10 ways to fit in like a true Rochesterian

For decades, Rochester experienced a population and economic boom led mostly by Xerox, Kodak and Bausch and Lomb, employing tens of thousands of residents at their corporate offices, laboratories and factories. However, prosperity fueled by the optics industry took a nosedive in the 2010s, leaving Rochesterians with fewer middle-class jobs.

Despite losing a large chunk of its local economy, Rochester and its greater Monroe County — near Lake Ontario on the northern New York state border — is still experiencing a slight population uptick. Rochester's metropolitan area saw its population jump by 3,000 — from 1.054 million in 2023 to 1.057 million last year, according to the St. Louis Fed, which cited U.S. Census data. And jobs are back, with the University of Rochester, Rochester Regional Health hospital system and Wegmans as the area's largest employers.

And, Rochester has even more to offer. Here's how transplants moving to Rochester can blend in with the locals as soon as they arrive:

Rochester is home to the National Toy Hall of Fame housed inside the Strong Museum of Play. The museum features exhibits that explain the stories and history behind toys that have boosted children's imaginations for generations. Rochesterians, both young and old, love going there, and anyone who wants to fit in should make the museum their go-to spot as well.

"You can take the kids while they're small, but even as they get older, they still love it," April Franklin, a Rochester mother of two, told Homes.com. "My kids are teenagers, and they still love to go."

The two-story museum has an arcade where children can play vintage video games, a food court, a butterfly exhibit and a section on the first floor that looks like a miniature version of local grocery store favorite Wegmans. Franklin noted the museum also organizes happy hours and other programming for adults to enjoy away from their children.

"For me, as an adult, it's the toy archive on the second floor," Franklin said. "The toys we grew up with, like Teddy Ruxpin and toys from the '70s and '80s, they have them all archived there. It's an all-around family venue."

Rochester has two barbecue sauces that natives say are mandatory on chicken and ribs: Boss Sauce and Country Sweet.

Country Sweet is a sticky, savory sauce people use to baste chicken or pork. Some even use it as a dipping sauce. It's sold at Wegmans supermarket or at Country Sweet's flagship store on Mount Hope Avenue.

Country Sweet has a distinct taste that is indescribably different from Boss Sauce, even though the color of both may look the same, Rochesterians say.

Boss Sauce is another barbecue sauce. Rochester resident Eddie Harris created it in 1983 and began serving it in his restaurant.

"It's like a sweet and tangy, not overly hot, and it's really good," said Rachel Barnhart, a Rochester native and former local television journalist.

A lesser-known but important rite of passage into Rochesterhood is visiting the gravesites of abolitionist and journalist Frederick Douglass and women's suffrage champion Susan B. Anthony.

Anthony and Douglass are both buried at Mount Hope Cemetery, a graveyard that spans 196 acres in Rochester.

An escaped enslaved person, Douglass called Rochester home for decades while he published his North Star newspaper and aided the Underground Railroad. Born in Massachusetts, Anthony's prominence in the women's rights movement catapulted when she was arrested for voting in the 1872 presidential election in Rochester.

Rochester has dozens of suburbs and fitting in means knowing how to pronounce their names correctly.

The Town of Chili, for example, is not pronounced like the hearty meat-and-beans dish. It's pronounced "chai-lie."

The Town of Canandaigua is pronounced "cannon-day-goo-wuh." About 15 minutes north of Rochester is a neighborhood near Lake Ontario named Charlotte, but it's pronounced "shar-lot."

Anyone moving to Rochester and looking to fit in should visit Seabreeze, a small, family-owned amusement and waterpark about 15 minutes north of downtown in the town of Irondequoit. (That's Uh-ron-duh-coo-oit, by the way.)

Seabreeze — which offers a mix of roller-coaster rides, waterslides and food vendors — first opened in 1879.

Aside from the family fun, transplants should become regular visitors to Seabreeze for its historical significance, Rochester natives said.

"It's one of the oldest amusement parks still functioning in the United States," Lovely Warren, a former Rochester mayor, said — a fun fact that the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions has confirmed.

To become a Rochesterian, one must learn to love the garbage plate.

A garbage plate consists of layers of home fries topped with macaroni salad, chopped hot dogs or chopped cheeseburger patties, and then a spicy hot sauce-style condiment. Different Rochester restaurants offer a slight variation of this dish by adding diced onions, mustard, ketchup or sliced cheese.

"Garbage plates are delicious," Barnhart said. "Don't knock them just because of the way they look."

Nick Tahou's, Genesee Brew House and Dogtown Hots are among the local restaurants that serve garbage plates.

"Most places have their version of it," Barnhart said. "But you have to have a big appetite to finish them."

To become a true Rochesterian, you must root for sports teams that are based in the three largest cities in upstate New York.

For football, natives cheer for the Buffalo Bills, who play their home games about 75 minutes west of Rochester at Highmark Stadium. For basketball, residents root for the college team at Syracuse University, which is about 90 minutes east. Baseball and hockey are a little closer to home, with the Rochester Red Wings — a minor league team affiliated with the Washington Nationals — and the Rochester Americans, the farm team to the Buffalo Sabres.

Rochesterians regularly wake up early in the morning and drive west to Buffalo to watch the Bills play home games.

Many natives spend their summer months swimming in Lake Ontario and going to festivals, Barnhart and Warren said.

Folks particularly love the Rochester Lilac Festival because it's beautiful to go out to the fields and see the flowers in bloom, Warren said.

"They have the cherry blossoms in [Washington] D.C., and we have the lilacs," said Warren, who now works as a lawyer.

When visiting the lake, Rochester residents typically grab ice cream from Abbott's Frozen Custard and walk along the pier because it's a local tradition, Barnhart added.

Fitting into the Rochester way of life also extends to picking the right beverage.

"You have to drink the local beer," said Barnhart, who now works as a Monroe County legislator. "And you have to know how to pronounce it."

Barnhart was referring to a beer from Genesee Brewing Co., which is based in Rochester. Genesee Brewing began its life in 1819 as Aqueduct Spring Brewery, the city's first. It was renamed Genesee — pronounced Gin-uh-see — Brewing in 1878.

Bonus tip: Rochesterians say they are drinking a "Genny," Barnhart said.

Locals make it a point to visit the Rochester Public Market on weekends, and anyone moving to the area should do the same, Warren said. The 120-year-old farmer's market has won city-level and national awards for its popularity among patrons.

The current-day Rochester Public Market began its life in 1905 as a spot where local farmers sold food wholesale to grocers, including John Wegman. By 1920, the space started welcoming farmers from outside Monroe County. Today, the space also hosts concerts, food truck rallies and other community events.