Rochester: City of the Week Factoids
Congratulations to Rochester: WCSX’s CITY OF THE WEEK! Rochester is an amazing town that was one of the first European settlements in Oakland County. According to the town history listed on the Rochester website, Rochester was founded by James G Graham in 1817.
Not to be confused with Rochester Hills, which surrounds Rochester and borders Shelby Township to the east, Rochester became a village in 1869 and a city in 1967. Rochester became a center of industry because of the close access to water from the Clinton River and Paint Creek.
Being one of the first of Oakland County’s settlements also means that Rochester is filled with antiquity and history. Here some of the historic locations:
So Much History in Rochester
The Rollin Sprague Building was built in 1849, The Rochester Opera House (1890), the Royal Park Hotel, and the Western Knitting Mills (1896).
The Western Knitting Mills was used during World War II to help produce incendiary products. The Opera House was refurbished in 1987 and now houses a pharmacy. The Royal Park Hotel, built by Victor Saroki in 2004 has housed several celebrities like Hugh Hefner and Paul McCartney.
City of the Week has honored Rochester in the past. Our favorite time to visit is during the Christmas season. We love stopping by Meadowbrook Hall. It is gorgeous 365 days a year, but during the Christmas season, they pull out all the stops. Meadowbrook Hall is a national landmark and a home museum. It was home to The Dodge family before it became a museum.
Rochester: City of the week with WCSX! Doni and Joel are hanging out fireside in the foyer at Meadowbrook Hall
The Meadow Brooke Theatre, located at 376 Meadow Brook Rd, is Michigan’s answer to Broadway! The theatre opened in 1964 and has been delighting Michiganders since.
Rochester has hundreds of stores and restaurants to check out. Stores like Nordstrom Rack, Legends of Time, Catching Fireflies, and Bizzy Buzz Artisan Market.
As of the 201o census, Rochester has over 12,700 residents. The population has risen dramatically since 2000 going up almost 50% in 20 years.
Rochester: City of the Week Factoids
The Big Bright Light Parade
Beautiful Rochester!
Wait, not enough Christmas? Rochester has you covered! Since 2006 Rochester has run the “Big Bright Light Show”. Downtown puts up 1,000,000 lights during the Christmas season.
Rochester Bell Ringing
Look for Joel at Hollywood Market on Tuesday from noon-2pm and Wednesday 10am-noon (December 12th and 13th). He’ll be ringing the bell for The Salvation Army!
“Elf” Joel rings the bell for the Salvation Army in Rochester!
