| City of Rochester | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| "First Settlement in Oakland County. City of Rochester. Settled in 1817." | |
| Location of Rochester, Michigan | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Oakland |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor | Jeffrey T. Cuthbertson |
| • City Manager | Jaymes A. Vettraino |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.9 sq mi (10 km2) |
| • Land | 3.9 sq mi (10 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 751 ft (229 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 12,711 |
| • Density | 3,259.23/sq mi (1,271.1/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 48307 |
| Area code(s) | 248, 947 |
| FIPS code | 26-69020[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0636069[2] |
| Website | www.ci.rochester.mi.us |
Rochester is an affluent city in Metro Detroit, north Oakland County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 12,711 at the 2010 census. The city is bordered on the north, south, and west by the city of Rochester Hills, and to the east by Shelby Township in Macomb County.
Rochester has great natural beauty due to the three waterways that surround the city, abundant green space of three parks, and two winding nature trails. Residents can enjoy fishing in the Clinton River or biking along the Paint Creek Trail.
Major airports around the area include Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan, and Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus, Michigan.
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The first settlers in what would become Rochester, the Graham family, built a log cabin in 1817. The cabin was located where the Quik Pik and Penn Station stores today exist at the intersection of Main and Second Street. The city was named for Rochester, New York, just like Rochester, Minnesota, as many early settlers to the area were formerly from the state of New York.
The city became an industrial center with abundant water power from the Clinton River and Paint Creek. The interconnected waterways are no longer used for travel or local industry, but provide natural beauty, some fishing, and a healthy portion of the Clinton Watershed. Historically, past industries formerly located in Rochester included a refinery for sugar beets, a paper products company, and the Western Knitting Mills factory, which was later adapted and utilized during World War II for incendiary production—businesses that no longer exist in the area. Rochester was served by two railroads as well as the Detroit United Railway, a passenger trolley to Royal Oak and Detroit.
Chapman Mill Pond, east of downtown, disappeared into the Paint Creek when the dam broke during the flood of 1946. The reclaimed land is the site of the current post office, library, and Olde Towne Road. Water Street, formerly situated at the edge of the large pond, remains by its name a reminder of the pond's former existence.
Michigan became the 26th state in 1837, and the Village of Rochester was formed on April 12, 1869, within the boundaries of Avon Township. The Village of Rochester became a city in 1966, breaking away from Avon Township. Avon Township became the City of Rochester Hills in 1984, after the city of Rochester annexed 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) of Avon Township's land, more than doubling its size. Source: Rochester-Avon Historical Society. Rochester: Preserving History, a Pictorial Journey. Rochester, MI. By 1895, Rochester's population was 900.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10 km2), all land. Since an annexation of a section of Avon Township (now Rochester Hills), the city has an Eastern boundary that extends to the border with Macomb County.
The city has held the annual "Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade" since 1951. It features over 100 units, and since 2003 has been broadcast live on local Detroit television station WXYZ-TV. The television station website claims it to now be Michigan's largest Christmas parade.[3]
In 2006, the city had its first "Big Bright Light Show" for the Christmas season. The downtown businesses were covered in 500,000 individual lights. An expansion of the program after its initial inception expanded that coverage to a reported one million lights. Also aired by WXYZ-TV.
Established in 1817, Rochester was one of Oakland County’s first settlements. Twenty-two buildings on Main Street are more than 50 years old, and several are on the State Register of Historic Places.
There aren't many tourist attractions in Rochester, but there are a few sights and a lot of shopping. Downtown Rochester consists of many shops and holds the oldest building in the downtown area, the Rolin Sprague Building. This building was built in 1849 and is now known as the The Home Bakery.[4] In addition to downtown Rochester, shopping is available at The Village of Rochester Hills. This is an outdoor, pedestrian-friendly mall, consisting of many shops and restaurants. The Van Hoosen Farm also contains a lot of Rochester's rich history. Along with the Van Hoosen Farm, one can visit the Meadowbrook Hall, which is located on Oakland University's Campus. [5] On Oakland University's campus - just 4 miles west of the center of Rochester - is the Meadowbrook Music Festival, offering a variety of entertainment ranging from classical music to stand-up comedians. [6]
Rochester has a vibrant downtown shopping district. The Farmer's Market takes place every Saturday, May through October. It features fresh produce, flowers, handmade goods and other products from Michigan.
Several city festivals take place in downtown: Dancing in the Streets (August), Music in the Park (Thursdays in summer), Art & Apples Festival (weekend after Labor Day in September), and the Heritage Festival (Memorial Day Weekend), which includes two classic automobile shows. Other scheduled, traditional civic celebrations and activities include Girls' Night Out, the Gallery Walk, Lagniappe, the Sidewalk Sales, Movies In The Moonlight, and the two-day Fire And Ice Festival. The popular Rockin' Rods classic car show each August features hundreds of rare and unusual automobiles, both domestic and imported.
The Older Persons Commission provides social and educational activities, nutritional meals, senior resource services, as well as health and wellness programs to community members 60+ years of age, in a new state-of-the-art facility built in 2002.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 10,467 people, 4,667 households, and 2,636 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,710.6 per square mile (1,047.0/km²). There were 5,056 housing units at an average density of 1,309.3 per square mile (505.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.39% White, 2.24% African American, 0.25% Native American, 3.69% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.68% of the population.
There were 4,667 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.5% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 37.2% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $65,179, and the median income for a family was $92,078. Males had a median income of $62,486 versus $37,107 for females. The per capita income for the city was $36,989. About 0.6% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.
The City of Rochester is governed by a seven-member city council and its mayor. City policy is then administered by a full-time city manager. The government provides full city services, including police, fire and water/sewer services, similar to many other communities in north Oakland County.
Oakland University is located in the nearby cities of Rochester Hills and Auburn Hills, though it maintains a Rochester mailing address. Rochester Community Schools is the public school district encompassing Rochester and surrounding areas. As of 2007, a total of 14,500 students receive instruction in the district, which has four high schools, all located in Rochester Hills: Rochester High School, Rochester Adams High School, Stoney Creek High School and A.C.E. High School.
The Rochester Hills Public Library, located in the City of Rochester, is the largest public library in Oakland County. The City of Rochester and Oakland Township contract with the City of Rochester Hills for residents' use of the library. The extensive, well-designed two-story structure offers patrons an array of choices from its holdings, including sizable sub-collections of DVDs, CDs, video games, and other materials, in addition to its expansive book collections. As a virtual community center, the Library also hosts a number of live music concerts, annual visits by noted authors, and educational and recreational services, and offers wireless internet access to the public.
This list includes people from the Rochester area (Rochester, Rochester Hills, and Oakland Township) (48306, 48307, 48309, 48363)
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