Rochester is a city in, and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of,
Fulton County, Indiana, United States.
The population was 6,270 at the
2020 census.
History
Rochester was laid out in 1835. The founder Alexander Chamberlain named it for his former hometown of
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...
. The Rochester post office was established in 1836.
The
Potawatomi Trail of Death came through the town in 1838.
Rochester was incorporated as a city in 1853.
The
Lyman M. Brackett House,
Fulton County Courthouse,
Rochester Downtown Historic District, and
John W. Smith House are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
The formerly listed
Germany Bridge was located nearby. The
Wideman-Gerig Round Barn is in use at the Round Barn Golf Club in Rochester.
On May 11, 1938, Irene Ray and her husband Charles were driven from the town of Rochester, Indiana due to allegations that Irene was a practitioner of witchcraft and had hexed several town folk. It was alleged that her hexes had caused personal property damage, serious illness, and even death. Irene and Charles had moved to the town six years prior to this unfortunate episode along with their daughter, Iloe, and their cat (a strange fact that many of the newspaper stories were sure to include).
In 1967, the most complete known specimen of the extinct bear ''
Arctodus'' was found in a cornfield near Rochester.
In early April, 1974 Indiana was one of the states that were impacted by the super outbreak. On a Sunday, sometime in April, 1974, an F4 tornado formed a few miles outside of Rochester. The tornado reportedly hit multiple houses in Rochester, Also damaging Riddle Elementary, the tornado continued and killed a couple people before dissipating.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, Rochester has a total area of , of which (or 80.85%) is land and (or 19.15%) is water.
Climate
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census
of 2010, there were 6,218 people, 2,702 households, and 1,650 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,211 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the city was 95.9% White, 0.6% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.4% of the population.
Of the 2,702 households 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 33.8% of households were one person and 16.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84.
The median age was 41.6 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.9% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 19.5% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.
2000 census
At the
2000 census there were 6,414 people, 2,757 households, and 1,734 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,188 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the city was 96.24% White, 0.59% Native American, 0.45% African American, 0.84% Asian, 0.86% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.86%.
Of the 2,757 households 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 32.2% of households were one person and 16.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.90.
The age distribution was 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.
The median household income was $33,424 and the median family income was $41,949. Males had a median income of $31,446 versus $20,796 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,866. About 7.8% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
Parks and recreation
Located on the east side of Rochester,
Lake Manitou is a popular place in the summer for boating and other water-related activities. City Park is located on the western side of Rochester, near the high school.
Education
Rochester has a public library, a branch of the Fulton County Public Library. The Rochester Community School Corporation is housed in Rochester, operating two elementary level schools (Columbia, PK-grade 1 and Riddle, grades 2–4), Rochester Middle School (grades 5–7) and Rochester Community High School (grades 8–12).
(Rochester Learning Center), zebras.net
Historic structures
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Fulton County, Indiana
*
Rochester Downtown Historic District
*
Fulton County Courthouse (Indiana)
*
Lyman M. Brackett House
*
John W. Smith House
Notable people
*
Nicole Gale Anderson, actress
*
Jorge Argüello, 2011-13 Ambassador of Argentina to the United States
*
Margret Holmes Bates (1844-1927), author
*
Otis R. Bowen, fourth
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...
; born nearby
*
John Angus Chamberlain, sculptor
*
Thurman C. Crook, one-term U.S. congressman
*
Gene DeWeese, science fiction writer; born in Rochester
*
Ron Herrell, former member of the
Indiana House of Representatives
The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House mem ...
*
Elmo Lincoln, film actor and subject of the biography ''My Father, Elmo Lincoln: The Original Tarzan''
*
Ray Mowe, shortstop for the 1913
Brooklyn Dodgers
*
Clyde Short, Chairman of the Kansas Democratic Party, 1934-1936
References
External links
City websiteRochester and Lake Manitou Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control
Cities in Indiana
Cities in Fulton County, Indiana
County seats in Indiana