A bit of
confusion, sometimes. When our managing editor Chad Oliveiri spoke to a class
at the University of Rochester
recently, some students said they were surprised that we were writing about
suburbs like Chili and Mendon. Aren’t we a “city of Rochester”
paper?
Well, no,
and we haven’t been for years. We began, as longtime readers know, as a neighborhood newspaper, serving the
southeast area of Rochester. But it
quickly became apparent that there was a need for much broader coverage, and a
much broader mission. And so, we expanded, first to cover the entire city, and
then the county and its surroundings.
We bear the
name City proudly; the city is the
heart of the Greater Rochester area. And we view our role as similar to that of
the world’s cities: to serve as a political and educational center, where the
issues of the day get discussed and analyzed; to serve as a cultural center,
giving the public access to the arts and entertainment of the region; to serve
as a community center, a gathering place, where members of a diverse community
come — to get to know one another, to support one another, to argue with one
another, to shape public policy.
In many
ways, the Greater Rochester area is simply a grouping of individual, often
parochial small communities, divided by seemingly impenetrable geographic
boundaries. But the fact is, we are one
community, and it has become increasingly important for us to act as one.
And so over
the years, we have pushed City out,
beyond the city limits, beyond the county line. Our distribution now covers the
region. You’ll find City in suburban
Wegmans and Tops as well as the chains’ city stores; in suburban and city
Starbucks, in Xerox’s Webster plant… on nearly every area college campus, in
nearly every hospital… in Canandaigua, Geneseo, Lima, Lakeville, Victor,
Farmington — 737 distribution points in all.
Our popular
Mail column reflects that diversity: In recent issues we’ve published letters
from readers in Pittsford, Webster, Greece,
Brighton, Irondequoit,
Avon, Spencerport, Henrietta, and Penfield, as well as
the City of Rochester.
Regardless
of where we live, it is important for us to understand the challenges faced by
farmers in rural Upstate New York, the teachers in inner-city schools, the
residents fighting to protect open space in Rochester
suburbs. And it is important for all of us to learn more about our neighbors,
and to celebrate (and participate in) the wealth of the region’s arts and
entertainment venues.
We’re
pleased that our readership of 103,000 includes people from throughout the
Greater Rochester area. Together, you create one fine, unique community.
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 2, 2004.
