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Rochester City Information
85 miles west of Niagara Falls; 45 miles west of Geneva; 105 miles northwest of Corning; 330 miles northeast of New York City.
Rochester, at the southern edge of Lake Ontario, is where the Finger Lakes meet the Great Lakes. Though cities are perhaps not what most visitors associate with the Finger Lakes Region, Rochester, one of the northern gateways to the lakes, is a surprisingly agreeable city with a distinguished history that's well worth a visit for its trio of excellent museums, fine restaurants, and enjoyable festivals. The third-largest city in New York State, Rochester was an early boomtown and industrial giant in the early 19th century when it ranked as the flour-milling epicenter of the U.S. and the Erie Canal permitted the large-scale shipping of grain and flour to New York City. The city today is perhaps best known for the modern corporate success stories that got their start here, including Eastman Kodak, Xerox, and Bausch & Lomb. An extremely livable, family-friendly and attractive small city, which many contend feels more Midwestern than East Coast, Rochester has an enviable surfeit of gardens and parks but is predominantly characterized by its residents' modesty and industry.
The Erie Canal--Lauded as the most important engineering feat of its day, the Erie Canal, completed in 1825, created an international highway from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. Shipping costs of flour and other raw materials and manufactured goods were reduced by as much as 90%. The canal stretched 360 miles from the Niagara River and Lake Erie in the west to the Hudson River in the east. It turned Rochester into a boomtown and was instrumental in transforming New York City into a major port, in the process opening up parts of the West for commercial expansion.
The canal diminished in importance as the railroad quickly began to crisscross the country, but it is being rediscovered as a tourism waterway. In addition to boating and cruises on the canal, the New York State Erie Canal Heritage trail follows the original towpath along the canal and is ideal for walking, biking, and skiing in winter. Anyone interested in following the canal, either by boat or car and seeing sights along it should request a copy of "Canal Connections" from any of the country tourism offices. See also www.canals.state.ny.us.
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