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Rochester, New York

"The Flour City"

Once home to Kodak, Xerox, and Bausch + Lomb, Rochester was an innovation powerhouse now reinventing itself after corporate decline.

Founded 1803 | Population 205,477 | Peak 332,488 (1950) | County Monroe County

Top 10 Most Important Events for Rochester, New York

1888 Eastman Kodak Founded: George Eastman founded the company that dominated global photography for over a century. At its peak, Kodak employed 60,000 people in Rochester alone.

1823 Erie Canal Arrives: The canal reached Rochester and massive flour mills along the Genesee River made it the nation's largest flour producer — earning the nickname 'Flour City.'.

1847 Frederick Douglass Settles Here: Escaped slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass made Rochester his home and published The North Star, making the city a center of anti-slavery activism.

1872 Susan B. Anthony Votes: Rochester resident Susan B. Anthony illegally voted in the presidential election and was arrested, in one of the most famous acts of civil disobedience for women's suffrage.

1906 Haloid Company (Xerox) Founded: The company that became Xerox was founded in Rochester, eventually revolutionizing offices worldwide with xerographic copying.

1853 Bausch + Lomb Founded: German immigrants founded their optical company, growing it into a global leader in eye care and optics.

1964 Rochester Race Riots: Three days of racial unrest resulted in 4 deaths and 350+ injuries, reflecting tensions over housing segregation and employment discrimination.

1975 Kodak Invents Digital Camera: Kodak engineer Steve Sasson built the first digital camera. Kodak failed to commercialize the technology, ultimately leading to its own demise.

2012 Kodak Bankruptcy: Kodak filed for Chapter 11, unable to compete in the digital era. Rochester lost its largest private employer and tens of thousands of jobs.

2023 University-Led Revival: The economy pivoted around the University of Rochester, RIT, and a growing optics and photonics cluster.

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Complete Historical Timeline

1803 Government

Settlement at Genesee River falls

1823 Industry

Erie Canal arrives; flour milling booms

1834 Government

City incorporated

1847 Civil Rights

Douglass publishes The North Star

1853 Business

Bausch + Lomb founded

1872 Civil Rights

Susan B. Anthony arrested for voting

1888 Business

Eastman Kodak founded

1906 Business

Haloid (Xerox) founded

1918 Culture

Eastman School of Music established

1950 Government

Population peaks at 332,000

1964 Civil Rights

Race riots

1975 Science

Kodak invents digital camera

2000 Business

Corporate downsizing begins

2012 Business

Kodak files bankruptcy

2023 Business

Optics/university-led revival

Did You Know?

Kodak engineer Steve Sasson built the first digital camera in 1975 — but Kodak executives buried the invention, fearing it would cannibalize film sales. The company went bankrupt in 2012.

Both Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony are buried in Rochester's Mount Hope Cemetery, just yards apart.

Rochester is known as the 'World Capital of Imaging' — its optics and photonics industry generates over $3 billion annually.