Rochester, NY is located south of Lake Ontario. Rochester's population is approximately 207,000, making it New York's third most populous city.

History

On November 8, 1803, a 100 acre tract in Western New York along the Genesee River was bought by Col. Nathaniel Rochester, Maj. Charles Carroll, and Col. William Fitzhugh, Jr., all of Hagerstown, Maryland. The site was chosen because of three waterfalls on the Genesee, offering great potential for water power. Beginning in 1811, and with a population of 15, the three founders surveyed the land and laid out streets and tracts. Rochesterville was the seat of Monroe County by 1821.

Frederick Douglass founded the abolitionist newspaper The North Star in Rochester in 1847. Douglass, a former slave and an antislavery speaker and writer, garnered a circulation of over 4,000 readers in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. The North Star served as an outlet for abolitionist views.

Economy

The Rochester region is home to a number of international businesses, including Fortune 1000 companies such as; Eastman Kodak, Constellation Brands, and Paychex, as well as several national and regional companies. Xerox was founded in Rochester in 1906 and was orginally named The Haloid Company. It retains a significant presence in Rochester, although its headquarters are now located in Norwalk, Connecticut. The Gannett newspaper company and Western Union were both established in the Rochester area by Frank Gannett and Hiram Sibley respectively.