Rochester is rooted in an early pioneer settlement known as "The Mouth" for its strategic location at the confluence of the Green and Mud rivers. In the early 19th century, an early settler named Thomas Riddick platted a town at this location known as "Suffolk" on his father's Revolutionary War land grant, though the town was not successful. The current city was established in the 1830s and incorporated in 1839. It is named for Rochester, New York.
Geography
Rochester is located in western Butler County at . Its northwestern boundary, the Green River, is the county boundary as well, with Ohio County on the opposite side of the river. A small portion of the western boundary of the city is formed by the Mud River, which is also the boundary with Muhlenberg County. Kentucky Route 70 passes through the city, leading east to Morgantown, the Butler County seat, and west to Drakesboro. Kentucky Route 369 leaves Rochester to the north, crossing the Green River by the Rochester Ferry and leading north to Beaver Dam. Rochester Dam is located along the Green River just north of Rochester. According to the United States Census Bureau, Rochester has a total area of, of which, or 5.46%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 186 people, 81 households, and 57 families residing in the city. The population density was 423.6 people per square mile. There were 102 housing units at an average density of 232.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% White. There were 81 households out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couplesliving together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.75. In the city, the population was spread out with 20.4% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 18.3% from 25 to 44, 32.8% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,250, and the median income for a family was $33,472. Males had a median income of $36,563 versus $16,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $36,708. About 9.0% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 13.3% of those sixty five or over.
