Monroe County Fun Facts

The Finger Lakes region is chock-full of rich history and culture.

In this series I’m sharing with you all the firsts, important historical events, notable individuals, world records, and occasional quirky roadside attractions I come across in my explorations, organized by county.

Here are some fun facts about Monroe County. For random facts about the other 13 Finger Lakes counties, check here:

Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Livingston, Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, Yates.

I know I’m only scratching the surface of all the cool things to know, so please tell me interesting facts to add! You can comment below or send me a message.

And make sure you subscribe to the Finger Lakes Family Fun email list or follow on Instagram, where I’ll be sharing my latest discoveries.

Monroe County Basic Facts

Population: 759,443

County seat: Rochester

Origin of name: James Monroe, 5th U.S. President

Tourism site: visitrochester.com

Henrietta

Antoinette Brown Blackwell

Suffragist Antoinette Brown Blackwell was born in a log cabin in Henrietta in 1825. She became the first woman minister of a recognized denomination in the United States, and she was one of the few pioneering suffragists who lived long enough to cast a vote on November 2, 1920.

Irondequoit

Jack Rabbit Roller Coaster

Opened on May 31, 1920, the Jack Rabbit at Seabreeze Amusement Park is the oldest continuously running roller coaster in the country. It is also the fourth-oldest operating roller coaster in the world and the second-oldest in the U.S. after another in Pennsylvania (that took a break for a years, though).

Whispering Pines Miniature Golf

You can still play at the country’s oldest miniature golf course, Whispering Pines Miniature Golf. Opened in 1930, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

LeRoy

Jell-O

At the Jell-O Gallery, you can learn all about “America’s Most Famous Dessert.” The wobbly treat was created by Pearle Wait in 1897 and named by his wife Mary. It took a few more years and the business savvy of several more people for Jell-O to finally take off.

Rochester

Kim Gordon

Musician Kim Gordon was born in Rochester and grew up in Los Angeles. She’s best known as the bassist, guitarist, and vocalist of rock band Sonic Youth.

Largest human flower

In 2014, 2,797 people earned a Guinness World Record by forming the largest human flower — fittingly a lilac, which is the subject of the annual Rochester Lilac Festival.

Kodak film for moon landing

Kodak developed special film for NASA to document the first moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin in 1969.

National Toy Hall of Fame 

The National Toy Hall of Fame was established in 1998 and moved into the Strong Museum of Play. Inductees include everything from ABC blocks to Star Wars Action Figures and Hot Wheels.

Rochester Marshmallow Company

The Rochester Marshmallow Company, established in 1895 and now defunct, was the first American mass-producer of, well, marshmallows.

Rochester Red Wings

The Rochester Red Wings baseball team, the Triple-A, International League Affiliate of the Washington Nationals, has played in Rochester since 1899 and is the oldest continuously operating sports franchise in North America below the major league level. It is based at Frontier Field in downtown Rochester.

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