Rochester manages between Boston metropolitan gravity and Strafford County mill-town identity. Downtown rooms fill with commuters who discovered New Hampshire taxes, while Main Street hosts the families who've been here since the factories ran. Gonic draws the working-class energy. East Rochester and Milton add the residential layers. The comedy here reads the tension between metro proximity and Lilac City permanence. Open mics become the space where both identities converge. Comics who grasp Rochester's dual rhythm find audiences relieved someone recognized the city keeps its Cocheco River soul while the Massachusetts line stays close.