Downtown Youngstown
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Downtown Youngstown is the center of the city of Youngstown, Ohio, and is shaping up to become the prime arts and entertainment district in the Youngstown-Warren metropolitan area. It is the location of most government buildings and banks in the area, Youngstown State University, the Butler Institute of American Art, the McDonough Museum of Contemporary Art, the DeYor and Oakland Centres for the Performing Arts, the Chevrolet Centre, Powers Auditorium (the original Warner Bros. Theatre), and several other Steel Valley landmarks.
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[edit] Downtown- 1970s-early 2000s
With the opening of the Southern Park Mall in the suburb of Boardman, the decline of the steel industry in the city, and the overall upward trend of suburbanization, downtown Youngstown went into a sharp decline. Businesses on Federal Street left in droves, and closing West Federal to traffic with the construction of Federal Plaza didn't help either. The department stores and movie theaters closed up shop, and most of the car dealerships left for the suburbs. By the 1990s, downtown became something of a ghost town, with virtually no activity, and also became a symbol of how deep Youngstown had fallen since it lost its steel mills.
[edit] Downtown- 2002-Present
By the early 2000s, Youngstown began to rise from the ashes of the economic decline, and began organizing for a citywide redevelopment plan known as Youngstown 2010, with one of the key points for the plan called for a downtown renaissance. One of the first plans was to re-open West Federal to traffic, which was completed in early 2005, and the re-opening has begun an upward trend. While the department stores and businesses of yesterday may not return, many old buildings are being torn down to make way for new buildings, primarily government offices. In addition, many bars and restaurants have opened in the area, as well as the opening of the Chevrolet Centre, which has given Youngstown a professional hockey team and many events that were previously unable to perform in the city.
[edit] Economy of Downtown Youngstown
Downtown's economy largely depends on companies whose offices are located in the area and the university, although the opening of the Chevrolet Centre has recently given rise to new economic opportunities.
Youngstown State University is the largest employer in the city, and the headquarters of Home Savings and Loan is also located downtown. Other companies with offices downtown include JPMorgan Chase & Co., First National Bank, Sky Bank, National City Bank, InfoCision, The Vindicator, and The Youngstown Business Incubator. The United States Postal Service has a large branch located in downtown that is a large employer.
The Youngstown Business Incubator houses several small, (B2B Software) technological companies that have been attracting attention throughout NE Ohio and Western Pennsylvania [1]. The Incubator occupies one historic building, and has recently been considering building a new high-tech facility on the West End of the city's downtown.
Downtown is slowly becoming an arts and entertainment center for the Mahoning Valley, as the opening of the Chevrolet Centre has brought more people to downtown with the events it hosts. The Centre's opening has also given rise to new restaurants and bars in downtown: several local establishments have become fairly popular among residents, including Barleys, Buffalo Wild Wings, the Bean Counter, Cedar's, Skeeter's, Imbibe, Barley's, The Core, Charley Staple's Bar-B-Que, Cafe' Cimmento, Steeltown Studios, and the Old Precinct.
[edit] External links
- downtownyoungstown.com Site run by downtown enthusiasts, featuring a forum, photo galleries, and news and events bulletins that concern downtown.
- DEFEND YOUNGSTOWN- News. Opinion. Interviews. Merchandise. Youngstown.
- Youngstown Source- Entertainment and news site for Youngstown and the surrounding areas.
