Indeed, but it's not so bad now. Rochester is still among the cities with the greatest number of patents per capita. The technical skills and infrastructure that fueled Kodak and Xerox are still around; many engineers operate at smaller shops or do consulting. RIT and the University of Rochester are still graduating quality students. Optics is still prominent in Rochester, and there's a good deal of defense tech you don't hear about (Harris RF, Exelis Geospatial Systems, Pictometry, TeledyneOptech, Tyco, et al.). Though I'm more in Cambridge, MA now, I'll put on my Rochester emissary hat and expose a secret: quality of life in Rochester is fantastic. It's affordable; the median house price is <$75k (maybe triple that in the affluent suburbs). There's no traffic, there's abundant water, energy is cheap, food is inexpensive and local, and people are civically-involved. There are bike trails and there is Wegmans. The geographic location is not one prone to natural disasters (except blizzards if you count those). The parks are beautiful, and there's a festival every other weekend during the warm months. Unlike cheap places in the midwest, it's a short hop to NYC, Boston, or Toronto. I think Rochester is poised for a comeback as people and companies look for more cash-efficient places to operate. My Rochester house even has gigabit Internet; that's not something I can get at my apartment three miles from MIT.