Rochester

Rochester named in ‘Best Places to Live for Social Seekers’ list

By Mary Beth Almond
C & G Staff Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Erin Sanchez Iman Sylvain of Ann Arbor works on her laptop at Bean & Leaf Café Aug. 4. Photo by Erin Sanchez Iman Sylvain of Ann Arbor works on her laptop at Bean & Leaf Café Aug. 4.

ROCHESTER — The city of Rochester has been named by Coldwell Banker as one of the top five places in the state for social seekers to live.

The list ranks places that “are perfect for the hip, trendy and fun at heart — those who would rather go out than stay home any night of the week,” according to Coldwell Banker. Communities were ranked on a range of attributes, such as access to public transportation, high volume of bars and restaurants, a happening nightlife and great entertainment.

Rochester made No. 5 on the list, while Ann Arbor was first, Birmingham, second, East Lansing third and Huntington Woods fourth were named in the Top 5, according to an analysis from Coldwell Banker Real Estate and OnBoard Informatics.

Rochester Downtown Development Authority Director Kristi Trevarrow said she was somewhat shocked to learn that Rochester made the list.

“I was pretty surprised, to be honest, because when you look down the list, there are a lot of other communities that I think are known more for entertainment and they were not in the Top 5, so I was surprised, but we were very excited,” she said.

City Manager Jaymes Vettraino said it’s an honor anytime Rochester — which has a population of 12,684 and has shown 22.5 percent growth since 2000, according to the U.S. census — is mentioned as being the top of anything.

“Rochester is family friendly and offers a lot of social interaction,” he said. “We’ve added a number of restaurants, which are a great opportunity for young adults to come out and meet new people in the evening, while still remaining family friendly during the day,” he said.

Rochester is a great place for people who don’t want to just go to and from home and work every day, but would rather get out and about, Trevarrow said.

“Rochester is an environment where people can go out and get a bite to eat, they can go walk their dogs, and there is always an event going on. There is always something happening, so they can be engaged in their community, and I think that is something that we excel at,” she said.

Rochester has many different things to offer the community, according to Trevarrow.

“One is our natural features — the trails and having the creek running through town — there is so much activity that you see throughout Rochester because we’re a great walkable community and our parks are gorgeous,” she said.

On the flip side of that, she said Rochester has a lot to offer those looking for entertainment.

“We have so many family-friendly events at any time during the year, so there is always something to do downtown,” she said.

Rochester also has a high density of restaurants, which helps generate foot traffic.

“We’re getting more opening now, and I think that’s a great thing,” she said.

Budge Huskey, president and chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, said in a statement that Americans believe their home is a reflection of their identity, and that clearly goes beyond the property line and into the communities where they live.

“By ranking the best places to live by lifestyle interests and personalities, we’re able to get to the heart of what makes individual cities and towns so special,” he said in a statement.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Mary Beth Almond at malmond@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1060.