Hi jargon124,
Rochester is and isn't a nice city to live in--it totally depends on where you come from, what you're used to, and where you are in life. For example, if I had kids, I would love to stay here--it's safe, the schools (not in the city, but in the immediate suburbs, and I mean the next towns over) are fantastic. People here are really nice. The city is clean. There is lots to do out of doors in Rochester and in outlying areas throughout the year. The Starbucks carries soy milk. The supermarket (Wegman's in Pittsford) is amazing. The housing market is unbelievably affordable. There is digital cable here. Car insurance is cheap. The city plows the sidewalks for you in the winter.
However, Rochester does not really click for me culturally. There is lots of excellent free live classical music at Eastman, but that's about it. It's not really cosmopolitan. Also, while the city is actually diverse, you rarely see it--it's a very self-segregated kind of place. (More so than other places I have lived.) You won't notice this with the patient population of the hospital, which is, in fact, extremely diverse socioeconomically, racially, ethnically, geographically, but you will notice this where you live, when you go out, etc. This may not be an issue for most people, but for me it is a big deal.
Again, it is a matter of who you are and what you are looking for in a place to live. People who grow up around here love it. People who go to med school here often stay for residencies. People who come for residencies, often stay for fellowships. (Among my group of friends, we lovingly refer to Rochester, and specifically the U of R, as the Vortex--it just keeps sucking you back in!)
When you come to interview at the U of R, which, I must reiterate, is amazing, try to wander around town to get your own feel for it. (You'll need a car--the buses are a little hard to figure out.) Go out to eat. Go to the Park Ave area. See how you yourself feel about it. (The area around the hospital is not indicative of what Rochester can be or look like. Literally half a mile away is a beautiful, green park and a very suburban-feeling neighborhood. Four miles from the hospital is the Park Ave area, which is full of restaurants, shops, coffeehouses, all built in what used to be essentially the gold coast of Rochester. It's great down there...)
I guess Rochester is really what you make of it. Most people can be happy anywhere as long as they know what they like to do.
Believe me, I don't mean to be down on Rochester at all. This is just not my type of city. But, students will tell you, the med school is worth it.
Good luck!
mma