Considering a lot of the time the spotlight tends to fall on New York City, it’s always nice when an area or city other than the Big Apple gets recognized for its greatness. Last week, Travel + Leisure came out with their list of America’s Favorite Cities and to little surprise, more than one New York location ended up making it’s way onto the list. Giving you the perfect excuse to pack your bags and head towards this one amazing area of our state, here are just a few reasons why you should consider moving to the city of Rochester.

We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/

1. Even in Rochester's urban setting, you'll still be within arm's reach of New York's natural wonders. David D/TripAdvisor Oftentimes when you make the move to the big city you have to trade in Mother Nature for the Concrete Jungle. But with a city like Rochester? That isn't exactly the case. Most people know that from many places in town you can get a beautiful view of this 96-foot tall waterfall, but it isn't the only natural wonder nearby. Aside from checking out High Falls right in the heart of the city, you can visit outdoor spaces like Turning Point Park and other nature trails in the area.

2. The education. Ryan Hyde/Flickr An area of New York that lots of our high school residents will head towards after graduating, the city of Rochester is home to popular colleges like the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester.

3. Even with a population of roughly 209,000 residents, Rochester continuously proves to be a tight-knit community. Yelp Inc./Flickr One of the things that you'll frequently hear people talking about when it comes to discussing why they love living in this city is the fact that things are very friendly and tight-knit. Being one of New York's largest cities, it's big population may initially intimidate you. But once you make Rochester your home you'll quickly realize that everyone likes to know everyone here and we're really quite a friendly bunch!

4. Housing is affordable. Keith Ewing/Flickr While the thought of living in a big city might have your pockets feeling like they're stretched already, Rochester isn't an area that will completely drain you of your savings when it comes to finding housing. All throughout the city you can find affordable options when it comes to setting down your roots and making this place your home.

5. It's a great place to raise your family. gardener41/Flickr Set aside the fact that Rochester's youngest residents could spend all day, every day running rampant at the Strong National Museum of Play with smiles on their faces, there's also plenty of other reasons why this city is great to raise a family. Bring in other factors that we've talked about like affordable housing and great education, and then combine it with the fact that even Forbes named it as one of the Best Places To Raise A Family back in 2010, and you'll soon start to see why this is the perfect city for your family.

6. There's always something to do here. Erich Camping/KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival While almost every city in New York has that lively factor that you'll instantaneously feel once you arrive, Rochester is a city that consistently gives you activities and festivals that will keep you busy right here at home. Throughout the year people from all over come to check out Rochester's Lilac Festival that's held in the spring and their beloved Fringe Festival.

7. The city doesn't get the most snow in New York, but it will get covered in just enough to allow you to have some good old fun. Brian Dewey/Flickr While a city like Syracuse generally sees over 100 inches of snow per year on average, places like Rochester will see roughly an average of 80 inches pear year. We may sometimes have to deal with lake-effect snow storms and the winter weather that comes along with being in Wester New York. But we promise you, it won't take long for you to start embracing the cold and fresh powder!

8. Jobs, jobs, jobs! Ryan Hyde/Flickr When you're moving to a new place one of the scariest transitions can be finding a new job. Luckily for new transplants coming to the city of Rochester, you'll be glad to hear that this area has been known for having plenty of job opportunities.

9. There aren't enough kind words to describe how amazing our food scene is. Michael Sauers/Flickr When a city produces a dish such as the Garbage Plate, you know that everything else you'll find here is nothing short of greatness. Unique dishes like this, classic Mom & Pop restaurants and new modern spots all around Rochester will keep your belly rumbling and ready to try out everything there is to eat in sight!

10. The city is home to New York's oldest brewery. Patrick Haney/Flickr After figuring out where the best places to eat are, you might want to seek out where it is exactly that you can grab a good drink. Giving you a prime view of High Falls, the Genesee Brew House in Rochester is one of America's largest and continually operated breweries. Operating since 1878, this place is a favorite spot to check out in town.

11. WEGMANS! Ashti D./Yelp Oh Wegmans, how our hearts sing for you! With Wegmans' roots beginning out in Rochester and their headquarters still here in the city, residents around this area of New York have an extra soft spot for this grocery store. Another reason why we love Wegmans so much? They're one of the top employers in Rochester. Yay for jobs!