Youngstown, OH

Situated close to the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, Youngstown is a midway point between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. As such, it is part of the area formerly known as the Steel Belt. When the steel industry collapsed in the 1970s, however, Youngstown was forced to find a new identity. That search is ongoing.

Between the 1920s and 1960s, Youngstown was a boomtown. While other, bigger steel cities diversified during this time, the smaller Youngstown and its economy remained dependent more or less solely on steel. When steel companies closed shop in the late 1970s and early '80s, Youngstown went into an economic spiral.

Despite its woes, Youngstown remains a city with an entrepreneurial spirit and an assortment of cultural and recreational choices.

COMMUNITIES

Youngstown is today - and has long been - a diverse city. The lure of the city's industrial jobs has attracted people of all races and nationalities to the area. This diverse cultural history continues to be reflected in the city's landscape of churches, synagogues, and mosques. Youngstown is a place where Jewish delis, Middle Eastern eateries, and Italian trattorias mingle shoulder to shoulder.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Youngstown's more expensive neighborhoods are on the outer limits of the city, with housing prices dropping in the more blighted, interior neighborhoods. The difference in home prices is dramatic: The most expensive section, on the city's far southeast side, has a median home value of almost nine times the home value in the cheapest area, the city center.

As a town of almost 74,000 residents, Youngstown has more than two dozen neighborhoods. The sections have varying makeups and histories:

• Downtown: While the area continues to struggle, the city's downtown neighborhood is coming to life through several business-focused initiatives. The area downtown area houses many successful restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. The city has vowed to continue focusing its redevelopment efforts here.
• Fosterville: Once home to both coalmines and an urban amusement park, Fosterville fell into a downward spiral after the factories closed. The city's redevelopment efforts have recently split this southwestern neighborhood into the Idora and Warner subdivisions.
• Hazelton: Hazelton houses several of the city's well-known landmarks, including Immaculate Conception Church and Saint Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church. Although the area is now heavily depopulated, the east-side neighborhood once teemed with mill workers.
• Lansingville: This south-side neighborhood was once the Slovakian haven of the city, although it is now more ethnically diverse. Saint Matthias Church is a prominent historic neighborhood landmark.
• North Heights: This upper-north-side neighborhood is made up of larger homes filled with residents of various ethnic and racial backgrounds. Some consider it the nicest and most racially integrated neighborhood in the city.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

Youngstown's economy is still struggling. About 25 percent of the city's population lives below poverty level and about 37 percent of those under age 18 live in poverty.

When the steel industry collapsed in the late 1970s, the industrial economy of the city was demolished. The city lost 400 satellite businesses, 40,000 manufacturing jobs, $414 million in personal income, and as much as 75 percent of school tax revenues.

The city and several committed residents have struggled since then to revitalize the town. One recent success is the Youngstown Business Incubator. This downtown nonprofit houses fledgling technology-based companies and gives them access to office space and other aid. As a result, Youngstown now boasts several successful tech companies.

While the city continues to be the region's financial center and has several offices for large banks, it has not held on to its former glory as the regional shopping center. The large retail malls that once drew flocks are now shuttered. The city has had more success in encouraging small retail business, however, and is home to many shops and restaurants.

The city's industry sector now focuses largely on some auto-industry manufacturing, another industry that is teetering on the brink of ruin. A few smaller steel operations also remain in the city.

The city's largest employer is Youngstown State University. Other major employers include Humility of Mary Health Partners, Forum Health and Home Savings & Loan.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

The Youngstown State University campus and the immediately surrounding area house several of the city's museums:

• Arms Family Museum of Local History: Exhibits about Youngstown history are set in a decorated 1905 Arts and Crafts mansion just north of the YSU campus.
• Butler Institute of American Art: Established in 1919, this museum on the campus's northeastern edge was the first in the country dedicated to American art.
• McDonough Museum of Art: Located across the street from the Butler, the McDonough features contemporary art.

FUN FACTS

• Youngstown was the birthplace of the Good Humor brand of ice cream treats.
• After writing a ballad about Youngstown and its industrial decline, Bruce Springsteen made the city the first stop on his Ghost of Tom Joad Tour of small halls and theaters.
• Many of Youngstown's south-side neighborhoods had working coal mines around the turn of the 20th century.

LOCAL MEDIA

AM radio stations serving Youngstown include:

• WBBW 1240
• WNIO 1390
• WKBN 570
• WHKW 1440
• WGFT 1500
• KDKA 1020
• WKNR 850
• WKST 1200
• WTAM 1100
• WWVA 1170
• WASN 1330
• WHK 1220
• WBZY 1280

FM radio stations serving Youngstown include:

• WMXY 98.9
• WCND 93.3
• WHOT 101.1
• WYTN 91.7
• WYFM 102.9
• WYSU 88.5
• WQXK 105.1
• WRBP 101.9
• WAKZ 95.9
• WWIZ 103.9
• WICT 95.1
• WBBG 106.1
• WLLF 96.7
• WKTL 90.7

Television broadcast stations serving Youngstown include:

• WFMJ-TV Channel 21
• WKBN-TV Channel 27
• W58AM Channel 58
• WYFX-LP Channel 62
• WYTV Channel 33
• W52DS Channel 52
• WNEO Channel 45
• WFXI-CA Channel 17
• W56CL Channel 56
• W50BF Channel 50