Monroe County has a population of 750k people, with 210k people living in the City of Rochester. That means 72% of us live outside the city. Each town and village has something unique to offer. It is impossible to list everything, so here is just a taste of what makes each one special:
Suburban Towns
in Monroe County
1. Greece
est. 1822 / pop. 96,095
2. Irondequoit
est. 1829 / pop. 51,692
Seneca Park & Zoo (technically Rochester)
Seabreeze (The Jack Rabbit is America’s oldest continuously operating roller coaster)
Whispering Pines (America’s oldest miniature golf course)
3. Henrietta
est. 1818 / pop. 42,581
Rochester Institute of Technology
4. Brighton
est. 1814 / pop. 36,609
Corbett’s Glen Nature Park (overlaps with Penfield)
Access points along the Erie Canal
5. Penfield
est. 1810 / pop. 36,242
Corbett’s Glen Nature Park (overlaps with Brighton)
6. Chili
est. 1822 / pop. 28,625
7. Gates
est. 1813 / pop. 28,400
Suburban Towns/Villages
in Monroe County
8. Perinton/Fairport
town est. 1812 / pop.46,462,
village est 1867 / pop.5,353
Access points along the Erie Canal
Colonial Belle Erie Canal Tour
Lollypop Farm and Barktoberfest
9. Webster
town est. 1840 / pop. 42,641
village est. 1905 / pop. 5,399
Webster Park Lake Ontario
Webster Arboretum at Kent Park
Herman’s Farm Market & Cider Mill
10. Pittsford
town est. 1827 / pop. 29,405
village est. 1827 / pop. 1,355
Access points along the Erie Canal
Lock 32 Erie Canal Park & Lockapalooza
Wegmans Food Markets’ flagship store
11. E. Rochester
coterminous, both town and village est. 1897 / pop. 6,600
originally named Despatch, renamed in 1906
Rural Towns & Towns/Villages
in Monroe County
12. Ogden/Spencerport
town est. 1817 / pop. 19,856
village est. 1867 / pop. 3,601
Spencerport Depot & Canal Museum
Access points along the Erie Canal
13. Parma/Hilton
town est. 1808 / pop. 15,633
village est. 1885 pop. 5,886
14. Sweden/Clarkson/Brockport
Village spans 2 towns:
Sweden town est. 1814 / pop. 14,175
Clarkson town est. 1819 / pop 6,736
village est. 1829 / pop. 8,336.
Access points along the Erie Canal
Low Bridge / High Water Festival
The Strand Movie Theater (America’s second-oldest)
15. Mendon/Honeoye Falls
town est. 1813 / pop. 9,245
village est. 1791 / pop. 2,674
Wild Wings at Mendon Ponds Park
16. Hamlin
est. 1852 (Town of Union), renamed in 1861 / pop. 9,045
17. Riga/Churchville
town est. 1809 / pop. 5,590
village est. 1852 / pop. 1,961
Lighthouse Kayak & Canoe Rental
18. Wheatland/Scottsville
town est. 1821 / pop. 4,775
village est. 1790 / pop. 2,001
Genesee Country Village & Museum
19. Rush
est. 1818 / pop. 3,478
Honeoye Creek Falls at Veterans Memorial Park
New York Museum of Transportation
Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum
Gro-Moore Farms U-Pick Strawberries
Geologic History of the Rochester Area
These day trips into Rochester’s geologic history, filled with drumlins, fossils, house-sized boulders and a meromictic lake, will leave you awe-struck!
Monroe County is the heart of the Greater Rochester Nine County Region. The City of Rochester is surrounded by 19 towns and villages.
Rochester Railfans: Trains, Depots, Rail-Trails, Models, & Clubs
Rochester railfans are incredibly lucky that passionate preservationists before us saw the value in retaining structures we can still appreciate today.
These town parks have a unique offering of woods, wildlife, and water features to explore using pavement, hard-pack dirt, wood chips, gravel and boardwalk.
Street Art: Exploring Rochester’s Murals & Graffiti
The term street art means different things to different people. Here, we interpret street art to mean any outdoor, free, public wall art.
Rochester’s Fun Facts: Oldest, Original, Only, & More!
I’ve been gathering Rochester’s fun facts for several years and am so excited to gather them all together here! Just some of what makes Rochester special!
Where are your favorite places around Monroe County?
Share with us in the comments. Your insight and experience is invaluable!