St. John Fisher College, NY

St. John Fisher College is a census-designated place in Monroe County, New York, centered on the Pittsford campus now known as St. John Fisher University. The school grew from a 1940s partnership between Rochester Bishop James E. Kearney, the Basilian Fathers, and local civic leaders who wanted a Catholic college for men. The Basilian Fathers bought 70 acres at the junction of Fairport Road and East Avenue, and the first students arrived in 1951 with one main building, 10 faculty members, and 11 majors. The college became independent in 1968 and admitted women in 1971.

The campus expanded across the Rochester suburb with residence halls, a library, science and professional schools, athletic fields, and land known as Druid Hills. Its name changed to St. John Fisher University in 2022, but the older CDP label still points to the same educational campus in the local map. The local scoop is that Fisher’s place-name history is straightforward once you know the timeline: Basilian college, Rochester-area campus, coeducational university, and now a census place in Pittsford.