Group 14621

 neighbourhood, draw only border

 Upload a photo

Two centuries ago, the area's earliest settlement, Carthage, was a bustling river port at the lower falls of the Genesee and rivaled its sister to the south: Rochesterville. Founded along the Lower Falls, land was cleared at the settlement as early as 1809. In 1818, about 40 homes, mills and other buildings stood in Carthage. When Rochester was incorporated in 1834, the village was absorbed by the new city.

Once street car service was established, large farms and nurseries in the area gave way to housing tracts in the late 1880s. Streets such as Berlin, Baden Mozart and Rauber pay homage to the neighborhood’s plentiful German residents in the late 1800s. Later, Polish and Jewish immigrants and other Eastern European groups made their way here. East of Carthage is Polish Town, named after the waves of Polish immigrants who began to settle the area in 1880s. They built streets of sturdy workman's cottages and in 1907 completed the lavish St. Stanislaus Church, dedicated in 1909. The Church draws hundreds each year to its annual Polish Arts festival.

The neighborhood’s make-up changed after World War II, as African- Americans, and later Hispanics, replaced older immigrant groups. In 1964, the neighborhood experienced riots that had long lasting impacts. Vacant houses are a problem today, as are absentee landlords.

Today, the neighborhood is often described as a cultural mosaic. African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Bosnians, Ukrainians, and Turks have joined European-Americans to make this one of the most ethnically diverse residential area in greater Rochester. Food and specialty stores reflect that rich mixture. Shoppers can find Asian groceries and Caribbean delis along with neighborhood classics like Wojtczak's Bakery and Hartmann's Old World Sausage & Meats.

The Rochester School for The Deaf, founded in 1876, maintains a scenic campus on St. Paul Street. Located on the eastern bank of the Genesee River, the institution has for more than 125 years been at the forefront in caring for the special needs of deaf students and their families.

On the west edge of 14621 is historic Seneca Park. The 297 acre park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, includes picnic grounds and pathways overlooking the Genesee River gorge, and is one of the oldest zoos in the country. The Seneca Park Zoo, opened in 1893, gives the neighborhood a useful point of reference for the city's boundary with the Town of Irondequoit. Today, some 500,000 visitors travel to the Seneca Park Zoo each year.