Our Location
Campus Beauty
Rochester has something for everybody. The mid-sized city, suburbs, and scenic region are home to more than 1 million people with a mix of ethnic backgrounds and religions. It's easy to get around by car.
- Where: On Lake Ontario in western New York State (Monroe County)
- City population: 210,565
- Metro area population: 1 million
- Known nationally as the "Flower City" and the "Flour City"
- World headquarters of Paychex, Wegmans, Kodak, and others
- Waterways: In addition to Lake Ontario to the north, the Genesee River runs through downtown Rochester, and the Erie Canal just south of Nazareth’s campus offers recreation opportunities.
Area Weather
- Four seasons: average temperatures of 81°F in July and 32°F in January.
- Average snowfall: 91 inches (Good thing we have underground tunnels connecting academic buildings and dorms!)
Food
Rochester has great restaurants for all types of ethnic and continental tastes, and has its own culinary inventions.
- The "Garbage Plate," first served at Nick Tahou Hots, combines macaroni salad, home fries, cheeseburgers or hot dogs, mustard and onions, all topped by a meaty hot sauce. Trust us, it tastes a lot better than it sounds.
- The famous "white hot dog," made by the local Zweigle's company.
Local restaurants near Nazareth University »
Arts and Culture
Rochester/Monroe County ranks higher than 96% of other places nationwide for arts and culture, thanks to gems such as Geva Theatre Center, the Memorial Art Gallery, the Eastman Theatre, and many smaller venues. Enjoy live music, theatre, dance, and visual arts right on campus. Catch a band at a nearby venue. Watch a new movie on an IMAX screen or an art house film at Rochester's Little Theatre. Rock out to a concert or enjoy a peaceful walk at the city's famous lilac-lined Highland Park.
Sports
- Eight professional sports teams including hockey, baseball, soccer, basketball, and lacrosse
- The Buffalo Bills run their football training camp less than a mile from Nazareth each summer
- Oak Hill Country Club has hosted the Ryder Cup, the U.S. Open, multiple Wegmans LPGA Championships, the 2019 Senior PGA Championship, and the 2023 and 2013 PGA Championships
Pittsford, N.Y.
Nazareth's campus is in Pittsford, N.Y., a charming town and village of independent shops, tree-lined streets, and Erie Canal-side dining. You can bike the Erie Canal path as far east as Rome, N.Y., or as far west as Buffalo — but you probably wouldn't make it back in time for classes.
- The suburb is eight miles (15 minutes) southeast of the City of Rochester
- Population: 29,405
- Located on the Erie Canal
- 25 minutes from the Rochester International Airport
- 3 hours by car from Toronto in Ontario, Canada
- 5 hours' drive from New York City
Read about living in Rochester
Students share their experiences on this student blog.
Our Campus
Nazareth's campus is in the Rochester suburb of Pittsford. Groceries, dining, and shopping are within walking distance. Rochester city buses stop on campus.
Read about Campus Life »
Did you know?
Photography boomed because of Rochester. In 1935, the Eastman Kodak company brought color photography to the masses.
Soft contact lenses were invented here by Bausch + Lomb, which also developed anti-glare sunglasses.
The commercial copier, too—introduced by Xerox.
The HPV vaccine? Yup, developed here. University of Rochester Medical Center researchers developed the vaccine to prevent infection with the major causes of several cancers.
Other innovations: The telegraph, stock ticker, money transfers, a two-stroke car engine, and automated railway signals.
Rochester continues to be a center of innovation. We rank among the top 20 metropolitan areas in U.S. patents granted annually, more than larger areas such as Houston and Atlanta.