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Interesting Facts
- Thanks to a high standard of living, low crime rate, and strong job market, national publications often recognize Rochester as one of the country's top small to medium-sized cities. It's been ranked as one of "Money" magazine's Best Places to Live in 2000 and one of the publication's most livable American cities for several years in a row. In addition to the world-famous Mayo Clinic, Rochester is home to one of IBM's largest complexes, both of which give the area an impressive array of professionals and create a cosmopolitan environment with a range of cultural opportunities, including concerts, ballet, and theatre.
- Aside from the litany of Mayo's who have lived in Rochester, the city's most notable native is actress Lea Thompson, whose credits include "Caroline in the City," "Dennis the Menace," "All the Right Moves," and the "Back to the Future" trilogy.
- While Rochester itself doesn't offer much in the way of good fishing, the surrounding region sure does. Anglers from far and wide enjoy tackling the streams and rivers in southeastern Minnesota, particularly those in the scenic Bluff Country, Whitewater State Park, and the myriad streams that feed the Zumbro River.
- One of the most important institutions in southeastern Minnesota, the Mayo Clinic can trace its roots to 1883, when a tornado ravaged the area and left many residents dead or injured. The Sisters of Saint Francis, a teaching order recruited to care for survivors, requested the assistance of Dr. William Worrall Mayo and his two sons, William J. and Charles H. Mayo. As the community grew, the three doctors invited other surgeons and specialists to join them, thereby establishing a new method of practice: utilizing a cooperative of doctors with a wide range of skills to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients.
- Who's that with his hand in the cookie jar? During voting to determine the Olmsted County seat in 1857, officials in both Rochester and nearby Marion accused each other of "stuffing the ballet box." After Marion won by a slim margin, the citizens of Rochester were outraged. In order to smooth things over and avoid an embarassing scandal, Rochester was awarded the county court house.
- Adventurer, novelist, and Nobel Prize winner Ernest Hemingway was admitted to the Mayo Clinic in 1960. Diagnosed as suffering from depression, he underwent two months of electric shock therapy. Unfortunately, the treatments were not successful, for in July of 1961 the man who wrote such masterpieces as "A Farewell to Arms" and "The Sun Also Rises" returned to his Ketchum, Idaho, home and committed suicide.
- One of the more impressive features of Rochester's downtown is Soldier Field, with its beautiful memorial park. Constructed without tax dollars, the veterans' memorial cost more than $3 million to complete and includes a Wall of Remembrance dedicated to those Southeastern Minnesotans who made the greatest sacrifice for their country. A Walk of Remembrance honors those who served, and flags represent each branch of the armed forces and all fifty states.
- Founded in 1885, Olmsted County was created from land once inhabited by the Dakota, Ojibway, Sioux, and Winnebago. George Head, one of the area's earliest settlers, founded a tavern at a crossroads near a branch of the Zumbro River and named the small settlement that sprang up after Rochester, New York.
- One of the city's gems is Silver Lake Park, which features running and cycling trails, a lake with canoe and paddleboat rentals, and tranquil shaded areas ideal for a mid-summer's afternoon nap. Silver Lake is also famous for the 30,000-plus Canadian geese who set up shop year-round.
- Easily Olmsted County's largest employer, the Mayo Clinic is home to more than 1500 physicians, 2400 pre-doctoral students and residents, and nearly 23,000 allied health staff members (nurses, technicians, therapists). In an average year, Saint Mary's and Rochester Methodist Hospitals consult on and/or treat more than 45,000 cases. Over the years, more than six million people have received treatment at the Mayo Clinic, which now operates facilities in three states.
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