Rochester’s Official Start Was 163 Years Ago

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The City of Rochester is now 163 years old.

Rochester was officially incorporated on August 5th, 1858, approximately four years after George Head and Thomas Simpson both staked claims for parcels of land along the Zumbro River in what is now downtown Rochester. It was Head, who built what started as a log cabin that became a way station for travelers on the Dubuque Trail stagecoach line, who named the new city after his hometown in New York.

By the time it was officially incorporated as a city, about 1400 people lived in Rochester. It is now home to an estimated 122,000 people and covers about 55 square miles of land.

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