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Rochester (City of New York)

a city of New York, the county-seat of Monroe co. It is on Lake Ontario, the Barge canal, and on the New York Central, the Erie, the Lehigh Valley, the Pennsylvania, and the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh railroads. ROCHESTER There are five electric lines carrying passengers, express and freight into the city. The recently completed barge canal is an outlet for heavy freight, and has a harbor in the center of the city.

The city school system includes 47 buildings. In 1919 there were approximately 1,400 teachers with 42,876 registered pupils. The expenditures es of the Board for 1919 were $2,927,933.43. There are 5 high schools, 32 parochial schools and many private institutions, including 4 academies, two for girls and two for boys, and one large institution for instruction of deaf mutes. The University of Rochester was founded in 1850 and has beautiful grounds in the eastern part of the city. There are also the Rochester Theological Seminary, Baptist, and St. Bernard's Theological Seminary, Catholic.

There are 16 banks in Rochester with a capital of $6,500,000, a total surplus of $15,916,000, and total deposits of $227,726,044.

The city owns its own waterworks system, bringing its supply from Hemlock and Canadice lakes, 30 miles S. of Rochester, through three large conduits.

There are 5 daily newspapers, and a large number appearing less frequently.

The city maintains a large park system. The Park Commission was created in 1888 and the park system has been enlarged year by year through purchases and gifts so that now the total area of park territory is 16,049 acres.

The five largest parks in their order are Durand-Eastman, located on the lake shore and the northern edge of the city; Genesee Valley Park, located on the S. of the city on both sides of the Genesee river; Seneca Park, to the N. of the city and E. of the river; Maplewood Park, to the N. of the city and W. of the river; Highland Park, in which is located one of the large reservoirs; also one of the finest arboretums in the country.

Rochester has a public library with 6 branches circulating 75,000 volumes.

The city also has the Reynolds Library with 78,000 volumes. These are in addition to the libraries maintained by the school system and universities.

The manufacturing interests of Rochester are large. There are 1,760 factories turning out 350 commodities. The city leads the world in the production of a large number of articles, including cameras, camera supplies, optical goods, check protectors, thermometers, filing devices and office systems, enameled steel tanks, soda fountain fruits and syrups.

The city leads in the country in the production of high-class ivory buttons and is the headquarters for all nursery busi- ROCHESTER ness in the United States. It produces 60% of the typewriter and carbon ribbon made in the country. It ranks fourth in the United States in the production of shoes and men's clothing. The annual output of shoes in 1919 was $55,000,000 in the 56 factories of Rochester. The annual output of high-grade men's clothing in 1919 was $60,000,000 in 40 factories. The value of the annual woodworking output is $14,000,000. It is a large machinery center, having several large plants devoted to the manufacture of machines and tools. There are also several automobile factories.

History. The site of the city was occupied by a few colonists as early as 1788, but the first permanent settlement was made by Nathaniel Rochester in 1810. The first frame house was built in 1812, and the place was incorporated under the name of Rochesterville in 1817.

It received its city charter in 1834. Pop. (1890) 133,896; (1900) 162,608; (1910) 218,159; (1920) 295,750.