Our Location

Campus Beauty

    Campus beauty in every season.

    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.

    Museums
    • George Eastman House
    • Strong National Museum of Play
    • Rochester Museum & Science Center
    • Susan B. Anthony House
    • Memorial Art Gallery
    Music venues
    • Eastman Theatre (home of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra)
    • Blue Cross Arena
    • Auditorium Theatre 
    • Water Street Music Hall
    Major shopping malls/areas
    • Pittsford Plaza (within walking distance)
    • Eastview and Marketplace malls
    • Waterloo Premium Outlets mall (a 40-minute drive)
    Area festivals
    • Rochester International Jazz Festival
    • Corn Hill Festival
    • High Falls Film Festival
    • Image Out/Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
    • Clothesline art festival
    • Park Avenue Festival
    • Lilac Festival at Highland Park
    • Rose Festival at historic Maplewood Park
    • Rochester Music Festival
    • Rochester International Air Show
    Parks

    Beautiful woodland areas and waterfront sites in numerous locations such as:

    • Ellison Park
    • Genesee Valley Park
    • Highland Botanical 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
    Pittsford Canal

    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 »

    Schedule a campus visit »

    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.