As the fourth largest city in New Hampshire, Rochester combines the tight-knit feel of a small town with the resources and convenience of a larger city. This unique balance, as well as low costs, the absence of sales and income taxes, and a crime rate well below the national average, helped the city rank fifteenth overall in Business Development Outlook Magazine’s 2004 quality of life analysis.  The rankings, which appeared in the magazine’s September 2004 issue, were based on data from the U.S. Census, Sperling’s Best Places, and Fast Facility.

Quality of Life

When planning your new business, location is critical. The conditions of a community and its economic environment can impact businesses in either a positive or negative manner, making quality of life a major business concern. If you’ve ever had to relocate, you know firsthand how serious these issues can be.

So what is the significance of a high quality of life ranking? While many communities boast a high quality of life, not all of them can back up their claim with statistics and rankings. In recent years, standard quality of life measures have been established to use along with the traditional values. Economic data, health and housing costs, quality of education, crime rates, transportation, arts, culture, and recreation are among the factors considered in the compilation of the nation’s best places to live.

Today, many businesses are opting for premier quality of life locations like Rochester, NH that offer a lower cost of living, a pleasant environment, and a less stressful atmosphere than an urban area. Locations such as Rochester foster productive businesses because they allow employees to focus on business objectives and priorities rather than issues relating to less than ideal surroundings. Rochester’s widely recognized high quality of life and supportive environment may make it the perfect place for your business to flourish.

Residential Life and the Cost of Housing

A variety of housing options and residential areas as well as low housing costs are just a few of the many reasons that so many families relocate to Rochester each year. Attractive housing options can be found throughout town to suit different lifestyles and budgets.

Rochester’s beautiful residential areas combine traditional, suburban neighborhoods with the natural charm of New Hampshire. Housing in these areas is affordable; the average cost of a home in the city is about $175,000 with a high home appreciation, low utility costs, and low property taxes. Renting an apartment, condo, or single family house is reasonable, costing $650-$750, $900, and $1,000 a month respectively. Low income housing is provided through the Rochester Housing Authority for those in need.

Education

The Rochester School District is composed of eight elementary schools, the Rochester Middle School, and Spaulding High School, all of which have high expectations for both their students and faculty.  All of Rochester’s schools maintain a low student/teacher ratio and strive for excellence.  The school administrations and the Rochester School Board (2004’s New Hampshire School Board of the Year) collaborate with parents and teachers to continually improve the schools’ curriculums with an emphasis on high reading performance.  This effort has increased communication and established the district as the leader in the use of data to improve student performance.

Spaulding High School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and is approved by the New Hampshire Department of Education.  The school stresses career and educational development, problem solving, civic and social responsibility, personal wellness, and essential knowledge while graduating 78% of its students.  In addition to the main high school building, Spaulding has the Richard W. Creteau Regional Technology Center, which specializes in career preparation and training.  The Center cooperates with local industries, working with both high school students and adult workers to create a skilled and productive workforce.  The mission of Granite State College is to create and deliver innovative programming in curriculum and methods based on community needs and statewide higher education. They have a branch located in Rochester that offers degree, certificate and contract programs in the following fields: Applied Technology, Behavioral Science, Criminal Justice, Computing and Information Technology, Early Childhood Education, Health Care, Management, Self Design and Teacher Education Programs.  Graduate Programs are also offered. 

Transportation and Location

Rochester lies a mere hour and a half away from Boston, the commercial and cultural hub of New England, and an hour away from the burgeoning city of Portland, ME. Transportation is simple in the Seacoast region’s largest city, which has six direct exits along the Spaulding Turnpike. The turnpike intersects with I-95, providing a fast route for the transportation of products and resources. Route 202 also runs through Rochester, connecting with Concord to the west and Portland, ME to the east, as does Route 125, which will bring you to New Hampshire’s largest city, Manchester.

To help local manufacturers transfer materials and products more effectively, Rochester’s industrial parks were planned with quick and easy transportation in mind.  

• Ten Rod Road Industrial Park, off Exit 14 on the Spaulding Turnpike, has convenient and expansive turnpike frontage.
• Granite State Business Park is adjacent to Route 16 and only a short distance from the highway.  It has access to the New Hampshire Northcoast rail line on the east side of the park and Skyhaven Airport to the west of the park.
• Gonic Industrial Park is in the village of Gonic (the southwestern area of Rochester) and has access to Exit 12 of the Spaulding Turnpike.
• New Hampshire Northcoast Industrial Park is located in the isolated northern region of Rochester, an ideal area for heavy industries. It is bisected by the New Hampshire Northcoast rail line.
• Crossroads Industrial Park is off Exit 16 of the Spaulding Turnpike and also has direct access to the New Hampshire Northcoast rail line.
• Gerrity Industrial Park also has direct access to the Boston and Maine Railroad and is near Spaulding Turnpike Exit 16.
• Gonic Brickyard is 7/10 mile from Exit 12 of the Spaulding Turnpike.

The city’s easy access to rail provides an alternate means of transporting goods and raw materials. Granite State Business Park, Crossroads Industrial Park, and Gerrity Industrial Park all have direct rail access.

In addition, Rochester is close to the Manchester International Airport and Pease International Tradeport in Newington. The Tradeport is home to Pan Am Airways and offers flights for both passenger and business use. 

Public transportation is provided by COAST (Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation) buses, which connect Rochester with neighboring communities. C&J Trailways provides bus service from Dover, Durham, and Portsmouth to various destinations in Boston. Greyhound and Vermont Transit Lines also provide service from Portsmouth, and Amtrak’s Downeaster commuter train stops in Dover and Durham on its way to Portland and Boston.

Organizations

The Rochester community has two economically-oriented organizations to support both new and established local businesses. These groups aid the growth and expansion of our economy and act as productive resources for small businesses and large industries alike.

Among the largest Chambers in the state, the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce is an active force in the community. The Chamber is focused on fostering small businesses and retaining existing local businesses.

Rochester Main Street (fka: CORE)
CORE stands for Community Organization for Rochester Enhancement. It is a non-profit 501(c)3 Corporation that was formed in October 2003 and has been charged by the City of Rochester with a mission to implement the Downtown Master Plan by promoting and taking action to improve the economic, visual, and social aspects of the city core. It has now been replaced by Rochester Main Street.

The New Hampshire Main Street Center helps communties strengthen their Downtowns by focusing on historic preservation and public-private partnerships to build local pride. The Center, a part of the Community Development Finance Authority, helps towns and cities improve economic development by providing training and best practices to Downtown vitality.

Arts, Culture, and Recreation

The arts and entertainment scene in the city is quickly growing to cover a vibrant array of interests. The last five years have seen a boom in the variety and number of entertainment options as well as an increase in the public’s support of the arts. Whatever your interests, we guarantee that there is always something to do in Rochester.

See a play!: Built in 1908, the Rochester Opera House was the city’s first entertainment venue and continues to be a relevant attraction today. A slow descent in popularity led to its closure in 1973, but a revival of interest in the historic architectural marvel occurred in the mid-90s. The Rochester Opera House was restored and reopened in 1996 and now hosts regional and national musicians, performers, and professional touring theater companies. The only remaining venue of its kind, the Rochester Opera House is once again a well-known regional leader in affordable, high quality entertainment.

While the development of the arts in our city is important to our community’s cultural growth, it also has a direct impact on the local economy. As a major attraction, the Rochester Opera House brings in consumers from neighboring towns and also encourages the locals to spend their money in Rochester on restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Furthermore, the Rochester Opera House and other businesses involved in the city’s cultural revitalization create jobs for the “creative class” of the local workforce, which makes up over a third of the county’s laborers.

Although the popularity of movies and some sports events are waning, the arts continue to prosper. In 1997, consumer spending on the arts topped an astounding $10 billion nationally, a figure that continues to grow.  

For more facts on the Rochester Opera House, arts and the economy, download the following:

[Economic Benefits of the ROH download]

[How Arts Benefit the Economy download]

[Arts & Economic Prosperity download]

[Theater Facts 2003 download]

Take an art class! Rochester is also home to art galleries and arts-education facilities, including Artstream and Arts Rochester. At Artstream, local children can take an art class while their parents take a look at the latest exhibition or check out a short film festival. Arts Rochester is a non-profit organization devoted to the promotion of dance, theatre, music, photography, and other arts through educational courses for all ages.

Rochester’s thriving arts and culture scene transcends the simple role of entertainment.  Our community’s volunteer-based organizations provide an environment where businesses can benefit.  A 2002 study of non-profit cultural organizations in New England found that programs like those provided by Arts Rochester, the Rochester Opera House and other local groups have a profound impact on both the state and local economies.  Statewide, the creative non-profit sector of New Hampshire’s economy was accountable for $189.5 million in earned, contributed and tax-related revenues.

For more detailed data on the economic impact of non-profit cultural organizations, see New England’s Creative Economy: the Non-Profit Sector, a 2002 study by the New England Foundation for the Arts.

Take a hike! A beautiful landscape, the Isinglas River, and the Gonic trails are just a few of the natural attraction found at the Mount Isinglas Recreational Area. Open year-round, the recreational park is used for hiking, biking, fishing, swimming, and picnicking in the summer and ice skating, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing in the winter.

Play ball! Roger Allen Park, one of New England’s best ballparks, and Monsignor Giles Simard Babe Ruth Field are available for the city’s youth and adult athletic leagues. The city also has a variety of public parks, including the Commons. Rochester Recreation & Youth Services offers a variety of programs for the city’s children and makes the most of the city’s parks.

Go downtown! Rochester’s downtown area is the place to go for excitement. Get together with friends for drinks or coffee, eat at one of downtown’s unique restaurants, or browse antiques, furniture and art at the shops.

Shop and catch a movie! The Lilac Mall is a convenient spot to buy clothing, necessities, sporting goods, and more. It also hosts a movie theater and restaurants perfect for after-school fun or family outings.

Go out to eat! Rochester has a wide assortment of dining options, ranging from standard fast-food fare to Mexican to Thai cuisine.

[Restaurant Map]

[Downtown Shops & Services List]

This is only a sampling of what Rochester has to offer your business and employees. Rochester is a maturing city, economically and culturally, constantly increasing an already high quality of life. Its citizens and businesses are passionate and active in the community, and more and more people are starting to see why. This is an exciting time of growth here in Rochester. Don’t you want to be part of it?

City of Rochester, New Hampshire, Economic Development Department, P 603-335-7522, info@thinkrochester.biz