Lived in Rochester from 1983 - 2003 (with a short time living in NJ but we went back to ROC after our first kid was born). Moved to VA 2 years ago to find some sun (and we did...)
Plusses: Lots of great neighborhoods. Museums, culture, restaurants. Close to cool stuff (finger lakes, Buffalo, Toronto). Easy to get around. Healthcare system is top notch.
Minuses: not a lot of sunshine, taxes