Housing: South Wedge in Rochester

When I first began graduate school at RIT, I moved into a small apartment in Rochester’s South Wedge neighborhood with my partner. It was somewhat challenging to find options online, as we were searching for a place to live while living hours away. Zillow does offer a service for applying to rent properties for a fee of $35. This is a one-time purchase that allows you to submit a reusable application to any participating rentals for 30 days. The fee includes tenant screening reports, which is huge! Some rental properties require you to pay for a background check, which is anywhere from $30-$50. The reusable application easily pays for itself. 

What are you looking for?

When looking for an apartment, our biggest factors to consider were location, price, and the surrounding community. The South Wedge area is a residential neighborhood that is close to the center of the city of Rochester and has a strip of brick-and-mortar stores, cafes, and restaurants on South Ave. When walking down the sidewalks, it is not uncommon to see people relaxing on their front porches, children playing in the parks, or someone checking out one of the many free libraries that are scattered around the neighborhood. 

Distance

Many of the apartment complexes and townhouses closer to campus were more expensive than we were willing to pay. While they offer many amenities and services, they were mostly isolated from the life of downtown, and I would need to drive to campus 5-6 days a week. So if I needed to drive to school anyway, why not live in an area where we could walk into the city? Some of our favorite places to walk to are Equal Grounds, Abundance Co-Op, and Highland Park.

Coffeeshops

Equal Grounds Community Cafe is a cozy coffee shop in the heart of South Wedge. The cafe serves coffee, tea, breakfast, and lunch. Equal Grounds is a great place for a rainy day or to hang out with friends. They have a large selection of board games for you to play while you have your coffee, which makes for a fun and laid-back afternoon. The cafe also hosts different events throughout the week, like arts and crafts, poetry readings, and LGBTQIA+ events. 

Grocery Stores

The Abundance Co-Op is a great place to do some grocery shopping or pick up that last-minute ingredient for dinner! Again, being able to walk to the grocery store is a game-changer. Abundance offers organic, local, and sustainable products. One of the best things about Abundance is its bulk food section. Bring your glass jars, and restock on anything from shredded coconut to honey! They also offer to-go meals like soups and sandwiches, which are a great lunch if you are in a pinch. Best of all, many of their prepared foods are vegan/vegetarian!

Parks

Highland Park is a 150-acre park that hosts many activities and events, including the largest free festival in North America. The lilac festival is the major event that takes place every May, where local vendors, artists, and performers get together to showcase Rochester and our beautiful 500 varieties of Lilac trees! Many memorials and gardens are located in the park, including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Workers' Memorial, Victims' Rights Memorial, and the AIDS Remembrance Garden. Highland Park is a great place to have a picnic or your daily run!

Final Thoughts

This past year, living in the South Wedge neighborhood has been filled with discovering new restaurants, coffee shops, and stores. This list doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what The Wedge has to offer. Right now, the neighborhood is preparing for our yearly block party called “Wedge Fest”, where you have the chance to visit local artists, vendors, and food trucks while listening to a line-up of homegrown bands. There’s always something on your calendar when you live in Rochester!