Highland District - Rochester, NY Area Guide

The Highland Park neighborhood began with horticultural businessmen George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry who used the land to plant seeds and form the Ellwanger Barry Nursery Company. In 1888, Ellwanger and Barry donated land to form Highland Park. Fredrick Law Olmstead, who designed Central Park in New York City, designed Highland Park. Single family homes as well as condominiums exist in this neighborhood.

The renowned annual Rochester Lilac Festival takes place in Highland Park each May. Viewers examine the 1200 Lilac bushes growing in the park. Best of all, the Highland Park arboretum is free to the public. In addition to gorgeous flowers, this festival has music, food, art and entertainment. Finally, the festival concludes with running races. Over 500,000 people attend this festival each year.

Residents of the Highland Park neighborhood have a wide variety of restaurants to try, including many varieties of international cuisine. For instance, Zemeta specializes in Ethiopian food. The restaurant has an all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet on Friday and Saturday nights for an excellent price. Locals, vegetarian or not, tend to order the vegetarian platters or other vegetarian dishes here. However, meat eaters will enjoy the tasty lamb dishes as well.

ORBS Restaurant & Bar, as the name cleverly suggests, specializes in balls - meatballs, vegetarian balls, you name it, they have it. Locals rave about the Buffalo Chicken Balls. This creative concept has more types of orb-shaped goodies than you can imagine. Menu items include delicacies such as French toast balls for brunch, Asian balls with sesame and of course, their own version of a meatball sub. For those afraid of spheres, non-orb shaped menu items are also available.

The Solera Wine Bar has a diverse selection of wines from all over the world. This bar lies in the busier nightlife neighborhood of South Wedge, just outside Highland Park neighborhood. The place has an intimate, cozy atmosphere. The price for a glass of wine sits around $6 to $8. If you want to move on to a different type of drink, head upstairs to Cheshire where they serve cocktails.

You need a car to get anywhere around Rochester. Public buses exist, but many who wait for these infrequent buses in the frigid Rochester weather during the winter months find that public transit quickly becomes intolerable. If you decide to go without a car, call ahead of time to reserve a cab or Uber ride.

Parking in Rochester is tolerable. During a weekend night you have find some trouble finding a parking spot close to restaurants or bars. Generally though, finding a parking spot in Rochester does not take much effort. This holds true for Highland Park neighborhood. Many residents have homes with garages or driveways.

Pedestrians and cyclists will find the Highland Park neighborhood to be conducive to getting around because of the proximity to Highland Park. Sidewalks tend to line most streets.

Resident don't need to drive far at all to reach highways and expressways from Highland Park neighborhood. Interstate 490 lies just north of this neighborhood. In addition, New York State route 31 practically runs through the community.

Residents can walk to Highland Park, one of Rochester's oldest free, public parks. Highland Park has over 150 acres designated to 1200 Lilac shrubs, playgrounds, athletic fields, gardens, an outdoor amphitheater, Gothic-style castle, ice skating rink and lodges to rent. The outdoor amphitheatre hosts free films during the summer, music concerts and plays. Active visitors enjoy walking or jogging through the park's trails.

Many young families decide to live in Highland Park because of its verdant landscape, historic single family homes and proximity to the park. The demand to live here drives prices up somewhat as the average rent for a one-bedroom residences lies around $830 per month.

Dine out, have a beer and spend less than $20 in Highland Park neighborhood. Beer costs around $5 and many meals can be enjoyed for about $10.

Unfortunately, Rochester has some of the highest gas prices in the state. Gas in Highland Park costs about 27% more than the national average. However, the price here is comparable to the price of gas in the rest of Rochester.

No major shopping areas exist in this residential neighborhood. However, residents can go to a number of charming boutiques and local speciality shops.

Adobe sells vintage furniture and other household goods from the mid 20th century. Households looking for an eclectic piece to spice up their home will find plenty of funky items to choose from here. Prices also tend to be fair and affordable. You may spend a little more than if you were looking on Craiglist's or IKEA, but the uniqueness of your items makes the extra cost well worth it.

Living around Highland Park often inspires residents to strike up their own gardening projects. The Artful Gardener provides the perfect added decorative touch to your home or garden. The Artful Gardener sells items such as birdhouses, fountains, metallic sculptures and more.

Shop at Wegman's for all your grocery needs. Rochester citizens pride themselves on this local grocery store which has grown to be one of the most popular in the Northeast. If you can't find want you want at Wegmans there are Walmart, Save-A-Lot, ALDI and Tops Markets locations in the surrounding neighborhoods. The nearest farmer's market lies in the adjacent neighborhood of South Wedge. This market opens on Thursday evenings from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. from June to October. All the vendors come from 100 or fewer miles away. Over 20 vendors set up shop here every week. Shoppers can purchase produce, baked goods or grab a bite to eat.