A Brief Industrial History of Rochester NY
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Written by: johnmas99
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Word Count: 387 |
Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 |
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You may not know that Rochester NY was the first American boomtown.This tract was purchased in 1803 by Colonel Nathaniel Rochester, for whom Rochester NY is named, Major Charles Carroll, and Colonel William Fitzhugh, Jr. largely because the cataracts of the Genesee River had the potential for generating a great deal of water power. This water power would eventually prove to be vital to the flour producing industry. After surveying began in 1811, streets and roads were laid out, and in 1817 other area landowners joined their holdings with the Hundred Acre Tract to form the Village of Rochesterville. Rochesterville was the seat of Monroe County, New York by 1821 and was rechartered as a city under the shortened name of Rochester in 1834.
By 1823, the Erie Canal had made its way westward, and an aqueduct was constructed over the Genesee River at the site of the present day Broad Street Bridge in downtown Rochester, NY. The Erie Canal now connected Rochester to all points east and west. Originally dubbed The Young Lion of the West, Rochester NY became known as the Flour City, reflecting its status by 1838 as the largest flour producing city in the United States. Its population had also doubled by that time, making Rochester the first boomtown of the United States. As the wheat producing industry moved further west during the nineteenth century, Rochester NY soon was referred to as the Flower City in reference to the numerous nurseries that grew up around the city.The region saw its own Industrial Revolution after the Civil War. Giants such as the Eastman Kodak Company and Bausch and Lomb were founded during this time.The Gannett newspaper conglomerate and Western Union also had their start in Rochester NY. The prominence of imaging and optical science among local universities and companies in response to a regional decline in manufacturing has given Rochester its modern nickname as The Worlds Image Centre.
With its rich history of entrepreneurship and adaptation to change, Rochester NY is poised to weather any economic storm. The region has much to offer. Rochester NY will not disappoint.
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