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West Side vs. East Side Rochester NY: Which Side Is Right for You?
A buyer's guide to the towns, commutes, and everyday character on both sides of the Genesee.
Quick shortcut: Jump straight to what matters most for your decision.
- Want more land and a lower entry price: The West Side Towns
- Want a walkable village center and established schools: The East Side Towns
- Deciding based on your daily drive: Commute & Highway Access
If you've spent any real time house hunting in Greater Rochester, you've probably heard someone say it within the first week: "Are you a west side person or an east side person?" It comes up at open houses, in Facebook groups, and in almost every conversation I have with buyers who are relocating here and trying to get their bearings. It's one of the most common ways Rochester-area residents describe geography, and it shapes everything from which commute you'll drive to which town hall you'll pay taxes to.
Here's what most people don't realize until they've lived here a while: "west side" and "east side" aren't official designations. There's no line on a county map. They're informal, deeply held local shorthand that Rochesterians use to describe everything from which grocery store parking lot they park in out of habit to where their family has lived for three generations. As a Realtor who has helped buyers on both sides of the Genesee River for more than a decade, I get asked to explain the divide constantly — so this guide breaks down what each side actually includes, how the towns differ in commute, schools, and everyday character, and how to think through the decision instead of just picking a side because that's where you grew up.
Quick Reference — Every Town, Side by Side
| Town | Side | School District(s) | Commute Downtown | Known For |
| Greece | West | Greece Central; pockets in Spencerport or Hilton Central | 10–15 min | Lake Ontario shoreline, largest town in the county |
| Gates & Chili | West | Gates Chili; Churchville-Chili | 10–15 min | County's geographic center, close-in access via I-390 |
| Spencerport (Ogden) | West | Spencerport Central | 15–20 min | Walkable Erie Canal village, more land per dollar |
| Brockport (Sweden) | West | Brockport Central | 25–30 min | SUNY Brockport college-town character |
| Hilton (Parma) | West | Hilton Central | 20–25 min | Lake Ontario access, quiet village pace |
| Pittsford | East | Pittsford Central | 15–20 min | Schoen Place canal village, top relocation request |
| Fairport (Perinton) | East | Fairport Central | 20–25 min | Walkable canal Main Street, Canal Days festival |
| Penfield | East | Penfield Central; partly Webster Central | 20–25 min | Mix of established and newer construction |
| Webster | East | Webster Central | 20–25 min | Lake Ontario & Irondequoit Bay lifestyle |
| Brighton | East | Brighton Central | 10–15 min | Closest-in east side town, Twelve Corners |
| Victor | East (Ontario Co.) | Victor Central | 25–30 min | New construction, Eastview Mall corridor |
| Irondequoit | In-Between | East Irondequoit; West Irondequoit | 10–15 min | Lake and bay access, claimed by both sides |
Commute ranges above are typical drive times to downtown Rochester in normal traffic and will vary by exact address and destination — use them as a starting comparison, not a guarantee.
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How "West Side" and "East Side" Actually Get Defined
The divide has real roots. Rochester's earliest street grid grew up on both banks of the Genesee River, and the city's own East Avenue and West Main Street trace back to that original split. Over the next two centuries, as the suburbs filled in, the river stayed the mental dividing line even as the metro area grew miles past it in both directions.
There's no municipal boundary or zoning map that makes it official, and local opinion varies at the edges, but the general local consensus looks like this: Greece, Gates, and Chili are firmly west side, with Spencerport (in the Town of Ogden), Brockport (in the Town of Sweden), and Hilton (in the Town of Parma) usually grouped in as the "outer" west side. On the other bank, Pittsford, Brighton, Fairport (in the Town of Perinton), Penfield, and Webster make up the core east side, with Victor — technically across the county line in Ontario County — treated as its natural extension by most buyers cross-shopping the area.
Irondequoit sits right on the fence, which is exactly why I've given it its own section below. Because none of this is governed by an actual line on a map, the smartest way to house hunt isn't to pick a "side" first — it's to get specific about which towns fit your budget, commute, and lifestyle, then notice which side of the river most of them happen to fall on.
The West Side: Towns to Know
The west side runs from the edge of the city out along Lake Ontario's south shore and the old Erie Canal corridor. It's home to some of Monroe County's largest and most established suburbs, along with a handful of smaller canal and lakefront villages that feel like a different world despite being a short drive from downtown.
Greece
Greece is the largest town in Monroe County by population and the second-largest municipality in the county behind the City of Rochester itself. It runs along roughly eight miles of Lake Ontario shoreline, with Ridge Road (Route 104) as its main commercial spine and easy access into the city along the river. Most of Greece is served by the Greece Central School District, with pockets on the western edge of town feeding into Spencerport Central or Hilton Central instead. Housing stock ranges from the classic post-war ranches that filled in after Kodak's mid-century growth to newer construction near the lake and along the town's western edge. The town also maintains seventeen park areas totaling more than 750 acres, which gives buyers a lot more green space to work with than the Ridge Road retail corridor alone suggests.
Gates & Chili
Gates sits at the literal geographic center of Monroe County — the exact centroid falls in a wooded patch just southwest of Gates Town Hall — and is one of the closest-in west side towns to downtown, home to Wegmans' corporate headquarters and the redeveloped Rochester Tech Park on the former Kodak manufacturing site. Chili, just south and west, stretches from suburban neighborhoods bordering Gates out to more rural, larger-lot parcels near the Genesee River. Together the two towns split across two school districts: Gates Chili Central School District serves most of Gates and a large portion of Chili, while the remainder of Chili — along with Ogden, Riga, Sweden, and Churchville — falls into the Churchville-Chili Central School District. That district split is worth confirming address-by-address before you fall in love with a specific house, since two homes a few streets apart can feed into different schools.
Spencerport (Town of Ogden)
The village of Spencerport sits inside the Town of Ogden, about ten miles west of downtown along the Erie Canal. It has the kind of walkable, canal-front downtown that a lot of buyers associate with the east side's Pittsford or Fairport — a reminder that canal heritage isn't an east side exclusive. The Empire State Trail follows the canal right through the village, and nearby Northampton Park adds nearly a thousand acres of nature trails and athletic fields to the mix. Ogden is served by the Spencerport Central School District, and the area tends to offer more land per dollar than closer-in suburbs, with subdivisions mixing in alongside working farmland on the town's outer edges.
Brockport (Town of Sweden)
Brockport, home to SUNY Brockport, brings a college-town energy to the far west side that you won't find anywhere else in the county — a historic Erie Canal Main Street, a canal-front boardwalk, a rotating population of students and faculty, and a slower pace than the inner-ring suburbs. It sits inside the Town of Sweden, roughly 18 miles from downtown Rochester, and the whole area is served by the Brockport Central School District. Homes in the surrounding Town of Sweden tend to offer more open land than the village itself, which stays denser and more walkable given the college population.
Hilton (Town of Parma)
Hilton is the village center inside the Town of Parma, which runs right along Lake Ontario's southern shore about 16 miles northwest of downtown. It's the quietest of the west side communities covered here, with a small, walkable village core, lake access, and the Hilton Central School District serving the majority of the town. Recreation options run deep here — Deerfield Golf & Country Club's public 27 holes and Salmon Creek Country Club both sit within the town, and Manitou Beach Marina on Braddock Bay gives boaters direct Lake Ontario access. If your priority is space and a slower pace without giving up lake proximity, Parma is worth a serious look.
The East Side: Towns to Know
The east side is where a lot of relocating buyers start their search, largely because Pittsford, Brighton, Fairport, Penfield, and Webster show up so often in national "best places to live" roundups. That reputation is earned, but it also means more competition and generally higher price points than comparable homes on the west side.
Pittsford
Pittsford's canal-front village, served by the Pittsford Central School District, is often the single most-requested town among relocating buyers I work with. Schoen Place — a row of 19th-century canal warehouses converted into shops and restaurants right along the towpath — anchors the walkable core, with the Erie Canalway Trail connecting it to Fairport and beyond. I go deeper into what Pittsford's neighborhoods, schools, and housing costs actually look like in a separate guide.
Fairport (Town of Perinton)
The village of Fairport sits inside the Town of Perinton and shares Pittsford's canal-village charm, with its own walkable Main Street lined with shops and restaurants along the water. The village's annual Canal Days festival draws visitors from across the region every June, and it's served by the Fairport Central School District. I've put together a closer look at Fairport's neighborhoods and what draws so many relocating buyers there if you want more detail.
Penfield
Penfield offers a mix of established neighborhoods and newer construction east of Rochester, and it's a good example of how school district lines don't always follow town lines on this side of the river either — most of the town feeds into the Penfield Central School District, but a portion falls within the Webster Central School District instead. I break down which Penfield neighborhoods lean established versus new construction in a dedicated guide.
Webster
Webster sits along Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay, giving it a lakefront lifestyle that rivals anything on the west side. The Webster Central School District covers the entire town plus a third of Penfield and small portions of Ontario and Walworth in Wayne County, and it's one of Monroe County's largest and fastest-growing suburban districts. I dig into what day-to-day life along Webster's lakefront and bay actually looks like in a separate guide.
Brighton
Brighton is the closest-in of the east side towns, bordering the city itself and offering some of the shortest commutes to downtown and the University of Rochester medical campus of any suburb on either side of the river. Rather than a single village center, Brighton is anchored by the Twelve Corners commercial district and borders Genesee Valley Park's 800 acres of trails and golf, plus the Lilac Festival grounds at neighboring Highland Park. It's served by the Brighton Central School District. See why Brighton's short commute comes with a real price premium for the full breakdown.
Victor (Ontario County)
Victor sits just across the Monroe-Ontario county line and functions as the natural extension of the east side corridor for buyers who want new construction and don't mind a slightly longer drive. It's also a genuine employment center in its own right — Eastview Mall and Constellation Brands' corporate headquarters both sit along the Route 96 corridor, and the town doubles as a Thruway on-ramp via Exit 45. It's worth noting Victor falls under Ontario County's property tax structure rather than Monroe County's, which is a real difference worth understanding before you compare a Victor listing to a Penfield or Fairport one. I unpack how Victor's new construction and Ontario County taxes stack up against Monroe County towns in a full guide.
Where Does Irondequoit Fit?
Irondequoit is the town locals argue about the most. It sits directly north of the city along Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay, bordered by Greece to the west and Webster to the east, and its identity genuinely splits depending on which part of town you're standing in. The stretch nearest Greece often gets folded into west side conversations, while the Bay side — closer to Webster and with some of the shortest commutes to downtown of any suburb — reads more like an east side town to a lot of residents. Even the town's own school districts echo the divide: the western half of Irondequoit is served by West Irondequoit Central School District, and the eastern half by East Irondequoit Central School District — a coincidence, but a fitting one.
If lake and bay access matter more to you than which "side" you land on, Irondequoit deserves a look regardless of how you categorize it. I break down Irondequoit's neighborhoods, housing stock, and market down to the block level in a dedicated guide.
Local insight: Most of the buyers I work with who start out saying "we're east side people" or "we only want the west side" end up cross-shopping both once we sit down and map out their actual commute, budget, and must-haves. The side of the river matters a lot less than which specific town gets you there.
Commute & Highway Access
Commute patterns are one of the clearest practical differences between the two sides, mostly because of how the highway network fans out from downtown.
West Side Commuting
West side residents typically rely on Ridge Road (Route 104), I-390, Route 31, or the Route 531 expressway spur. I-390 in particular gives Gates and Chili residents quick access to the University of Rochester medical campus and Rochester Institute of Technology without ever touching downtown traffic. Commutes from Spencerport, Brockport, and Hilton run longer simply due to distance, typically 20–30 minutes depending on final destination.
East Side Commuting
East side residents lean on I-490 East and I-590 to reach downtown, with Route 96 and Route 31F serving as the local surface-street alternatives through Perinton, Penfield, and toward Victor. This corridor also feeds directly into the New York State Thruway near Victor and Farmington, which matters if your job or family ties pull you toward Canandaigua, Syracuse, or points east.
Schools & Housing Stock
Both sides of the river are served by well-established public school districts, and the right fit comes down to the specific district and program mix rather than which side of the county line it sits on. West side options include Greece Central, Gates Chili, Churchville-Chili, Spencerport Central, Brockport Central, and Hilton Central. East side options include Pittsford Central, Fairport Central, Penfield Central, Webster Central, and Brighton Central, along with Victor Central once you cross into Ontario County. I lay out how district boundaries and programs compare across the whole region in a separate guide.
Housing stock differs more by era of development than by side of the river. The inner-ring west side towns — Greece and Gates especially — are dominated by the ranch and split-level homes built during the postwar Kodak-era boom, with newer subdivisions further out toward Chili, Ogden, and Sweden. The inner-ring east side towns — Brighton and parts of Pittsford — carry more prewar and mid-century colonial and Cape Cod stock, with new construction concentrated further out toward Penfield, Webster, and Victor. If new construction is a priority regardless of side, the outer edges of either direction are where you'll find the most current inventory.
Not Sure Which Towns Fit Your Search Yet?
I can map out specific neighborhoods on both sides of the river based on your commute, budget, and must-haves.
Let's Talk TownsEveryday Character & Local Culture
Local food and business writers have long noted a real cultural difference between the two sides: the west side's dining and retail scene tends to be built around long-running, family-operated businesses with loyal regular customers, while the east side tends to see more new restaurant openings and turnover-driven buzz. Neither pattern is better — it's simply a different rhythm, and it shows up in everything from how neighbors describe their block to which businesses have been open for thirty years versus three.
One thing that surprises a lot of relocating buyers: canal heritage isn't an east side exclusive. Spencerport and Brockport both grew up as Erie Canal villages on the west side, with their own walkable Main Streets and canal-front parks, right alongside the more famous canal villages of Pittsford and Fairport on the east. If a walkable, historic downtown is what you're after, you have real options on both sides of the river — I compare every Rochester-area suburb side by side, not just the ones covered in this piece, in a broader guide.
So, Which Side Is Right for You? Questions to Ask Yourself
Where do you actually work?
Map your real commute before you map a "side." A job near the University of Rochester or RIT points west; a job in Victor's growing corporate corridor or near the Thruway points east.
What's your budget stretch?
If you want more square footage or land per dollar, the inner-ring west side towns and the outer villages on both sides tend to offer more flexibility than the highest-demand east side communities.
Do you want lake, bay, or canal access?
Both sides have it. Greece, Parma, and Webster front Lake Ontario; Irondequoit and Webster share the bay; Spencerport, Brockport, Pittsford, and Fairport all sit along the Erie Canal.
Which specific school district fits your child's needs?
Compare programs and boundaries directly rather than assuming one side is categorically "better" — district quality varies town to town on both sides of the river.
How much does village walkability matter day to day?
If being able to walk to a coffee shop, restaurant, or the canal path matters, narrow your search to the village cores — Pittsford, Fairport, Spencerport, and Brockport — rather than the broader towns around them, since walkability varies a lot within a single town's borders.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions — West Side vs. East Side Rochester NY
Is Rochester's west side or east side more affordable?
Generally, the west side's inner-ring towns like Greece and Gates offer a more accessible entry price point than the east side's highest-demand communities such as Pittsford and Brighton. That said, pricing varies significantly by neighborhood and school district within every town, so it's worth comparing specific areas rather than assuming one entire side is cheaper.
Which side has a shorter commute to downtown Rochester?
Brighton on the east side and Greece and Gates on the west side tend to have the shortest commutes downtown, often 10–15 minutes in typical traffic. The outer villages on both sides — Brockport and Hilton to the west, Victor to the east — run longer simply due to distance.
Is Irondequoit considered east side or west side?
Neither, exclusively. Irondequoit sits directly north of the city on Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay, bordered by Greece to the west and Webster to the east. Locals near the Greece border often group it with the west side, while the Bay-side neighborhoods read closer to the east side.
Are there canal villages on both sides of Rochester?
Yes. Pittsford and Fairport are the best-known canal villages on the east side, but Spencerport and Brockport offer the same walkable, canal-front downtown character on the west side.
Should I choose a side based on where I currently live or grew up?
It's a common starting point, but I'd encourage you to test that assumption against your actual commute, budget, and lifestyle priorities first. Plenty of buyers who "always assumed" they'd stay on one side end up happiest on the other once they map out the specifics.
Do property taxes differ between the west side and east side?
Within Monroe County, tax rates are driven mainly by town and school district rather than which side of the river you're on, so two towns on the same side can still carry very different bills. The one clear exception is Victor, which falls under Ontario County's separate tax structure — a genuine difference worth factoring in if you're comparing a Victor listing to a Monroe County one.
Ready to Compare Specific Towns Side by Side?
Whether you're leaning west, east, or still torn, I can walk you through the towns that actually fit your commute, budget, and lifestyle.
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Kyle Hiscock
Lead Agent • Hiscock Homes at REMAX Realty Group
10 Grove St, Pittsford NY 14534
(585) 704-7095 • Licensed 2011 • Full-time since 2013 • REMAX Hall of Fame
| 443+ Verified Closings | $74M+ Total Sales Volume | 5.0★ Client Rating |
Kyle Hiscock is the lead agent at Hiscock Homes at REMAX Realty Group in Pittsford, NY — a second-generation real estate business serving buyers and sellers across Greater Rochester and the surrounding region. With over 14 years of full-time experience and more than 443 verified closings, Kyle brings deep local knowledge to every transaction.
Kyle operates RochesterRealEstateBlog.com as an educational resource for buyers, sellers, and anyone curious about life in the Rochester area. Since launching the blog in 2013, he's published more than 150 in-depth local articles covering home buying, selling, pricing, inspections, mortgages, and Greater Rochester community guides.
Serving: Irondequoit • Webster • Penfield • Pittsford • Fairport • Brighton • Greece • Gates • Hilton • Brockport • Mendon • Henrietta • Perinton • Churchville • Scottsville • East Rochester • Rush • Honeoye Falls • Chili • Victor • and surrounding communities
