Founded in 1854, Rochester, Minnesota is located in Southeastern Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Rochester is the third-largest city in Minnesota and home to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic and a large IBM facility. Rochester has been recognized by Money Magazine as one of the best places to live in the United States. The modern downtown offers unique shopping, dining, arts, and events all throughout the year.
Rochester weather features four distinct seasons, with warm summers and cold winters. The average rainfall is 33.02 inches and the average snowfall is 51.9 inches. As the second-windiest city in the United States, Rochester sees average wind speeds of 12.6 mph.
Rochester has more than 100 parks stretching across more than 3,500 acres. There is also an extensive network of paved trails winding 85 miles around the city. There are four public golf courses and three private courses in Rochester.
Rochester has three public high schools -- John Marshall, Mayo, and Century. There are also three main private schools -- Lourdes, Schaeffer Academy, and Rochester Central Lutheran School. Postsecondary schools in Rochester include Rochester Community and Technical College, Winona State University, and the University of Minnesota Rochester. There are also branches of Augsburg University, College of St. Scholastica, and St. Mary's University.