Local leaders from throughout the region came together at Arbor Midtown on Wednesday night for the Mayor’s State of the City address.

Mayor Malik Evans addressed several key issues, ranging from crime to housing to education. But if there was one overarching theme Wednesday night, it was that Rochester is growing.

“The 2020 census reflected Rochester’s first population increase since 1950,” Evans remarked.

During his second State of the City address, the Mayor drew a direct line from the city’s population growth to new housing and business opportunities.

“You can see evidence of the city’s growth in the demand for housing and the pace of new construction, and there are indicators to suggest that more growth is on the way,” Evans said.

Evans also addressed challenges facing Rochester, such as shootings and homicides — both of which he says have fallen in number during his time as mayor.

Shootings are down 31 percent; firearm-related deaths down 29 percent; and total homicides are down 32 percent. And we are working to make sure those numbers continue to fall,” Evans said.

But he said more can always be done to make the streets safer. He said creating more community initiatives and supporting Rochester “R-Centers” that keep young people off the streets are vital to continuing that trend.

“We are preparing young people for future employment. Teaching them how to handle money, how to manage their finances — teaching them entrepreneurial skills and work readiness,” Evans said.

These are tangible changes that Rochester City School District Board of Education President Cynthia Elliott says she sees everyday, and why she supports the direction the mayor is taking the city.

“I said to the mayor, ‘I sense revival in Rochester,’ that God has our community going into a revival. And it’s just evident with what we heard the mayor accomplish and what he will accomplish over the next two years. It’s just really exciting for Rochester,” Elliott said.