Rochester, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rochester
City
Rochester skyline
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  Med City, Roch
Motto(s):  America's City of Care and Innovation
Location of the city of Rochester within Olmsted County, Minnesota
Rochester Location in Minnesota Show map of Minnesota Rochester Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Olmsted
Founded	July 12, 1854
Incorporated	August 5, 1858
Area
• City	55.87 sq mi (144.71 km2)
• Land	55.58 sq mi (143.96 km2)
• Water	0.29 sq mi (0.75 km2)
Elevation	1,129 ft (344 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	121,395
• Estimate  (2023)	122,413
• Rank	234th in the United States 3rd in Minnesota
• Density	2,184.07/sq mi (843.27/km2)
• Urban	121,587 (273rd)
• Metro	228,073 (207th)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	55901–55906
Area code(s)	507
FIPS code	27-54880
GNIS feature ID	2396395

Rochester is a city in Minnesota, United States. It is the main city of Olmsted County. The city is located along the Zumbro River in Southeast Minnesota. In 2020, about 121,395 people lived there. This makes it the third-largest city in Minnesota. The larger area around Rochester had about 226,329 people in 2020. Rochester is famous as the home and birthplace of the Mayo Clinic, a world-renowned medical center.

History of Rochester

Long ago, different Native American groups like the Dakota, Ojibway, and Winnebago lived in the Rochester area. The area became a popular stop for stagecoaches traveling between Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Dubuque, Iowa.

The city was started by George Head and his wife Henrietta in 1854. They built a log cabin called Head's Tavern. George named the city after his hometown, Rochester, New York. When the railroad arrived in 1864, more people and businesses came, helping the city grow. In 1863, William W. Mayo came to Rochester. He was a surgeon for soldiers during the Civil War.

St. Marys Hospital is Built

St. Marys Hospital (1910)

On August 21, 1883, a very strong tornado hit Rochester. It destroyed much of the city. Many people were hurt, and 37 died. At that time, there was no hospital nearby. Dr. Mayo and his two sons worked hard to help everyone who was injured.

People donated money to build a hospital. The Sisters of St. Francis, with help from Dr. Mayo, opened St. Marys Hospital in 1889.

Geography and Nature

Zumbro River in downtown Rochester

Rochester is located along the South Fork of the Zumbro River. This river is about 57.6 kilometers (35.8 miles) long. The city is surrounded by gentle hills and farmland. It is part of a deciduous forest area. The Zumbro River watershed covers a large area of farms and cities.

Rochester is in southeast Minnesota. It is on the edge of the Driftless Area. This is a special region that was never covered by glaciers. Because of this, it has deep river valleys. The city is about 141 kilometers (88 miles) southeast of Minneapolis–Saint Paul.

Olmsted County, where Rochester is, has no natural lakes. However, there are man-made lakes. One is Silver Lake. It was created by damming part of the Zumbro River. Silver Lake used to be a cooling pond for a power plant. The warm water kept the lake from freezing in winter. This attracted many Canada geese and crows.

Rochester has many parks. The biggest ones are Silver Lake and Soldiers Field. After a big flood in 1978, the city worked on a project to control floods. They changed many rivers and streams to prevent future flooding.

Rochester's Climate

Rochester has four clear seasons. It has warm summers and cold winters. This is called a humid continental climate. On average, Rochester gets about 83.8 centimeters (33 inches) of rain and 131.8 centimeters (51.9 inches) of snow each year. Heavy snow is common in winter.

Spring and fall are changing seasons. It gets warmer in spring and cooler in fall. Sometimes, it can snow in early spring or late fall. Rochester is known as one of the windiest cities in the United States. Wind speeds average about 20.3 kilometers per hour (12.6 miles per hour). The windiest months are usually January to April.

Rochester has been hit by strong tornadoes in the past. Two F4 tornadoes hit in 1953 and 1962. More recently, tornadoes struck in 2010 and 2019, causing damage to homes and businesses.

People and Population

Map of racial distribution in Rochester, 2020 U.S. census. Each dot is one person: ⬤ White ⬤ Black ⬤ Asian ⬤ Hispanic ⬤ Multiracial ⬤ Native American/Other

In 2020, Rochester had a population of 121,395 people. The city had about 843 people per square kilometer (2,187 people per square mile). Most people in Rochester are White (73.2%). There are also many Black (8.9%) and Asian (7.9%) residents. About 6.6% of the population is Hispanic or Latino.

Many people in Rochester have German backgrounds (35.5%). Other large groups include Norwegian (15.9%) and Irish (11.6%) ancestry.

The average age in Rochester is 35 years old. About 24.8% of residents are under 18. Many households (31.9%) have children living in them.

Rochester's Economy

The Mayo Clinic is the most important part of Rochester's economy. In 2016, it employed 51,000 people. It also brings over 2 million visitors to the city every year. The clinic's buildings, along with hotels, restaurants, and shops, make up most of downtown Rochester. The Mayo Clinic is the largest employer in Minnesota, not counting the state government. Other healthcare places, like the Federal Medical Center, Rochester, also employ many people.

IBM Rochester campus

The Rochester Technology Campus is a very large facility. It has offices, manufacturing areas, warehouses, and labs. IBM designed and made its computer series here. It was also where the first Blue Gene supercomputer was built.

Farming also plays a role in Rochester's economy. There are many dairy farms in the area. A company called Kerry Flavours and Ingredients has a factory in Rochester. They make fermented ingredients used in foods like bread and meat.

Destination Medical Center Project

Downtown Hilton, completed in 2019, is one of the first major DMC projects.

In 2013, a plan called Destination Medical Center (DMC) was approved. Its goal is to help Minnesota's economy grow. Because of this plan, the Mayo Clinic will invest $3.5 billion. They will improve patient rooms, add more work areas, and build new research and office buildings.

The DMC plan focuses on different areas of the city:

• The Downtown Waterfront will include the Government Center and areas near the Zumbro River.
• The Central Station will become a main transportation hub.
• St. Marys Place will focus on St. Marys Hospital.
• The Heart of the City will feature the Mayo Clinic campus and new businesses.
• The Discovery Square area will have science and technology research centers.
• The UMR and Recreation district will include Soldiers Field and the University of Minnesota Rochester campus.

Arts and Culture in Rochester

Many buildings in Rochester are on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the historic Chateau Theatre, which the city bought to protect. It is now an exhibition space. Avalon Music was once a hotel important for the local civil rights movement.

The Rochester Art Center is downtown. It opened in 1946. It is a place for art exhibits.

During the summer, from June to August, the city holds "Thursdays Downtown." Local restaurants and artists set up booths. Bands play music on two stages, and street musicians perform.

The Rochester Symphony Orchestra & Chorale is the oldest arts group in the community. It started in 1919. In its early days, the Orchestra played music for silent movies at the old Chateau Theatre.

The Gray Duck Theater, an independent movie theater, opened in 2019.

Rochester also has the Rochester Public Library. It is one of the biggest libraries in the area. It won an award in 2018 for its services.

Sports Teams

Parks and Outdoor Fun

Rochester has an extensive network of bike and pedestrian paths.

Rochester has over 100 city parks, covering about 13 square kilometers (5 square miles). Many parks are along the Bear Creek and South Fork Zumbro rivers. The city also has 137 kilometers (85 miles) of paved trails for walking and biking.

The city has four public golf courses: Northern Hills, Eastwood Golf Club, Hadley Creek, and Soldiers Field Golf Course. There are also private golf courses nearby. Rochester has a bike share program. People can rent bikes for free at places like the Rochester Public Library and Peace Plaza.

Quarry Hill Park and Nature Center

Quarry Hill Park started in 1875 as part of the Rochester State Hospital. Patients and their families used the park. In 1965, it became a public park. It has over 8 miles (13 kilometers) of paved and hiking trails, a pond, and a historic sandstone cave. The cave was dug in 1882 to store food for the hospital. It is now a historic site.

The Quarry Hill Nature Center is in the park. It opened in 1973 and was expanded in 1990. It has modern educational facilities. You can also rent skis and snowshoes there in the winter.

Quarry Hill Oak Savanna

Learning and Schools

Courtyard and greenhouse of John Marshall Senior High School

Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine

Rochester Public Schools teach 16,300 students. There are 23 public schools, including three high schools: John Marshall, Mayo, and Century. Private schools include Lourdes and Schaeffer Academy. The Rochester STEM Academy opened in 2011.

For higher education, Rochester has several colleges and universities. Rochester Community and Technical College shares a campus with a branch of Winona State University. The University of Minnesota Rochester is located downtown. Other universities like Augsburg University and College of St. Scholastica also have branches here. The Mayo Clinic offers medical education and research programs.

Most adults in Rochester (94.1%) have a high school diploma or higher. About 41.3% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Media and News

Rochester's local newspaper is the Post-Bulletin. It publishes Monday through Saturday. The company also publishes Rochester Magazine once a month.

There are several TV stations in Rochester:

• KTTC (channel 10.1) is an NBC affiliate.
• KTTC-(CW) (channel 10.2) is also part of KTTC.
• KXLT-TV (channel 47) is a Fox affiliate.
• ABC affiliate KAAL (channel 6) and CBS affiliate KIMT (channel 3) also have studios in Rochester.

Charter Communications provides cable service in Rochester. Another company, Metronet, is building a new fiber-optic network for cable service.

Getting Around Rochester

Bike on Rochester city bus

Rochester has three main U.S. highways: U.S. 14, U.S. 52, and U.S. 63. Interstate 90 and State Highway 30 are also nearby.

Downtown Rochester has skyways (walkways above ground) and underground tunnels. People use these to avoid bad weather in winter. Rochester Public Transit runs the city's bus system. All city buses have bike carriers, making it easy to combine biking and bus travel.

Rochester International Airport is about 11 kilometers (7 miles) south of downtown. It is the second busiest commercial airport in Minnesota. It has direct flights to major cities like Chicago and Denver.

Rochester does not have passenger train service. The closest Amtrak station is in Winona, Minnesota, about 72 kilometers (45 miles) east. You can buy tickets for a shuttle bus that connects to the Empire Builder train in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Rochester is planning a new bus rapid transit line called Link. It will be about 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles) long with seven stations. It is expected to open in 2025. This will be the first bus rapid transit line in Minnesota outside of the Twin Cities.

Major Highways in Rochester

• US 14 – U.S. Route 14
• US 52 – U.S. Route 52
• US 63 – U.S. Route 63
• I-90 – Interstate 90
• MN 30 – Minnesota State Highway 30