Notice the nine-acre sweep of the Rochester Public Market at 280 North Union Street. Opened in 1905, this nine‑acre site is one of the oldest continuously operating public markets in the northeastern United States, relocated here less than a mile northeast of downtown in the Marketview Heights neighborhood. The market’s municipal roots go back even further: a market built partially over the Genesee River at the west end of the Main Street bridge in 1827 was followed by the Centre Market on the river’s east side through the 19th century.
Today the market hosts more than 300 vendors on peak Saturdays and draws an estimated 1.5 million visitors annually, making it the city’s most visited public gathering place. In 2010 the American Farmland Trust named it “America’s Favorite Farmers Market. The market is owned and operated by the City of Rochester and is self‑sustaining, fully supported by its vendor revenues.
More than 300 vendors fill this nine-acre market on peak Saturdays, drawing an estimated 1.5 million visitors a year to stalls that stretch toward downtown less than a mile away for you.