Ward neighborhood these days. If you're looking to buy a home, you'll probably have more luck finding something affordable in 19th Ward or South Wedge, and those neighborhoods are more convenient for the UofR and RIT students you'd rent to in the future.

Like the above poster said, you could also consider some suburbs; Henrietta and Brighton are both very close to RIT and UofR, but the real estate prices have got to be higher than within the city limits.

[YagglesSnaggles]

Anyone hear anything from Rochester English? I know people have posted on the results page that they heard from Visual and Cultural, but anything else?

Bump somebody's with me.....?

[YagglesSnaggles]

right?>

I ain't even sure who I would send an inquiry email to.

[marybazy]

Hi,

Could anyone give an estimation of cost of living in Rochester for a graduate student?

Thanks

[dd123]

I'm in my first year of a PhD in Roc, I can give some details.

Re weather: it's not as bad as everyone says. Yes, snow, yes, lots of overcast days. I personally can't imagine picking a school based on weather. Then again, I'm from Toronto, so the snow/cold doesn't faze me at all.

Re needing a car. Everyone says that, and there's truth to it. I don't have a car, one of the few, and the ONLY one in my department. I live close to campus, and I bike in 5 min, through all weather. Love it. Groceries: big basket, and I bike 10 min to the local grocery store. Sometimes bum rides wtih colleagues. As a "man" in a car culture, not having a car seems to have the biggest impact on dating. Again, I've had no problems with that, though there's a real stigma against being car-less. F%cked up, but I deal. There are others, and it's worth finding out who they are and feeling like you're part of a likeminded group.

My rent: 650, plus 70/month utilities, for a fantastic 2 bedroom. I pay more than my fellow students, but I don't have car expenses, and I go out less becasue I'm at least 10 years older than them. I'm also not in the 'hip' neighborhoods, like Park ave, etc.

Note that you can live in a cooler neighborhood, car free, and use the UR (assuming UR) free bus system. It's route is limited, but it can easily be done. Bus runs once/hr, till 11pm ish. Worth looking up. That will put you in a lovely niegborhood, walking distance to a lot, but still need to bike/drive/bus to get groceries.

I came from a larger city, and I really felt the change to small city life. It was hard, I was used to living in the thick of downtown craziness, and loved it. But I'm getting used to it, after my first semester passed, which was brutal.

Can't speak about buying houses/condos, though some grads do, cause it's so cheap, esp those with partners.

Happy to answer more questions, if I can help.

david

[dd123]

What are pluses/minuses of 19th Ward, South Wedge, Park Av.. what to do, etc

SWedge: up and coming, my neighborhood, a few bars, mediocre "gourmet" grocery store, reasonable amenities. Lacking some amenities. My fave.

19th: cheaper, less to do, few amenities (i think), not as dangerous as reputed.

Park: more expensive, more polished/yuppie, more 'trendy'. If your coming from a big city, this will NOT be as trendy as it's reputed to be. I rarely/never go there, I don't see the appeal at all. Others, including my colleaques, love it. More bars, restaurants, cafes, etc. "upscale."

Also look at neighb between Park and Downtown, East/north of Alexander/East Ave. Accessible by UR bus system, pretty, walking distance to amenities/bars, galleries, etc.

[dd123]

online resources:

http://southwedge.ning.com/

http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/

http://www.esm.rochester.edu/concerts/

http://rocwiki.org/Front_Page

http://rocwiki.org/Public_Market

http://dryden.eastmanhouse.org/

http://www.jayceland.com/index.html

also remember city-data.com

[sburger]

Hi all,

Can anyone tell me about what the on-campus housing is like for graduate students at the University of Rochester? Are the apartments already furnished? How much is the rent? I've been looking online, but I've been unable to find any pricing details.

I'm supposing they're much more expensive than off-campus apartments, but as a person with no connections yet in the city, I'm thinking living on campus may be a good idea.

Edited March 10, 2010 by sburger

[dd123]

If you can't find prices here http://www.rochester...uate/index.html

then just email them, and they'll forward you the info.

The only grads who live in res are those who are from so far away that they were not able to find a place off campus. It's not preferable. It's not so pleasant, according to the rumors.

I found a place via craigslist, visiting the city for a weekend, making a dozen apptontments over the course of 3 days, and zipping around town seeing as much as I could as quick as possible.

The online housing listing from UR was pretty worthless last year, though apparently they're inthe process of upgrading it. I never bother with anything but craigslist.

Edited March 11, 2010 by dd123

[marcopolo13]

I am currently finishing up my undergrad at U of R, and I live off campus. I can tell you that while it is more convenient to live on campus, you can definitely get by without a car by living along one of the bus lines (particularly the red or gold lines). The red line runs from U of R main (river) campus to Eastman school of music, and runs through South wedge, park ave, and other neighborhoods about once an hour from 6 am-2am. The gold line runs thru the 19th ward (not a great area) about every 30 minutes. I live in southwedge on the red line, and although I have a car I almost never use it to get to school.

I currently live in an appartment in south wedge about a 30 minute walk from campus, 2 blocks from a red line bus stop. My rent is $845 a month split 3 ways, so its really cheap. Its in a pretty safe part of town, a short walk away from great bars and quirky hippy shops. We got our apartment through Southwedge properties LLC., they have lots of them in the area.

Cost of living in Rochester is really cheap, which is good! the best off campus places to live are probably along the red line or behind strong memorial hospital. If you want something a little nicer, there is an appartment complex called Rustic Villages near campus that has buses running to it a few times a day. Its a nice facility, with a gym, laundry, security, and pretty new buildings.

[vtstevie]

I'll poke my head in here just to say that as someone who grew up and lived for 18 years in Rochester (never as a student), it would be very, very difficult to live and enjoy oneself in this city without a car. Rochester has its cultural delights, but they are extremely spread out - this is a city that has suffered big time from major sprawl. Also, the weather is more bleak than straight up bad. Yes, it gets cold and yes, it is snowy, but more than that it's just gray very, very often. If you suffer from any kind of weather related depression, take this into account.

Rochester is an excellent city in many ways - tons of gorgeous parks, a vibrant (if somewhat hidden) arts scene, great (if simple) food and an hour and a half away from one of the nation's best kept secrets, the Finger Lakes region. However, bear in mind the two points I made above when considering quality of life here.

And I'll also mention that RIT is far more out of the way from pretty much anything than U of R, so I'd underline the car point if you're planning on attending the former.

Edited February 27, 2011 by vtstevie

[chaospaladin]

I got accepted to an undergraduate research summer program here. Is a bike needed or necessary on campus for U of Rochester?

[MoJingly]

I got accepted to an undergraduate research summer program here. Is a bike needed or necessary on campus for U of Rochester?

Not really. You can probably walk from one end of the campus to the other in 15 minutes, but chances are you will be hanging around a smaller area. The cheapest parking lot is pretty far from the University, however, and biking might be a better option from home if you don't want to make that trek on foot (they do have a shuttle).

[Amit.Shah]

Hi Guys,

I am going to join PhD in Biomedical Engineering at UR this fall. I got answers to some of the queries about housing and travel from above discussions. So thanks

I will appreciate if somebody can answer my questions:

1. What's the vacation duration for PhD students? Is it only for two weeks in a year?

2. Is it possible to live with family (2 persons) during graduate studies and manage finance through graduate fellowship?

3. I am leaving very good job in Texas Instruments and coming to Rochester for doing PhD. What are career opportunities after doing PhD in Biomedical Engg from UR?

Thanks.

Regards,

Amit

[MoJingly]

Hi Guys,

I am going to join PhD in Biomedical Engineering at UR this fall. I got answers to some of the queries about housing and travel from above discussions. So thanks

I will appreciate if somebody can answer my questions:

1. What's the vacation duration for PhD students? Is it only for two weeks in a year?

2. Is it possible to live with family (2 persons) during graduate studies and manage finance through graduate fellowship?

3. I am leaving very good job in Texas Instruments and coming to Rochester for doing PhD. What are career opportunities after doing PhD in Biomedical Engg from UR?

Thanks.

Regards,

Amit

Amit, questions 1 and 3 aren't really something we can answer for you. You should talk to your program. As far as #2 is concerned, the usual stipend for programs housed at the med center (as opposed to the river campus) is really generous. And the cost of living is pretty cheap. It could definitely work, especially if that other person is bringing in a paycheck as well.

[expatbayern]

Hi Guys,

I am going to join PhD in Biomedical Engineering at UR this fall. I got answers to some of the queries about housing and travel from above discussions. So thanks

I will appreciate if somebody can answer my questions:

1. What's the vacation duration for PhD students? Is it only for two weeks in a year?

2. Is it possible to live with family (2 persons) during graduate studies and manage finance through graduate fellowship?

3. I am leaving very good job in Texas Instruments and coming to Rochester for doing PhD. What are career opportunities after doing PhD in Biomedical Engg from UR?

Thanks.

Regards,

Amit

Amit,

I am currently a PhD student at the University of Rochester in Political Science. Here are my best answers to your questions:

1. As far as classes actually go, fall semester goes from the beginning of September to mid December and spring semester goes from mid January to the beginning of May, so you technically have one month off in the winter and three in the summer. I have always been working as an RA during summers, but have managed to find work that I can do away from the office in order to get away, visit family, etc. In your field, I don't know if you'll be working in a lab all summer--you'd do best to ask current students in your program what their summers are like.

2. I support my wife (who does not work) and infant daughter on my fellowship stipend plus RA work. We bought a house when we moved to Rochester (real estate is extremely cheap, in my opinion even less expensive than the rental market here). I would not be surprised if your fellowship is larger than mine, given your field.

3. No idea. This is a question to direct to your program's graduate placement director or similar.