Rochesterians complain about winter. We complain about the cold, the snow, the bad roads, the sleet, the slush, the ice, and the gray, seemingly endless days. So you wouldn't expect four transplants from Austin, Texas, to survive this past season’s frigid Rochester winter and come away agreeing: Rochester in winter is like living inside a snowglobe.
“Christmas just feels so much more special up here,” says Bayley Shipley. “It feels like you get the essence of what things are supposed to be.” Of course, winter isn’t the only season here in Western New York—and it’s definitely not the reason Shipley and his wife, Liz, decided to move here in the first place two Novembers ago.
The first night they moved into their new apartment back in Austin, a homeless woman walked in their front door uninvited and asked for a tarp. It was a small moment, but it crystallized for them that they were ready for a different pace of life. When friends moved to Rochester, it put the city on their radar, and after a lot of research the region's pull proved hard to resist.
When Shipley shared a Zillow link to a farmhouse in Penfield being sold by an interior designer, it felt like kismet. "It was truly a culmination of everything I wanted for me, Bayley, and our future," says Liz. Not only is the house historical with modern touches, it came with eight chickens. Now, Liz is ready for goats.
“We just really like Rochester; it’s charming,” Shipley adds, noting how even in September the region is still green, something they both appreciate after years in a city they say is most often the color brown from the heat.
Back in Austin, Shipley's mom, Christina Shipley, and Liz's dad, Jim Curtin, were each considering their options. "When he [Bayley] bought the house, I wasn't picturing moving here," says Christina. But after several visits, she was won over by the beauty of the region and its reasonably-priced housing. With the possibility of grandchildren on the horizon and retirement coming into focus, she started looking, and landed on what she calls a "botanical garden property" in the Perinton-East Rochester area.
When Christina told Shipley she wanted to move, he was a little nervous. "My mom's just like a socialite," he says. "When she said 'I want to move to Rochester,' I wasn't sure she was going to like it. She's lived in Austin for a long time, and she has so many friends."
Although it was hard leaving those friends behind, Christina embraced the move, finding a spot in Schoen Place in Pittsford to open her boutique, Maison & Bouquet, as a semi-retirement endeavor and a way to immerse herself in the community. "It was definitely a big life change. But the people are so nice, and they genuinely care about who you are and where you’re from. They ask me all the time why I moved, versus just small talk.” The changing seasons, reasonable prices, and festivity of the holidays have only sweetened the deal.
It was a little different for Curtin. While Christina is fiercely independent, Curtain was still settled in the house Liz grew up in, his grown kids scattered across the country. “My dad is a man of a habit. He’s very much a routine person,” Liz says, adding that the family encouraged him to make the move.
For Curtin, who has moved around a lot in his life and has experienced both cold New England winters and the Austin heat, his initial reaction to Liz's move was simple: why? But when he visited and traversed Letchworth, the beach, and Lake Ontario, the outdoorsman was quickly won over. “When I visited last summer, I said, ‘I think I’ll move up here,’” he says. “It’s a little bit counterdirectional, counterintuitive. Most people move south at 65. But there’s so much beauty here, so much to enjoy—I love it. I feel like I’ve found a little oasis.” Another bonus? His dog loves the cold, so now she can walk a full mile without risking heat exhaustion.
Like Shipley, Christina, and Liz, Curtin believes Rochester is having a rebirth of sorts. “It’s got this beautiful energy to it. I’ve only been here five months now. I love having my daughter and son-in-law close by. Christina is probably five minutes away from me.”
As self-professed foodies, the four often went out together and shared meals back in Austin. The same is true here. They see each other at least once a week, going to restaurants, playing board games, sharing Sunday Italian dinners, and watching NCIS together. "We used to do that in Austin. Now we get to go to each other's houses," Christina says.
Like proud parents themselves, Shipley and Liz are happy to see their parents thriving. While Curtin explores the great outdoors with his dog and meets his neighbors, Christina is playing pickleball, running her shop, and hosting dinners for friends.
Since moving, they've built a roster of go-to spots: Cure, a French restaurant in the Public Market; Redd Wood on Monroe Avenue (which makes a mean martini); Roux on Park Avenue; and Bonnie & Clyde in Fairport. As for what they miss, Liz and Shipley say it's a decent baked potato. In Austin, they're a dining staple, and apparently they grow much larger there than here. They also miss the convenience of direct flights, harder to come by from a smaller regional airport.
For Christina, it's Austin's nightlife, which runs later than what downtown Rochester typically offers. But the friendly people, the abundance of local events, lighter traffic, and the glory of four distinct seasons give them plenty to love, including the slower pace of it all. And for Curtin, there's one more perk: He can leave his dog with the kids when he travels, and they can do the same.
As Shipley and Liz look forward from their farmhouse in Penfield, more animals are on the horizon. But first, it's “garden summer.” The couple, who both work remotely, want to get into the dirt, leave their phones inside, and root themselves a little deeper in the community and region they chose to call home.
"Rochester has such vibes that old Austin had," says Liz. "It's like it's growing really quickly but still keeping to its heart."
Pull Quote: It’s a little bit counter-directional, counterintuitive. Most people move south at 65. But there’s so much beauty here, so much to enjoy—I love it. I feel like I’ve found a little oasis