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location: city guide : diversity
  
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With internationally-recognized businesses and employers such as Mayo Clinic, IBM, Benchmark, J.D. Edwards and others, it is not surprising to find a number of different cultures present in Rochester. For a city its size, it is in a truly unique position and the result is a diverse community of many backgrounds, both culturally and ethnically.
 Germans and Scandinavians originally settled in Minnesota in the late 1800’s. Even today, many people still celebrate the old world holidays and customs associated with this heritage. What really sets Rochester apart is the fact that so many cultures can be found in such a small area.  It is common to be somewhere in Rochester and hear a wide variety of accents and languages spoken. To the left someone in Arabic is talking, and to the right Russian, and the person you are talking with from the American South. People from nearly every country call Rochester home with some of the largest ethnic backgrounds being Southeast Asian, Arabic, Somali, Eastern European and Latin. Olmsted County Diversity Council  The city successfully acclimates new immigrants to the city and helps them feel as comfortable as possible. There are numerous groups that assist newcomers by providing many services, such as language lessons. Each ethnic group in town has a large support network helping newcomers, and it isn't long before they call Rochester there new home. Thirteen percent of all students in the city are considered international students and collectively speak more than 55 different languages. The Rochester education system helps the students acclimate to their new environment. This unique blend of cultures offers a unique opportunity for city residents to sample ethnic food and culture everyday - one day you can sample Greek food and the next attend a Hindi screening of the latest film from Baliwood. Because of this, Rochester shines not only regionally, statewide or nationally, but internationally as a truly diverse community of the 21st century.
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Southeast Asian immigrants arrived in the city in the late 70's and have made Rochester their home ever since.
A mosque came with the Somali immigrants in the mid 90's.
Younger immigrants adapt well to the city with multiple programs to address their needs.
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