Rochester, Minnesota

Rochester is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. The city was estimated to have population of 96,975 as of July 1, 2006,^[3] making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is perhaps best known as the home of the Mayo Clinic. The city is also home to one of IBM's largest facilities. The city has long been a fixture on Money magazine's "Best Places to Live" index, and is ranked number 67 on the 2006 list.^[4]

The Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area, consisting of Olmsted, Dodge, and Wabasha counties, had an estimated population of 179,573 in 2006.^[5]

[edit] History

The area was home to nomadic Sioux, Ojibwa and Winnebago tribes of Native Americans. In 1851, the Sioux ceded the land to Minnesota Territory in the treaties of Traverse des Sioux and Mendota. In 1853, the treaties were concluded, opening the land for settlement. Rochester was founded by George Head in 1854, his claim part of what is now the city's business district.^[6] Originally from Rochester, New York, Head had settled in Waukesha, Wisconsin before moving west to Minnesota. He named the village on the South Fork of the Zumbro River after his New York hometown, and built a log cabin his family operated as Head's Tavern. By 1856, the population had grown to 50; and by 1858, it was 1,500. The Territorial Legislature created Olmsted County on February 20, 1855, with Rochester named county seat in 1857. Rochester developed as a stagecoach stop between Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Dubuque, Iowa. When the railroad arrived in the 1860s, it brought new residents and business opportunities. In 1863, Dr. William W. Mayo arrived as the examining surgeon for draftees in the Civil War.

On August 21, 1883, the Great Tornado demolished much of Rochester, leaving thirty-seven dead and several thousand wounded. There was no medical facility at the time, so Dr. Mayo and his two sons worked together to care for the wounded. $60,000 in donations were collected and the Sisters of St. Francis, assisted by Dr. Mayo, opened a new facility named St. Marys Hospital in 1889.^[7] The Mayo practice grew and is today among the largest and most well-respected medical facilities in the world. Many famous people from around the world, including former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and King Hussein of Jordan, have visited Rochester as patients of the Mayo Clinic.

An Early Home in c. 1912

Center Street in c. 1912

Courthouse in c. 1915

Fourth Street in 1909

[edit] City flag

Photo of Rochester City Flag

In 1980 a competition was held to design a flag for the city of Rochester. Nearly 200 flag proposal entries were submitted to the citizen flag selection committee.^[8] The design submitted by Laurie A. Muir, a fine arts student at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, was selected for the official city flag by the Rochester City Council at a council meeting on June 16, 1980.^[9] Ms. Muir designed the flag with royal blue and a white circle as a historical reference to the original Flag of Minnesota. To represent the city's main industry, the flag design includes a city landscape in the background showing the main building of the Mayo Clinic, along with the Plummer Building, a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Another major employer, IBM is represented by a computer-styled font for the lettering. In the foreground is a blue lake representing Rochester's Silver Lake, an artificial lake in Rochester created by a dam and used to cool the electrical generating power plant. Because the power plant produces enough heat to keep the lake from freezing in the winter, Canada geese stay in Rochester year round. This is represented by the three Canada geese flying over the city on the flag. The first official flag was presented to its designer in a ceremony held at the Rochester Public Library on August 19, 1980. Making the presentation was City Council President Dick Postier and Mayor Chuck Hazama.^[10] The center image from the flag is currently used as a logo in various renditions by city departments.

[edit] Geography

Skyline along South Fork of the Zumbro River

Rochester lies along the South Fork of the Zumbro River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 39.8 square miles (103.0 km²) - 39.6 square miles (102.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.35%) is water.

Rochester is in Olmsted County, one of only four counties in Minnesota without a natural lake. Artificial lakes exist in the area, including Silver Lake, a dammed portion of the South Fork Zumbro River just below the convergence with Silver Creek near the city center. The lake was used as a cooling pond for the nearby electrical power plant for many years, although the amount of water used for this purpose has been significantly reduced. Heated water in the lake generally prevents it from freezing over even during Minnesota winters, attracting migrating giant Canada geese, which have become symbols of the city.

A major flood in 1978 led the city to embark on an expensive flood-control project that involved altering many nearby rivers and streams.

Minnesota is in the Central Standard Time (CST -6:00 GMT) zone and central daylight time.

[edit] Climate

Below is a table of average high and low temperatures throughout the year in Rochester.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg high °F (°C)	20 (-7)	26 (-3)	39 (4)	55 (13)	68 (20)	77 (25)	80 (27)	78 (26)	69 (21)	57 (14)	39 (4)	24 (-4)
Avg low temperature °F (°C)	4 (-16)	11 (-12)	23 (-5)	35 (2)	46 (8)	56 (13)	60 (16)	58 (14)	49 (9)	37 (3)	24 (-4)	10 (-12)

[edit] Demographics

Rochester was estimated to have a population of 100,000 as of January 1, 2008.^[11] The 2000 census^[1] counted 85,806 people, 34,116 households, and 21,493 families in the city. The population density was 2,166.3 people per square mile (836.4/km²). There were 35,346 housing units at an average density of 892.4/sq mi (344.5/km²).

Racial Makeup

88.7% White^[12]

4.3% African American^[13]

6.3% Asian^[14]

3.0% Hispanic^[15]

1.8% from two or more races.^[16]

1.9% from other races^[17]

0.6% Native American^[18]

0.1% Pacific Islander^[19]

Of the 34,116 households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18, 51.8% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.06.

Population is spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,090, and the median income for a family was $60,754. Males had a median income of $40,380 versus $30,136 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,811. About 4.7% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Economy

Flocks of geese feeding in a cornfield on the edge of Rochester.

[edit] Commerce and industry

The primary industries in Rochester are medical services, computer design and programming, light manufacturing (mostly computers and electronics), and substantial hotel and restaurant trades serving visitors from around the world.

The Mayo Clinic employs approximately 30,000 people and about one in 58 Rochester-area residents is a doctor. Mayo specializes in virtually every medical specialty and provides care for more than 500,000 patients each year from more than 150 countries. Its strength is its comprehensiveness and its ability to provide diagnosis and treatment of virtually any medical problem. Mayo’s practice includes more than 100 medical and surgical specialties and sub-specialties.^{[citation needed]}

IBM's Rochester campus is one of the largest private employers in the city, employing 5,000 people. The facility plays a significant role in the company’s e-business strategy. The IBM Rochester team manufactures and develops powerful server and storage products for customers around the world, including the System i series.

Rochester's hospitality and tourism industry provides 11,000 full-time equivalent jobs and serves more than 2.5 million annual visitors. In 2006, Rochester experienced its best year ever with a nine percent increase in overall hotel bookings and a more than $20 million increase in direct visitor spending. The Rochester Convention and Visitors Bureau estimated visitor spending topped $270 million in 2006. In 2007, the efforts of the Rochester Convention and Visitors Bureau resulted in 100,000 booked group hotel rooms for visitors attending conventions, meetings and sporting events.^{[citation needed]}

Rochester's sports convention and visitor industry is notable. The Rochester Area Sports Commission was formed in 1991 to bring major national and international events and, along with them, the recognition of Rochester as a center for amateur sports. RASC has established itself as one of the premium sport organizations in the world.

The largest enclosed shopping space in Rochester is Apache Mall.

The tallest building is the Oakwood Broadway Plaza.

The U.S. Federal Medical Center, Rochester, a health care facility for federal prisoners, is on the campus of the former state hospital at the edge of the city.

[edit] Transportation

Rochester offers a skyway system, subterranean walkways (called the “subway” system), busses, car rentals, and airport shuttles.

Subway/Skyway - Rochester has climate controlled skyway and underground walkways known as subways. Downtown businesses, hotels, shops and dining are all accessible without having to step outdoors in the winter. A variety of shops and businesses are also located along the underground subways and skyways. The skyway and subway wheelchair accessibility is useful for patients of the Mayo Clinic.

Limousine Service The main company for VIP transportation is Star Transportation

Bus Line - Rochester’s city-owned bus line connects many attractions, hotels, meeting facilities and major industries. It also provides commuter services for a number of surrounding communities.

Taxi Service - There are two taxi companys in Rochester. Med City Cab co.services the Mayo Clinic and surrounding areas and there is also RTS transportation.

Airport - Rochester International Airport is located eight miles (13 km) south of downtown Rochester and is accessible via Highway 63. Taxis and airport shuttles provide service between the airport and the city’s business centers. The airport features two runways and service terminals operated by American Airlines and Northwest Airlines. A large FedEx terminal, small DHL station and general aviation terminal are also on-site. The airport services flights from all over the world connected through American Eagle (American Airlines) and Northwest Airlines. The Rochester Airport Company (RAC) operates the airport, and is currently under an operating agreement with the City of Rochester. While RAC is a private company, the Mayo Clinic of Rochester oversees it, and has heavy influence at the airport (as noticed by the similarity of signs throughout the airport compared to the signs throughout the Mayo complex).

As in most American cities, the primary mode of transportation in Rochester and the surrounding area is the automobile. The city is served by three U.S. highways (U.S. 14, U.S. 52, and U.S. 63), and the southern edge of Rochester is skirted by Interstate Highway 90 and State Highway 30.

Freight railroad service to and through the city is provided by the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad.

[edit] Government

The incumbent mayor of Rochester is Ardell Brede.

List of mayors of Rochester, Minnesota

Rochester is located in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, represented by Mankato educator Tim Walz, a Democrat.

[edit] Education

The city is home to University Center Rochester (UCR), a grouping of Rochester Community and Technical College, Winona State University's Rochester Center, and the University of Minnesota Rochester campus.

Rochester is also home to a branch of Cardinal Stritch University, Crossroads College (a four-year nondenominational Christian college) and Globe University/Minnesota School of Business (a private career college offering bachelor's and associate degree programs in business, health science, information technology and legal science).

Graduate education is available through The Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, the research and education component of Mayo Clinic. The College of Medicine comprises Mayo Medical School, Mayo Graduate School, Mayo School of Continuing Medical Education, Mayo School of Health Sciences, and the Mayo Clinic Residency and Fellowship programs.

[edit] High schools

There are seven high schools in Rochester:

Mayo High School
Century High School
Schaeffer Academy
John Marshall High School
Rochester Lourdes High School
Rochester Off Campus (ROC) High School
Studio Academy High School

[edit] Sites of interest

Corn Watertower

A number of buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places, including the former Chateau Theatre, which now houses a Barnes & Noble Bookstore and Cafe.

The longest running restaurant (1951) in rochester is Michaels, with the very popular bartender, Thomas Weisheipl. The Greek restaurant is currently still in the family of original owner and run by Mike Pappas.

The city has three homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright: the A. H. Bulbulian Residence, the James McBean Residence, and the Thomas Keys Residence.

Rochester may also be home to the largest "ear of corn" in the world. Actually an inedible water tower, it is next to the Seneca Foods plant in the city.

Many of the tallest buildings in Rochester are owned by Mayo. The Gonda Building is the tallest building owned by the clinic, and it is attached to the cross-shaped Mayo Building. Mayo's Plummer Building is considered to be among the most architecturally significant in the city. The tallest building in Rochester is the newly constructed BridgeStreet Broadway Plaza, a residential dwelling catering to the many extended-stay visitors who frequent Mayo. Broadway Plaza is also the tallest residential building in a US Metropolitan Area of fewer than 200,000 people.^{[citation needed]}

IBM Rochester is a 3.1 million square feet (290,000 m²) collection of connected buildings on a business campus in the northwest part of the city. It was initially designed by noted architect Eero Saarinen.

The brick motherhouse of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota on the wooded hill of Assisi Heights, can be seen from many parts of the city.

[edit] Sports and recreation

[edit] Sports

The Med-City Aquatics Swim Club offers competitive youth and masters swimming. Swimmers from Med-City have competed at Division 1 Universities and at state and national competitions.

The Rochester A’s are a part of the American Legion Division I Baseball. In 2003, the A's became only the fourth team from Minnesota to win the National American League World Series in its 77-year history.

The Rochester Active Sports Club is a multi-sport club for enthusiasts of sports such as cycling (MTB and road) and Nordic skiing in South East Minnesota.

The Rochester Giants are a semi-professional football team formed in 2003.

The Rochester Honkers is a summer collegiate baseball league. Top college players from the Midwest and across the country participate. Home games are played at Mayo Field.

The Rochester Ice Hawks hockey team made Rochester their home in 2002 – 2003, moving from nearby Mankato, Minnesota. The Ice Hawks recruit players locally and nationally. They are a Junior B United States Hockey League team.

The Rochester Patriots is an amateur American Legion baseball team.

The Rochester Red Hawks baseball team is another American Legion club.

The Rochester Rowing Club is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 organization. The junior team (ages 12-18) trains indoors in the winter and on Silver Lake in the summer. High school students can earn varsity letters in the spring. Adult learn-to-row and competitive programs run throughout the summer.

The Rochester Royals are an amateur baseball team that has called Mayo Field home since 1924. They won the state tournament in 2006.

The Rochester Swim Club is a private swim club founded over 40 years ago, and is the largest swim team outside of the Twin Cities. Knows as the Orcas, the club offers Age-Group and Masters swimming, as well as swimming lessons.

The Rochester Track Club is an all-ages, all-seasons running club.

The Rochester Athletic Club is a source of recreation for many Rochester citizens, providing two swimming pools, a large exercise area, and eighteen tennis courts. The Club is extremely well known for its junior tennis program, which is one of the premier tennis programs in the Northern United States.

[edit] Parks and recreation

Rochester has a network of bike and pedestrian paths.

Biking/Hiking Trails - There are many opportunities to enjoy running, hiking, inline skating, biking or walking throughout the city of Rochester. The city offers more than 60 miles (97 km) of city trails, all paved.

The Root River and Douglas State Trails combine for nearly 55 miles (89 km) in the near Rochester area. Developed on historic railroad passages, the trails provide rural scenery, with a combination of paved and unpaved surfaces for wheels, hooves and shoes. The Douglas Trail gently travels through a mix of forest and rolling fields, while the Root River Trail gives views of the soaring limestone bluffs of the Root River Valley. The latter was newly paved in 1999 and features a choice of less and more challenging areas. The Harmony-Preston Valley State Trail contributes 18 additional miles of trail, connecting with the Root River system. All state trails have convenient parking lots with rest facilities.

Quarry Hill Nature Center offers more than five miles (8 km) of trails covering 270 acres (1.1 km²). Like the state trails, Quarry Hill’s system links with the City Trail System.

There is a large park system in Rochester, with more than 100 sites covering 5 square miles (13 km²). There are several golf courses, including 2 disc golf courses, among many other athletic facilities.

[edit] Arts and entertainment

Downtown as seen from the Rochester Art Center.

Rochester Art Center - Opened in May 2004, the Rochester Art Center is a small art center with no permanent collection but a variety of temporary travelling collections. The outdoor Zumbro Gardens is a terraced park and sculpture lawn stepping down to the edge of the Zumbro River.

History Center of Olmsted County - The History Center of Olmsted County is located at 1195 West Circle Drive SW in Rochester. The History Center Museum also includes a History Library and Genealogy Center at that location. Mayowood Mansion is also nearby and is owned and operated by the History Center of Olmsted County.

SEMVA Art Gallery - The South East Minnesota Visual Artists Gallery is located in the Peace Plaza in downtown Rochester, offering a variety of works from southeastern Minnesota artists ranging from pottery, woods, clothing, fabrics and canvas.

Mayowood Mansion c. 1914

Mayowood Galleries - Fine 18th and 19th century English antiques and garden accents can be found at Mayowood Galleries’ two locations, downtown and at the Mayowood Mansion.

Chorale Arts Ensemble - This 40-voice auditioned choir performs choral and orchestral masterworks and vocal jazz. The Choral Arts Ensembleis dedicated to the creation and performance of new music, as well as the presentation of masterworks from the Renaissance to the 20th century.

Masque Youth Theatre - With a mission to involve young people in the theater arts, the Masque Youth Theater presents a variety of children’s plays performed from October to June.

Rochester Civic Theatre - Offering nine performances a year, including dramas, comedies and musicals, the Rochester Civic Theatre has presented Fiddler on the Roof, It’s A Wonderful Life and The Adventures of Stuart Little.

Rochester Community Band - The Rochester Community Band offers quarterly performances with additional summer festivals. It is open to all, without an audition. It meets every Thursday from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. in the Lourdes High School Band Room (621 West Center Street).

Rochester Repertory Theatre - The Rochester Repertory Theatre offers classical and contemporary works by a variety of artists. Past performances have included Three Tall Women, The Foreigner and FoxFire.

Rochester Symphony Orchestra & Chorale - The Rochester Symphony Orchestra & Chorale performs a variety of works under music director and conductor Jere Lantz.

Southeast Minnesota Youth Orchestra - The Southeast Minnesota Youth Orchestra brings middle and high school students together to study music, learn to work together, and contribute to the cultural life of the community.

Swing Street - A group of musicians with a love of jazz. It plays at community events and private functions. The Swing Street repertoire extends from the early days of jazz to modern arrangements.

Rochester Civic Music, presented by the City of Rochester, features free live music in their “Down By the Riverside” outdoor summer concert series. Artists have included Joan Baez, Three Dog Night, Peter Fischer, The Marshall Tucker Band, J. Daniel Aderton, and local acts. Concerts are held Sunday evenings at Mayo Park behind Mayo Civic Center along the Zumbro River. RiversideLive! and Cabaret Riverside are also presented by the City as a ticketed indoor concert series held from September to May. Additional publicly funded music entertainment includes the annual Youth Concert featuring the Southeastern Minnesota Youth Orchestra and Honors Choir of Southeastern Minnesota.^{[citation needed]}

Each August, the Olmsted County Fair features a variety of musical entertainment, and the 1st Avenue Street Market & Concert Series highlights local musicians throughout the summer season. Among other seasonal entertainment options, four gardens in the Hawthorn Hills Neighborhood host the Rochester Orchestra and Chorale’s Annual Musical Garden Tour presented by the Eden Garden Club, featuring local music ensembles.^{[citation needed]}

A variety of Rochester nightspots, restaurants and other venues provide free music and entertainment. Dunn Bros Coffee, the Redwood Room historic lounge, Shar’s Country Palace & Bar, CJ’s Midtown Lounge, and Whistle Binkies Old World Pub regularly feature musicians and DJs with no cover charge. The Plummer Building in downtown Rochester, Michelson Franchising, Leo’s Pizza Palace, Philbrick Fillibuster, the Calvary Episcopal Church, the Chateau Theatre, the Rochester Public Library, and the VFW hall are also venues for free concerts, including bands, carillon bells, movies, magicians, Emily's Film Studios of Greed, John's left pectoral, and other performances.^{[citation needed]}

For five years running, Rochester has been labelled "America's finest city for Newlyweds".^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Media

The city newspaper is the Post-Bulletin, an afternoon paper which publishes six days a week (no Sundays). Papers from the Twin Cities area are available as well. The city magazine is the monthly Rochester Magazine [1]. There are two television stations based in Rochester, KTTC channel 10 (NBC) and KXLT channel 47 (FOX). Both TV stations share studios as part of a special agreement between Quincy Newspapers and Shockley Broadcasting. KAAL channel 6 (ABC) in Austin, Minnesota and KIMT [2] channel 3 (CBS) in Mason City, Iowa are among the stations that serve the market.

Rochester is on the fringe of the broadcast area of many Twin Cities radio and television stations, and signals from Iowa and Wisconsin reach the area as well. Radio broadcasters in the local market include:

[edit] Radio

FM radio

88.7 KMSE Adult Album Alternative "89.3 The Current" (Minnesota Public Radio)
89.9 KRPR "Classic Rock Without The Talk" Classic rock (Rochester Public Radio,Inc.)
90.7 KZSE News & Talk (Minnesota Public Radio)
91.7 KLSE Classical music (Minnesota Public Radio)
92.9 KFSI [3] Christian
96.5 KWWK [4] "Quick country 96.5" Classic country
97.5 KNXR Easy Listening
98.9 KNLW Christian
101.7 KRCH [5] "Laser 101.7" Classic rock
102.5 KMFX [6] "102.5 The FOX" Country
103.9 KLCX [7] "Classic Hits 103.9" Classic Hits
105.3 KYBA [8] "Y105" Adult Contemporary
106.9/106.3 KROC [9] Top 40
107.7 KDZZ Active Rock

AM radio

1270 KWEB [10] Sports/Sports Talk, The Fan (KFAN) network
1340 KROC [11] News/Talk
1520 KOLM Sports/Sports Talk, ESPN Radio network

Internet Radio

Classic Hits Radio [12] A hybrid of classic rock and classic pop
Modern Rock Classics [13] Active Rock

[edit] TV stations

3 KIMT (CBS) digital Ch. 42 - based in Mason City, Iowa broadcasting weather on digital channel 3.2
6 KAAL (ABC) digital Ch. 33 - based in Austin, Minnesota
10 KTTC (NBC) digital Ch. 36, CW broadcast on digital channel 10.2
15 KSMQ (PBS) digital Ch. 20 - based in Austin, Minnesota Broadcasting 3 digital subchannels (15.1, 15,2 and 15.4)
24 KYIN (PBS) digital Ch. 18 - based in Mason City, Iowa Broadcasting 3 digital subchannels (IPTV Plus 24.1, IPTV Digital 24.2, IPTV 24.3)
47 KXLT (Fox) digital Ch. 46 Soon to be broadcasting Retro Television Network on subchannel 46.2
56 K56HW (TBN)
58 K58GC (3ABN)

[edit] Notable residents

Harry Blackmun, justice
Harry Bisel, physician
Sara C. Bisel, physical anthropologist
Tony Brown, Minnesota enthusiast
Arthur Bulbulian, medical inventor
Michael C. Burgess, congressman
Rafael Butler, Professional Boxer
Phil DuBois, Professional Football Player
John Fina, Professional Football Player
Joe Gores, TV writer
Guy Gosselin, Professional Hockey Player
Gil Gutknecht, congressman
Fred Hargesheimer, pilot, philanthropist
John Johannson, Professional Hockey Player
Frank B. Kellogg, secretary of state
Dick Kimball, Olympic and College Diving Coach
Bryce Lampman, Professional Hockey Player
Longar Longar, College Basketball Player
Mark S. Mannenbach, physician
Charles Horace Mayo, physician
William James Mayo, physician
William Worrall Mayo, physician
Shirley O'Hara, Actress
John Pohl, Professional Hockey Player
Shjon Podein, Professional Hockey Player
Henry Stanley Plummer, physician
Kemp Rasmussen, Professional Football Player
Michael Restovich, Professional Baseball Player
David Hans Schmidt, celebrity item broker
Steven Rogers, medical/computer inventor, over 100 patents
Bob Schmidt, Professional Football Player
Jeff Siemon, Professional Football Player
Warren Skaaren, Screenplay Writer/Producer
Tommy Speer, Professional Fighter
Augustus Stinchfield, physician
Eric Strobel, 1980 Gold Medal Olympic Hockey Player
Colin Stuart, Professional Hockey Player
Mark Stuart, Professional Hockey Player
Mike Stuart, Professional Hockey Player
Lea Thompson, actress
Darrell Thompson, Professional Football Player
John Towey, Actor
Ben Utecht, Professional Football Player
Scott Virkus, Professional Football Player
Sheree J. Wilson, Actress
Jerry Wisne, Professional Football Player
Doug Zmolek, Professional Hockey Player

[edit] People who died in Rochester

Old Central Fire Station in c. 1910

Richard S. Arnold, judge
Amos W. Barber, surgeon & politician
Joseph T. Bayly, author & publisher
Franklin W. Fort, congressman
Charles Eugene Fuller, congressman
Robert K. Goodwin, congressman
Daniel W. Hamilton, congressman
James F. Hughes, congressman
Bernhard M. Jacobsen, congressman
John Albert Johnson, politician
Abraham A. Low, psychiatrist
Walter O'Malley, sports executive
William James Mayo, physician
William Worrall Mayo, physician
Agnes Moorehead, actress
Elmer A. Morse, congressman
James William Murphy, politician
Floyd B. Olson, politician
Henry Stanley Plummer, physician
Francis A. Schaeffer, theologian
John R. Tyson, congressman

[edit] Accolades

“50 Best Places to Live & Play” – National Geographic Adventure 2007

“Great Then, Great Now” – Money Magazine 2007

“Cities on the Verge” – Fast Company Magazine 2007

“#3 Least Stressful Places in the U.S.” - Men’s Journal 2007

“#17 Smartest Places to Live” - Kiplinger’s Personal Finance 2006

“Highest Concentration of High-Tech Businesses in the U.S.” - Milken Institute’s Study of America’s High-Tech Economy 2006

“#2 Quality of Life Among U.S. Counties and Independent Cities” - American City Business Journal 2006

“#7 Best Small Places to Run a Business and Pursue a Career” and “#12 Places to Build Wealth” - Forbes Magazine 2006

“Best Communities in America for Children and Youth” - America’s Promise 2006

“Best Places to Live” - Money Magazine 2006

“#5 America’s Greatest Golf Home Towns in the Midwest” - Golf Digest 2006

“#5 Top Golf in Midwest Home Market” - Golf for Women 2006

“#7 Top Ten Places in the U.S. to Find a Rich, Single Man” - Teasley Ratings 2004

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ American Factfinder, Population Estimates]
^ Best Places to Live, Money Magazine, 2006, <http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/top100/index3.html>. Retrieved on 16 December 2007
^ Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (CBSA-EST2006-01) (CSV). 2006 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division (2007-04-05). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
^ History of Rochester. City of Rochester, MN.
^ Tornado Strikes Rochester. Mayo Foundation for Medical and Educational Research.
^ "City Flag Entries Narrowed to 10" (fee required), Rochester Post-Bulletin, p. 6 date=1980-06-04. .
^ Freeberg, Ron. "Official Rochester Flag Chosen" (fee required), Rochester Post-Bulletin, p. 1 date=1980-06-17. .
^ "Designer Receives 1st Official City Flag" (fee required), Rochester Post-Bulletin, p. 1 date=1980-08-20. .
^ Population estimates, Rochester city, Minnesota, U.S. Census Bureau, <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US2754880&-ds_name=PEP_2006_EST&-_lang=en&-mt_name=PEP_2006_EST_G2006_T001>. Retrieved on 3 May 2008
^ Rochester city, Minnesota - QT-P5. Race Alone or in Combination: 2000
^ Rochester city, Minnesota - QT-P5. Race Alone or in Combination: 2000
^ Rochester city, Minnesota - QT-P5. Race Alone or in Combination: 2000
^ Rochester city, Minnesota - QT-P9. Hispanic or Latino by Type: 2000
^ Rochester city, Minnesota - QT-P4. Race, Combinations of Two Races, and Not Hispanic or Latino: 2000
^ Rochester city, Minnesota - QT-P5. Race Alone or in Combination: 2000
^ Rochester city, Minnesota - QT-P5. Race Alone or in Combination: 2000
^ Rochester city, Minnesota - QT-P5. Race Alone or in Combination: 2000

[edit] External links

Rochester, Minnesota is at coordinates 44°01′24″N 92°27′47″W / 44.0234, -92.46295 (Rochester, Minnesota)Coordinates: 44°01′24″N 92°27′47″W / 44.0234, -92.46295 (Rochester, Minnesota)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Olmsted County, Minnesota

County seat: Rochester

Cities	Byron \| Chatfield \| Dover \| Eyota \| Oronoco \| Pine Island \| Rochester \| Stewartville

Townships	Cascade \| Dover \| Elmira \| Eyota \| Farmington \| Haverhill \| High Forest \| Kalmar \| Marion \| New Haven \| Orion \| Oronoco \| Pleasant Grove \| Quincy \| Rochester \| Rock Dell \| Salem \| Viola

Unincorporated community	Douglas