Rochester is a post-industrial city located in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. This region is variously described as located in "Upstate New York" and "Western New York." Originally it was Algonquian and later Haudenosaunee land. The Genesee River at one time marked the border between the French and British empires in North America. The presence of Americans in the region steadily increased after Gen. Sullivan's campaign against the Haudenosaunee during the Revolutionary War.
The greater Rochester area was the site of the Second Great Awakening, which saw an explosion of evangelical revivals in the 1830s. The new religions of Spiritualism and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also began in Rochester. Rochester developed a sizable population of reformers including abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and feminists like Susan B. Anthony. Abolitionists routinely helped freedom-seeking slaves escape from Rochester to Canada via boats.
The city of Rochester was known for its manufacturing from the nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century. The Erie Canal facilitated a large grain business, so that Rochester gained the nickname of "Flour City." Later, when Ellwanger & Berry founded their successful plant nursery, that nickname morphed to "Flower City." This name is ironic given the volume of snow Rochester receives every year. Famous companies from the region included Eastman-Kodak, Xerox, and Bausch & Lomb. Deindustrialization intensified in the 1960s, as did white flight, as white residents relocated to the suburbs, away from African Americans who moved to Rochester as part of the Great Migration. Additionally, redlining and restricted covenants created an extremely segregated city. White flight intensified after the 1964 race insurrection.
Today, Rochester is known for its universities, high-tech manufacturing, and robust healthcare systems. Poverty and segregation remain deeply engrained in the region, however.