Youngstown, Ohio

For other places with this name, see Youngstown.

Youngstown, Ohio
Official seal of Youngstown, Ohio Seal
Location within the state of Ohio
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Counties	Mahoning
Government
• Mayor	Jay Williams (I)
Population  (2004)
• City	77,713
• Metro	600,000
	600,000 (est.) (metro area)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Website	http://www.cityofyoungstownoh.org
Founded 1796 Incorporated 1848 (village) 1867 (city)

Youngstown is a city located in Mahoning County, Ohio, 65 miles southeast of Cleveland and approximately 62 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The city is situated on the Mahoning River.

Youngstown is located in (and heavily affected by the forces that produced) the Rust Belt region of the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 82,026, making it Ohio's eighth largest city.

The Youngstown-Warren Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) contains roughly 600,000 people and includes Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Ohio, plus Mercer County in Pennsylvania. The Steel Valley Area as a whole (including Youngstown-Warren and Sharon-Farrell-New Castle, PA) comprises almost 720,000 residents. Youngstown is the county seat of Mahoning CountyTemplate:GR. The city is just 10 miles west of the Pennsylvania state line and is centrally located between New York City and Chicago.

Geography

Youngstown is located at 41°5'47" North, 80°38'57" West (41.096258, -80.649299)Template:GR. It borders or touches the following other townships and municipalities:

• Boardman Township on the south
• Canfield Township on the southwest
• Austintown Township on the west
• Weathersfield Township, Trumbull County, on the northwest (touches, but does not border)
• The city of Girard on the north-northwest
• Liberty Township, Trumbull County, on the north
• Hubbard Township, Trumbull County, on the northeast
• Coitsville Township on the east
• The city of Campbell on the east-southeast
• The city of Struthers on the southeast

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 88.7 km² (34.2 mi²). 87.8 km² (33.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.02% water.

Youngstown is on the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau. At the end of the last Ice Age, the glaciers left behind a uniform plain, with valleys such as that caused by the Mahoning River traversing the plain.

Demographics

Youngstown's Historical populations
Census year	Population	Rank
1870	8,075
1890	33,320	91
1900	44,885	84
1910	79,066	67
1920	132,358	50
1930	170,002	45
1940	167,720	49
1950	168,330	57
1960	166,689	75
1970	139,788	98
1980	115,427
1990	95,787
2000	82,026
2004	77,713
2005	82,836

According to the 2000 Census numbers, Youngstown has 32,177 households, and 19,724 families in the city. The population density is 893/km² (2,316/mi²). There are 37,159 housing units at an average density of 423.2/km² (1,096.3/mi²).

The racial makeup of the city is roughly 51% White, 44% Black or African American, and 5% Hispanic or Latino of any race, though Puerto Ricans are the dominant Spanish-speaking group.

Records suggest that 27.2% of the households have children under the age of 18. Of these, 33.2% are married couples living together, 22.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% are non-families. Meanwhile, 34.0% of all households are made up of individuals, and 14.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 3.07.

In Youngstown, the population leans toward greater numbers of youths, as is often the case in U.S. inner-city areas with higher birth rates. Here, 25.8% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females, there are 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.8 males.

The median household income is $24,201, and the median family income is $30,701; but the per capita income for the city is $13,293. Males have a median income of $29,900 versus $21,050 for females. Roughly twenty-five percent of the population is below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 37.3% of those under the age of 18 and 13.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Government

Youngstown is governed by a mayor, who is elected every four years and limited to a maximum of two terms. The mayor is inaugurated on or around January 2nd. Youngstown's current mayor is Jay Williams, the city's first African-American mayor as well as its first independent mayor since 1922. Youngstown has tended to elect Democratic mayors since the late 1920s.

Also elected is an eight-member city council comprising representatives of the city's seven wards as well as a council president. The council, in turn, appoints a city clerk. The council meets every first and third Wednesday of the month, from the third week of September through the third week in June.

The city's board of control oversees all contracts for public projects in the city, and the Youngstown Police Department, Youngstown Fire Department, parks, civil service, community development, health, planning, and water departments all fall into the board.

Meanwhile, the city's finance department oversees all finances within the city, and the departments of economic development and income tax operate as part of it.

Areas that are categorized under the city's department of public works include the departments of engineering, building inspection, building and grounds, signal and sign, demolition and housing, litter and recycling, street, and water waste treatment.

Finally, the city's law department represents the city on all legal issues, acting as counsel to all departments.

Schools

Public

The Youngstown City Schools manages all public education within the city. The school district is currently in the process of consolidating, building new schools, and reconfiguring. Current schools in the district include:

Elementary Schools: Harding, Kirkmere, Mary Haddow, North, Taft, West, Williamson, Youngstown Community School.

Middle Schools: Alpha (boys school), Athena (girls school), Hayes, P. Ross Berry, Southside, Volney Rogers Junior High, Westside

High Schools: Chaney, Rayen, Woodrow Wilson, Youngstown Early College, Choffin Career and Technical Center

It should be noted that this roster will change in the next several years. Chaney will be expanded while Rayen and Wilson will close, in favor of a new East High School.

Youngstown City Schools also participate in an Early College program in cooperation with Youngstown State University, which allows high school students to attend classes on campus and earn college credit.

Private

The Diocese of Youngstown once oversaw more than 20 schools within the city limits. As a result of dwindling enrollment, however, only four Catholic schools continue to operate within Youngstown proper. These include two elementary schools--Byzantine Catholic Central and St. Christine's--and two secondary schools, Ursuline and Cardinal Mooney. (The two high schools share a heated and longstanding rivalry in athletics.) Several additional Catholic schools operate in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Portage, Stark, and Ashtabula counties. Youngstown also hosts a small number of charter schools.

In addition, Youngstown has one Montessori school. The Montessori School of the Mahoning Valley, which recently celebrated its 30th year, offers alternative learning environments for students ranging from preschool to eighth grade.

Higher education

Youngstown State University's Jones Hall

Youngstown State University is the primary institution of higher learning in the Youngstown-Warren metropolitan area. Once regarded as a commuter school, YSU currently boasts about 13,000 students, many of whom hail from outside the Youngstown area. The campus is situated just north of the city's downtown and south of Youngstown's historic district, a leafy neighborhood of Tudor and Spanish Colonial Revival style homes.

YSU takes pride in the fact that it offers the lowest tuition of any public institution of higher learning in Ohio. In addition, the campus is one of the safest in the state. Among the university's proudest assets is the Dana School of Music, an All-Steinway school that is regarded as one of the finest non-conservatory schools of music in the country. Dana School of Music is ranked among similar programs at prestigious institutions including Oberlin College, New York University, and Yale University.

The Youngstown-Warren area also hosts a regional branch of Kent State University. Kent State-Trumbull was established several decades ago (in the mid-1960s), in Champion, Ohio, just north of Warren. Yet another branch, Kent State-Salem, is located in the Steel Valley and serves the area's southlands. It is located about 25 minutes south of Youngstown. Kent State University's expansive main campus, a primary educator of Northeast Ohioans, is located just east of Akron, and 30 to 40 minutes west of downtown Youngstown.

History

File:Dtod.jpg

Governor David Tod

Youngstown was named for John Young, who first surveyed the area in 1796 and settled there soon after. On February 9, 1797, Young purchased the entire township, 15,560 acres (63 km²), from the Western Reserve Land Company for $16,085. He plotted the town in that year, which was recorded on August 19, 1802, with the date and name of "Youngstown, 1797".

The area comprising present-day Youngstown was part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, meaning that the land there was reserved for settlers from Connecticut. Although some early European-American settlers hailed from that state, the Youngstown settlement differed from other areas of the Western Reserve, which tended to draw settlers who were exclusively from New England. Youngstown also attracted a significant number of Scots-Irish settlers from neighboring Pennsylvania. The first European Americans to settle permanently in the area were Pittsburgh native James Hillman and wife Catherine Dougherty. Within a year, Youngstown was settled by several families, who were concentrated near the point where Mill Creek meets the Mahoning River. (The name Mahoning is believed to have derived from a Native American word, Mahonik, which means "salt lick.")

Youngstown, 1910s: Central Square and Viaduct (view looking south).

As the Western Reserve became increasingly populated, the need to create administrative districts was apparent. In 1800, territorial governor Arthur St. Clair established Trumbull County (named in honor of Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull), and designated the smaller settlement of Warren as the county seat. In 1813, Trumbull County was divided into townships, with Youngstown Township comprising much of what became Mahoning County. The village of Youngstown was incorporated in 1848, and in 1867 Youngstown was chartered as a city. The county seat was moved there from Canfield in 1876.

The discovery of coal in the community during the early 1800s paved the way for the Youngstown area's inclusion on the network of the famed Erie Canal. The Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal Company was organized in 1835, and the canal was completed in 1840. Local industrialist David Tod (later Ohio governor during the American Civil War) persuaded Lake Erie steamboat owners that coal mined in the Mahoning Valley could fuel their vessels if canal transportation were available between Youngstown and Cleveland. The railroad came to the city in 1856.

Demographic diversity

The community's burgeoning coal industry drew sizable numbers of immigrants from Wales, Germany, and Ireland. With the opening of the city's steel mills, Youngstown became a popular destination for immigrants from Eastern Europe, Italy, and Greece as well. In the early 20th century, the community also saw an influx of immigrants from non-European countries including Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. By the 1920s, this dramatic demographic shift had fueled a "nativist" backlash, evidenced by a brief surge in Ku Klux Klan activity. In time, however, ethnic diversity came to be regarded as one of Youngstown's defining characteristics. Such diversity continues to be reflected in many of the community's neighborhoods, where a Hungarian Orthodox church may share a street corner with an Italian restaurant.

The growth of industry also attracted people from within the borders of the United States, and from Latin America. By the late 19th century, African Americans were well represented in Youngstown, and the first local congregation of the African Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1871. In the 1880s, local attorney William R. Stewart became the second African American elected to serve in the Ohio House of Representatives. The city's Hispanic population grew substantially in the years following World War II. By the 1970s, St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church and the First Spanish Baptist Church of Ohio were among the largest religious institutions for Spanish-speaking residents in the Youngstown metropolitan area.

Industry and business

Youngstown Sheet & Tube and Viaduct

Endowed with generous deposits of coal and iron, Youngstown eventually developed a thriving steel industry. The area's first blast furnace was established to the east of town in 1802. In time, the wide availability of fossil fuels contributed to the development of other coal-fired mills, including the Youngstown Rolling Mill Company, which was established in 1846. By the mid-19th century, Youngstown was the site of several iron industrial plants, notably David Tod's Brier Hill Iron & Coal Company. The iron industry continued to expand in the 1890s, despite the depletion of local natural resources. Numerous rail connections ensured a consistent supply of coal and iron ore from neighboring states. During the same period, local industrialists began to convert to steel manufacturing, amid a wave of industrial consolidations that placed much of the Mahoning Valley's industry in the hands of national corporations.

Shortly after the establishment of U.S. Steel in 1901, the corporate entity absorbed Youngstown's premiere steel producer, the National Steel Company. One year earlier, however, a group of city investors committed to maintaining high levels of local ownership in the area's industrial sector established the Youngstown Iron Sheet and Tube Company (a name that would later be shortened to reflect the company's emphasis on steel products). Between the 1920s and 1960s, the city served as a significant industrial hub, featuring the massive furnaces and foundries of such companies as Republic Steel and U.S. Steel. Youngstown also served as headquarters for the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, one of the nation's most important steel producers.

Unfortunately, Youngstown never became as economically diversified as did larger industrial cities (such as Chicago, Pittsburgh, Akron, or Cleveland). Hence, when economic changes forced the closure of plants throughout the 1970s, the city was left with few substantial economic alternatives. Some observers have cited a 1969 corporate merger between the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company and the New Orleans-based Lykes Corporation as a turning point in the demise of the local steel industry. The merger and subsequent takeover of Youngstown Sheet and Tube burdened the community's primary steel producer with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Further, the deal placed control of the company outside of the Mahoning Valley. The September 19, 1977 announcement of the closure of a large portion of Youngstown Sheet and Tube (an event still remembered by many Youngstowners as "Black Monday") is widely regarded as the swan song of the old area steel industry, and the community has yet to fully recover from the loss of these jobs.

Post-steel economy

Today, the city serves as venue to some steel and metalworking, but nothing on the scale seen during the glory days of the "Steel Valley." The largest employer in the city is currently Youngstown State University (YSU), an urban public campus that serves about 13,000 students. Fortunately, the community's industrial economy benefited from the continued presence of auto production plants in the metropolitan area. In the late 1980s, the Avanti, an automobile with a fiberglass body (originally designed by Studebaker to compete with the Corvette), was manufactured in an industrial complex located on Youngstown's Albert Street. Today, the largest industrial employers in the metropolitan area are General Motors' Lordstown Assembly plant. Among the nation's largest auto plants in terms of area, the Lordstown facility was home to production of the Chevrolet Impala, Vega, and Cavalier. Recently expanded and retooled with a new paint facility, it is the current home to the Cavalier's successor, the Chevrolet Cobalt. Delphi, Packard Electric Systems, and the WCI Steel plant, are also located in the Warren area. The largest industrial employers within the Youngstown city limits are V&M Star Steel Company (formerly North Star Steel), in the Brier Hill district, and Exal Corporation, located on Poland Avenue. The latter has recently expanded its operations.

Downtown Youngstown at night

New growth

The city's downtown, which once underscored the area's economic woes, is now the site of new business growth. Located in the heart of the downtown, the Youngstown Business Incubator currently houses several start-up technology companies, which have received office space, furnishings, and access to utilities. Many of the companies supported by the incubator have won numerous awards, and consequently, some are beginning to outgrow their current space. In an effort to keep these companies downtown, the incubator secured approval to demolish a row of vacant buildings nearby to clear space for expansion. Meanwhile, the downtown has retained its traditional role as the community's financial center. Several banks, including JP Morgan Chase, First National Bank, and Sky Bank have offices in the city; and the Youngstown-based Home Savings & Loan is also headquartered there.

Legacy of innovation

Amid extensive media reports of Youngstown's economic challenges, many Americans might be surprised to learn that the city has produced entrepreneurs whose enterprises became national household names. In 1964, for instance, the area served as birthplace of the fast-food chain, Arby's, when the first of its restaurants opened in nearby Boardman. Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips was headquartered in Youngstown in the late 1970s. The city was also the birthplace of the celebrated Good Humor brand of ice cream novelties, the long-popular regional chain of Isaly's Dairy & Ice Cream, as well as the currently popular franchise of Handel's Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt. Similarly, bread products produced by Youngstown-based Schwebel's Bakery are distributed across the country.

Many would be equally surprised to learn of the Youngstown area's significant role in the country's post-World War II transformation. In the 1950s, the suburb of Boardman became the site of one of the country's first modern shopping plazas, which was established by Youngstown-area developer Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr.. During the same era, Boardman's position as a modern and prosperous suburban community was cemented by the establishment of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company's headquarters within the township's limits. (The expansive series of buildings is currently known as the Southwoods Complex.)

More recently, the central city hosted the corporate headquarters of Phar-Mor, the now-defunct pharmacy chain whose local assets were purchased by the supermarket chain Giant Eagle. In the 1980s, Phar-mor was the fiercest competitor of Wal-mart.

For a large segment of the American public, however, Youngstown is associated with the economic malaise that befell much of the industrial northeast following the collapse of its manufacturing sector. The decline of Youngstown's steel industry and its devastating impact on local workers were famously treated in Bruce Springsteen's ballad, "Youngstown," featured on his The Ghost of Tom Joad album. Springsteen included Youngstown as a stop on his subsequent Ghost of Tom Joad Tour.

Attractions

Despite the impact of regional economic decline, Youngstown offers an array of cultural and recreational resources. Moreover, the community's range of attractions has increased in recent years. The newest addition is the Chevorlet Centre, which offers a variety of activities, including professional hockey games and "on ice" shows

Theater

A "jewel" of elite local culture is Powers Auditorium (formerly the Warner Brothers' theater), the city's primary music hall and home of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. It should be noted that Powers Auditorium is one of five auditoriums located within the city limits. Ford Recital Hall was built in 2006, as an addition to the restored and renovated Powers Auditorium. Meanwhile, imposing and neo-classical Stambaugh Auditorium, located on the city's north side, has served for decades as a popular site of concerts. Often rented for private events, the auditorium also hosts the Stambaugh Youth Concert Band.

Meanwhile, the Oakland Center for the Arts hosts a variety of locally produced plays, while the Youngstown Playhouse, located on the city's South Side, serves as the Mahoning County's primary community theater. The Youngstown Playhouse has served the area for more than 80 years, despite intermittent financial challenges. Famous theatrical personalities from the Youngstown area include late comedic actor Joe Flynn, late screen actress Elizabeth Hartman, singer and Broadway performer Maureen McGovern, and well-known television and screen actor Ed O'Neil.

Other entertainment venues are on the horizon. In April 2006, a group formed a limited liability company led by Grande Venues, Inc., an Illinois-based developer of theatre properties, and purchased the long-defunct Liberty-Paramount Theatre. The group that plans to develop the old landmark is known as the Liberty Paramount Theatre Youngstown, LLC. Many longtime residents of the area were pleased to learn of the restoration of the theatre, which was designed by noted theatre architect, C. Howard Crane, and built in 1918. The former Liberty-Paramount Theater is located at the corner of Hazel and Federal streets, in the heart of the downtown area. The Liberty-Paramount was once one of five downtown movie palaces. (The others were the Strand, State, Palace, and Warner). The group plans to restore the early-20th century structure and transform it into a venue for public events including live theater performances and screenings of motion pictures.

Museums

Youngstown's most widely known museum is the Butler Institute of American Art, the first museum in the country dedicated solely to American art. The Butler is located on the edge of Youngstown State University's campus, just north of the downtown area. Across the street from the Butler stands the McDonough Museum of Art, which was built in 1991. Owned and operated by Youngstown State University, the McDonough showcases contemporary art and hosts various programs for students at YSU and throughout the surrounding area.

The Butler Institute of American Art

Also based on the YSU campus is the Clarence R. Smith Mineral Museum, which is operated by the geology department and housed in a campus building.

Within walking distance of the three museums discussed is the Arms Family Museum of Local History. Housed in a 1905 Arts & Crafts Style mansion on Wick Avenue, the museum is operated by the Mahoning Valley Historical Society[1]. The museum maintains period rooms showcasing the original contents of the household including furnishings, art objects, and personal artifacts. The museum also mounts changing exhibits on local history topics and recently opened the Anne Kilcawley Christman Hands-on History Room. The MVHS Archival Library operates in the estate's former carriage, located toward the back of the site.

Located just south of the YSU campus is the Museum of Industry and Labor, which sits on a grade overlooking the downtown area. This striking and contemporary building, owned and operated by the Ohio Historical Society, focuses mainly on the Mahoning Valley's history of steel production. The museum features an excellent archive that includes taped and transcribed oral historical accounts. The OHS recently increased its support for the museum, and local interest appears to be on the rise.

The Children's Museum of the Valley, located in the downtown area, provides regional educational opportunities for hands-on interaction. Activities and exhibits explore the culture, art, drama, construction, science, and natural history connected to the Mahoning Valley.

Finally, visitors to Mill Creek Park have the opportunity to explore the Davis Education and Recreation Center, a small museum showcasing the history of the park and the life of park founder Volney Rogers.

Parks

Youngstown's most beloved resource is perhaps Mill Creek Park, a five-mile-long stretch of landscaped woodland reminiscent of Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. Mill Creek is the second-largest municipal park in the country, behind Philadelphia's Fairmont Park. The park's highlights include the restored 19th-century Lanterman's Mill, the dramatic rock formations of Bear's Den, scores of nature trails, the Fellows Riverside Gardens and Nature Center, and the "Cinderella" iron link bridge.

Mill Creek Park's "Cinderella" iron link bridge

The Nature Center's popular lookout point provides visitors with contrasting views of the area. From the south side, the canopied woodlands overlooking Lake Glacier are visible; from the north side, viewers are presented with a scenic view of downtown Youngstown. The park also features two golf courses: an 18-hole short holes course, and a 36-hole professional course. In addition, it offers playgrounds, an ice-skating rink, picnic areas and other recreational spaces.

In 2005, the park was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. A monument commemorating this event is located near a commemorative statue of Volney Rogers, the Youngstown attorney who set aside land that would later become Mill Creek Park.

The city also features a smaller municipal recreational area, Wick Park, which is located on the historic north side. The periphery of Wick Park is lined with early 20th-century mansions built by the city's industrialists, business leaders, and professionals during Youngstown's "boom" years. Near the southwestern edge of the park is Stambaugh Auditorium, a neo-classical structure that serves as the site of concerts and other public events. In addition, several cemeteries (notably historic Oak Hill Cemetery) and small recreational spaces are scattered throughout the city.

Sports

Youngstown has enjoyed a long tradition of professional and semi-professional sports. In earlier decades, the city produced scores of minor league baseball teams, including the Youngstown Ohio Works, Youngstown Steelmen, and Youngstown Gremlins. Local enthusiasm for baseball was such that the community hosted national championships of the National Amateur Baseball Federation throughout the 1930s and '40s. The area's minor league teams were supplemented by semi-professional football teams, including the Youngstown Patricians, which won the 1915 championship of the American Football League, and the Youngstown Hardhats, which thrived in the 1970s. Local minor league basketball teams have included the Youngstown Pride (which played in the WBA from 1987-1992), the Youngstown Hawks (IBA, 1999), and the Mahoning Valley Wildcats (IBL, 2005).

Youngstown-area basketball teams (which compete in the Horizon League with other sports teams) hold their games at YSU's Beeghly Center. Crowds have been supportive, showing some of the highest attendance averages in the league--despite a recent "dry spell" for both the men's and women's teams. Meanwhile, local baseball and softball teams have not only attracted crowds, but also enjoyed tremendous success, with the former reaching the NCAA super-regionals in 2005 and the latter doing so in 2006. Baseball teams utilize Eastwood Field in Niles, while softball teams play in Canfield. Although they play outside the city, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers are also a vital part of the sports landscape. Playing their home games in Niles' Eastwood Field, they are a single-A short season affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, competing in the New York-Penn League. Since their first season in 1999, the Scrappers have become a highly successful franchise in minor league baseball.

Meanwhile, the community boasts an unbroken tradition of collegiate sports, which is exemplified by the Youngstown State University Penguins, a major regional draw. The football team, which competes in the Gateway Football Conference, is among the most storied and successful in 1-AA football. The Penguins play in Stambaugh Stadium and enjoy one of the most supportive fanbases in their division.

Building on tradition

One of the city's most recent sports-related attractions is the Chevrolet Centre (formerly the Youngstown Convocation Center), which was funded primarily through a $26 million federal grant. Located on the site of an abandoned steel mill, the impressive, high-tech facility opened in October 2005. The Centre's main tenants are the Youngstown Steelhounds hockey team, who play in the CFL, and the Mahoning Valley Thunder, an af2 Arena football team which will play its first season in 2007. The city plans to develop vacant land adjacent to the Centre. Plans included using the space for a park, riverwalk (the Mahoning River flows through the site), amphitheater, or athletic stadium for the city's public and private high schools.

Such investments reflect wide appreciation of Youngstown's athletic tradition, which has produced noted figures in a variety of sports. "Homegrown" sports luminaries include IBF lightweight champion Harry Arroyo, College Football Hall of Fame end Bob Dove, Hall of Fame umpire Billy Evans, major league pitcher Dave Dravecky, NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar, WBA lightweight champion "Boom Boom" Mancini, major league manager Jimmy McAleer, legendary baseball trainer "Bonesetter" Reese, major league outfielder George Shuba, and Heisman Trophy recipient Frank Sinkwich, to name a few.

Club	Sport	Founded	League	Venue	Logo
Mahoning Valley Scrappers	Baseball	1999	New York-Penn League	Eastwood Field	File:MahoningScrappers.png
Youngstown Steelhounds	Hockey	2005	Central Hockey League	Chevrolet Centre	File:Steelhounds.jpg
Mahoning Valley Thunder	Arena Football	2007	Af2	Chevrolet Centre	File:Mvt.jpg
Youngstown St. Penguins	College football, College basketball	1908 (University's founding)	NCAA: Horizon League	Stambaugh Stadium, Beeghly Center	File:You 2738.gif

Former attractions

Several of the city's treasured recreational resources failed to survive the economic hardships that came in the late 1970s. The most notable of these was Idora Park, an amusement park that served as a pleasant alternative to Youngstown residents who preferred not to travel to some of the larger parks located in Northern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. (These included Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio, Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, and Kennywood in Pittsburgh.) Beyond its sentimental value, the park, which closed in 1984, enjoyed a degree of historical significance. Former Youngstown resident Jack Warner noted in his autobiography that the famed Warner brothers got their start showing distributed films at Idora Park.

Also a thing of the past is downtown Youngstown's traditional position as a retail and entertainment hub. From the early 1900s to the mid-1970s, Youngstown served as the retail center of the Mahoning Valley. The downtown area boasted no less than two department stores Strouss Hirshberg's (which later became Strouss' and then Kaufmann's, now part of Macy's) and McKelvey's (which later became Higbee's, now part of Dillard's). In addition, specialty shops lined the main artery of West Federal Street. The downtown also played host to no fewer than four luxurious movie theaters, including the Palace Theater, the Warner Brothers' Theater, the State Theater, and the Paramount Theater. These businesses were the first to disappear amid declining attendance in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. In the early 1970s, the appearance of two suburban malls, the Southern Park Mall, in Boardman, and the Eastwood Mall, in Niles, contributed to the closure or relocation of many of those businesses that had survived. The collapse of the community's steel industry at the end of the decade sharpened challenges faced by downtown business owners; and throughout the 1980s and '90s, efforts to revive the former retail hub proved fruitless.

Refurbishing a rugged little city

The George Voinovich Center (left) and Mahoning County Childrens Services Center (right) in downtown

The cityscape of Youngstown is remarkable for its relative dearth of newer buildings, and from certain angles, the downtown area may appear to have changed little since the 1960s. Moreover, the forces of suburbanization that undermined the downtown area's once thriving retail sector have taken their toll on the city's periphery as well. Observers note the absence of a single new car dealership operating within the city limits, and also observe that city residents are often forced to do their shopping in the surrounding suburbs of Boardman, Niles, Austintown, or Liberty.

Yet, downtown Youngstown has seen modest (and steadily increasing) levels of new construction in recent years. New additions include a state office complex (the George Voinovich Government Center) and two federal courthouses, one of which (the Frank J. Battisti and Nathaniel R. Jones Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse) features an award-winning design by the architectural firm, Robert AM Stern.

In 2005, Federal Street, a major downtown thoroughfare that had been closed off to create a pedestrian-oriented plaza, was reopened to through traffic. The downtown area has also seen the razing of structurally unsound buildings, as well as the expansion and/or restoration of many others.

Construction and business development

In 2004, construction began on a 60-home upscale development called Arlington Heights, and a grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development allowed for the demolition of Westlake Terrace, a sprawling and dilapidated public housing project. The site currently features a blend of senior housing, rental townhouses and for-sale single-family homes. Low real-estate prices and the efforts of the Youngstown Central Area Improvement Corporation (CIC) have contributed to the purchase of several long-abandoned downtown buildings (many by out-of-town investors) as well as their restoration and conversion into specialty shops, restaurants, and eventually condominia. Further, a nonprofit organization called Wick Neighbors is planning a $250 million New Urbanist revitalization of Smoky Hollow, a former ethnic neighborhood that borders the downtown and university campus. The neighborhood will eventually comprise about 400 residential units, university student housing, retail space, and a central park. Construction for the project began in 2006.

Recently re-opened Federal Street

New construction has dovetailed with efforts to cultivate business growth. One of the area's more successful business ventures in recent years has been the Youngstown Business Incubator. This nonprofit organization, based in a former downtown department store building, fosters the growth of fledgling technology-based companies. The incubator, which currently boasts more than a dozen business tenants, will soon begin construction on a multi-million dollar downtown technology center, where some of its largest firms will relocate.

Challenging old verities

Meanwhile, the city has attempted to come to terms with its troubling reputation for corruption. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Youngstown became identified in the public mind with Mafia-related murders (committed chiefly via car bombs). Consequently, the metropolis gained the nickname, "Bomb City", and the phrase "Youngstown tune-up" became a slang term for car-bomb assassination. Today, however, the city has accelerated measures to limit the influence of organized crime upon all sectors of municipal life. For some observers, the climax of this ongoing effort was the arrest, trial, and 2002 conviction of former US Representative James A. Traficant Jr. on bribery and racketeering charges.

In line with this broad effort to change the community's image, the city of Youngstown, in partnership with the university, has organized an ambitious urban renewal plan titled Youngstown 2010. The goals of Youngstown 2010 include the creation of a "cleaner, greener, and better planned and organized Youngstown". In January 2005, the organization unveiled its "master plan", which took shape in the course of several public meetings that featured input from citizens. Given that the communities to the south and west of the city continue to enjoy a measure of economic success, supporters of such projects hold out hope for the revitalization of Youngstown.

Neighborhoods

Downtown's Central Square (Federal Plaza) from the east.

Arlington Belle Vista Brier Hill Brownlee Woods Buckeye Plat Cornersburg Cottage Grove Downtown East High East Side Erie Flint Hill Fosterville Hazelton Idora Kirkmere Landsdowne Lansingville

Lincoln Knolls Lower Gibson Mahoning Commons McGuffey Heights Newport North Heights Oak Hill Pleasant Grove Riverbend Salt Springs Schenley Smoky Hollow Steelton Struthers Warren West Side Wick Park

Transportation

The Youngstown area is serviced by the Western Reserve Transit Authority (WRTA) bus system, which is supported through income taxes. Their main terminal is in downtown, and provide service throughout the city, as well as to locations throughout Mahoning and Trumbull counties. The terminal also serves as Youngstown's Greyhound terminal.

Close by the WRTA terminal is a B&O Line station. The former terminal for the line has been converted into a restaurant, but the station did offer Amtrak service beginning in 1995, only to be discontinued in 2005. The railroads only serve cargo trains at the moment.

The only airport in the city limits is the Landsdowne Airport, on the east side, which is utilized for general aviation. The main airport in the valley is the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport (YNG) in nearby Vienna. The only commercial route available at the moment is a flight to Orlando, although future routes may be announced soon. Most valley residents choose to fly out of the airports in Cleveland, Akron, or Pittsburgh.

Youngstown's sister cities

• Salerno (SA), Italy
• Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia
• Al-Bireh, Palestinian Territory

Media

Television

The Youngstown-Warren regional area is served by ten television stations (the last three being low-power repeaters of TV stations in other cities), unusual for a city of this size that is so close to large cities Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Youngstown's stations are:

WFMJ (NBC) WKBN (CBS) WYTV (ABC) WYFX (FOX) WBCB (CW),

WNEO (PBS) MY-YTV "My YTV" (My Network TV) WPCP-LP 56 (Ind) W52CX 52 (TBN) W29CO 29 (FMN)

Print

The Youngstown area's primary daily newspaper is The Vindicator, the only newspaper that covers Mahoning, Trumbull, and Columbiana counties, as well as Western Pennsylvania. It has competitors, such as the Warren-based Tribune Chronicle, and the Lisbon -based Morning Journal, but they primarily cover their respective counties, with limited coverage of Mahoning County and the city. Other newspapers that print in Youngstown include The Business Journal (twice-monthly), The Metro Monthly (Monthly), The Walruss (Bi-Weekly Alternative), and YSU's student newspaper The Jambar (Tuesdays and Thursdays while classes are in session).

Radio

The vast majority of the most powerful and popular radio stations in the Youngstown-Warren market are split between two conglomerates: Clear Channel and Cumulus Media. The stations in the market include:

WTGP 88.1 FM (college; owned by Thiel College) WYSU 88.5 FM (classical music, npr; owned by YSU) WWNW 88.9 FM (college; owned by Westminster College) WVMN 90.1 FM (Religious; owned by Moody Bilble Institute) WKTL 90.7 FM (variety; owned by Struthers City Schools) WKPL 92.1 FM (oldies; Keymarket) WNCD 93.3 FM (active rock, classic rock; Clear Channel) WWGY 95.1 FM (country; Forever Broadcasting) WAKZ 95.9 FM (top 40, KISS FM; Clear Channel) WLLF 96.7 FM (soft adult contemporary; Cumulus) WMXY 98.9 FM (soft adult contemporary; Clear Channel) WHOT 101.1 FM (top 40; Cumulus) WRBP 101.9 FM (R&B; independent) WYFM 102.9 FM (classic rock; Cumulus) WWIZ 103.9 FM (active rock; Cumulus) WQXK 105.1 FM (Country; Cumulus) WBBG 106.1 FM (oldies; Clear Channel)

WEXC 107.1 FM (contemporary Christian, owned by Beacon Broadcasting ) WKBN 570 AM (news/talk; Clear Channel) WSOM 600 AM (adult standards; Cumulus) WPIC 790 AM (news/talk; Cumulus) WKTX 830 AM (oldies) WGRP 940 AM (oldies) WKST 1200 AM (news/talk; Forever Broadcasting) WJST 1280 AM (oldies; Forever Broadcasting) WBBW 1240 AM (sports; Cumulus) WGFT 1330 AM (news talk) WSAJ 1340 AM (Slient; Grove city college) WNIO 1390 AM (adult standards; Clear Channel) WHKZ 1440 AM (religious; Salem Communications) WLOA 1470 AM (Beacon Broadcasting) WASN 1500 AM (Syndication One/Urban Talk) WRTK 1540 AM (Beacon Broadcasting) WANR 1570 AM (oldies; Beacon Broadcasting)

Famous Youngstowners and former Steel Valley residents

Main article: List of people from Youngstown, Ohio

References

• Youngstown City, Ohio Statistics and Demographics (US Census 2000)

External links

• Official Website of the City of Youngstown

• Youngstown 2010- A citywide revitalization effort
• Downtown Youngstown.com- Featuring discussions on the city, as well as news and photography
• www.Mahoning Valley.info
• The Vindicator- Published daily since 1869
• The Business Journal- Updated every weekday
• Youngstown Steel- website dedicated to the history of Youngstown's steel industry