Democrat and Chronicle get it right about Rochester
I read a really interesting take on Rochester today on the D&C website. They pick up on many of the issues that have bothered me since moving back to Rochester in 2004. What really interests me though are peoples comments on the area and how frustrated graduates of the regions colleges are with it. The comments at the end of the article make interesting reading. I'm not sure I agree with one persons notion that college students are a problem. Students bring a tremendous amount of diversity and funds to the area but I agree that students alone are not necessarily the answer to a flagging economy (especially if there is no reason for them to stay!). Hi-Tech is one way to go, so is tourism. What about the cultural sector as a means of differentiation? I'd like to see the city center receive a lot of attention before we look at the rest of the area. I'm also a believer that college town has the potential to really shape the Henrietta locale. We live in a beautiful part of the world, a short drive to work demonstrates this to me every day. My money is on culture.
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Hello Neil,
I agree with you that tourism is probably one of the best ways Rochester can better its economy. The area is rich with history, especially slavery related historical sites (underground railroad). Perhaps creating more special events around that, drawing people upstate could help? Perhaps combining the culture of Rochester, for example, their love for road races, and have a road race series where they run the underground railroad routes…(its just an idea…not much research on whether it will work or if its done).
Im really tired of hearing that “theres nothing in Rochester”. There is so much…and you dont even have to dig for it! More importantly…it can make Rochester MONEY.
–Love TMM (The Marketing Machine:))
How many cities in this country are known a Jazz cultural hotspots outside of New Orleans? Rochester’s International Jazz festival is relatively new but growing by leaps and bounds, and I think more needs to be done to promote our city as a centre of Jazz music. Sure we have Beale Street and Keys Piano Bar (if it’s still open), but we have no single well-established cafe dedicated to the music. What we do have, however, is one of the few urban waterfalls in the nation being overlooked by low-income housing projects.