User:SwissCelt/Youngstown

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Youngstown, Ohio
Skyline of Youngstown, Ohio
[[Image::City seal.gif|100px|Official seal of Youngstown, Ohio]]
Seal
Location within the state of Ohio
Location within the state of Ohio
Coordinates: 41°5′47″N, 80°38′57″W
Country
State
Counties		 United States
Ohio
Mahoning
Trumbull
Government
 - Mayor Jay Williams (I)
Area
 - City 34.2 mi² / 88.7 km²  (Expression error: Unrecognised word "mi" sq mi)
 - Land 33.9 mi² / 87.8 km² (Expression error: Unrecognised word "mi" sq mi)
 - Water 0.3 mi² / 0.9 km² (Expression error: Unrecognised word "mi" sq mi)
Population (2004)
 - City 77,713
 - Density 893/km² (2,312.9/sq mi)
 - Metro 600,000
  600,000 (est.) (metro area)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Founded 1796
Incorporated 1848 (village) 1867 (city)
Website: http://www.cityofyoungstownoh.org

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

The population of Youngstown has been in decline for decades. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 82,026. By 2004, the population was estimated to have declined to 77,713. Youngstown is located in -— and heavily affected by the forces which produced -— the Rust Belt region of the United States.

The Youngstown-Warren-Boardman Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) contains roughly 600,000 people. The Steel Valley Area as a whole (including Youngstown-Warren-Boardman and Sharon-Farrell-New Castle, PA) is comprised of almost 720,000 residents. Youngstown is the county seat of Mahoning CountyGR6. The city is just 10 miles west of the Pennsylvania state line, and is centrally located between New York and Chicago.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Youngstown is located at 41°5'47" North, 80°38'57" West (41.096258, -80.649299)GR1. It borders or touches the following other townships and municipalities:

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.

[edit] Demographics

The historic population of Youngstown progressed thus:

  • 1870: 8,075
  • 1890: 33,220 (91st most populous in the U.S.)[1]
  • 1900: 44,885 (84th)[2]
  • 1910: 79,066 (67th)[3]
  • 1920: 132,358 (50th)[4]
  • 1930: 170,002 (45th; Youngstown's zenith of historical population)[5]
  • 1940: 167,720 (49th)[6]
  • 1950: 168,330 (57th)[7]
  • 1960: 166,689 (75th)[8]
  • 1970: 139,788 (98th)[9]
  • 1980: 115,427[10]
  • 1990: 95,787[11]
  • 2000: 82,026
  • 2004: 77,713

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.

27.2% of the households have children under the age of 18. 33.2% are married couples living together, 22.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% are non-families. 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 youth, as is often the case in inner cities in the U.S. with higher birthrates. 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.

Mayor Jay Williams is Youngstown's first African-American mayor, having defeated State Senator Robert Hagan in the November 8, 2005 election. Williams won the race as an independent and replaced George McKelvey, who did not run again due to term limits.

[edit] History

Youngstown was named for John Young, who first landed in the area in 1796 and settled there soon after. On April 9, 1800, he purchased the entire township, 15,560 acres (63 km²), from the Western Reserve Land Company for $16,085.[12] He platted the town in that year, which was recorded on August 19, 1802 with the date and name of "Youngstown, 1797".

The area was part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, meaning the land there was reserved for settlers from Connecticut, so most early European-American settlers came from that state. Within a year, Youngstown was settled by ten families near where Mill Creek meets the Mahoning River. The village of Youngstown was incorporated in 1848. Youngstown was chartered as a city in 1867, and the county seat was moved there from Canfield in 1876.[13]

Youngstown was on the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal, completed in 1839. The railroad came to Youngstown in 1853.

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

With the opening of the steel mills, Youngstown received a large influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe, Italy, and Ireland. This ethnic diversity can still be seen in many parts of Youngstown today, where Hungarian Orthodox churches and Italian restaurants may share the same street corner.

[edit] Industry

Locally endowed with coal and iron, Youngstown soon developed a thriving steel industry. The first blast furnace was built to the east of town in 1803. From the 1920s through the 1960s, the city became an important industrial hub with large furnaces and foundries of such companies as Republic Steel and U.S. Steel. It was headquarters for the huge Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, one of the most important steel producers in the country. Unfortunately, the city was not as economically diversified as bigger industrial cities (like Chicago, Pittsburgh, or Cleveland) had been, so when economic changes forced the closure of plants through the 1970s there was not much to provide alternative support. The September 1977 closure of the Youngstown Sheet & Tube plant is considered by many to be the swan song of the old area steel industry, and the city has yet to recover from the loss of these jobs.

Today there is still some steel and metalworking, but not like the glory days of the great "Steel Valley." The largest employer in the city now is Youngstown State University, an urban public campus with about 13,000 students. The largest industrial employers in the metropolitan area are General Motors' Lordstown auto assembly plant (onetime home to the Chevrolet Cavalier, current home to the Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5) and Delphi Packard Electric Systems and the WCI Steel plant, both located in the Warren, Ohio area. The largest industrial employers within the Youngstown city limits are North Star Steel in Brier Hill, and Exal Corp. located on Poland Avenue, which has recently expanded and manufacters the new aluminum Budweiser bottles for the eastern interior.

The decline of Youngstown's industry and the resulting effects on its workers was depicted in Bruce Springsteen's song "Youngstown" from his The Ghost of Tom Joad album; he made a point of performing in Youngstown on his subsequent tour.

[edit] Attractions

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Probably because of regional economic decline, Youngstown has a rather negative self-image, despite some real jewels. Besides the well-landscaped university, the city has Powers Auditorium, the city's main music hall and home of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. In addition to Powers, the city also has two other auditoriums: Stambaugh Auditorium, which plays host to several concerts as well as stand-up comedians, and The Playhouse, which shows community theater productions. Also near campus is the Butler Institute of American Art, one of the best displays of American art in the country, and the attractive yet under-visited Museum of Industry and Labor. In addition, the downtown has a wide array of well-preserved churches.

Youngstown's best kept secret is probably Mill Creek Park, a narrow five-mile-long park (reminiscent of a smaller Rock Creek Park for those familiar with Washington, D.C.). With the restored Lanterman's Mill, Bear's Den rock formations, nature trails, Fellows Riverside Gardens and Nature Center, and the "Cinderella" iron link bridge, Mill Creek Park is a valuable attraction of the city. From opposite overlooks in the garden, one sees an amazing contrast: from the south side, a forested view over Lake Glacier; from the north side, downtown Youngstown.

One of the more recent attractions to open in the city is the Chevrolet Centre, formerly the Youngstown Convocation Center, which was primarily funded by a $26 million federal grant, and is located on the site of a former steel mill and opened in October 2005. The Centre's major tennant is the Youngstown Steelhounds, a hockey team that is a part of the Central Hockey League. The City also plans to develop vacant land adjacent to the convocation center, either as a park, a riverwalk (the Mahoning River flows through the site), an amphitheater, or a new athletic stadium for use by the city's public and private high schools.

Another known attraction in the Youngstown area—though not so much known by younger people—is the former Idora Park amusement park. The park, which closed in 1984 and is currently owned by a church, was once a major attraction to Youngstown residents who didn't want to travel to Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio just outside of Cleveland, Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, Kennywood in Pittsburgh, or even Conneaut Lake Park in Meadville, Pennsylvania, the closest one of the four to Idora. Many middle-aged or older people who remember attending the park when they were younger like to drive by to look at the remains of the park. Some have also snuck in, though the church has posted "No Tresspassing" signs around the park.

[edit] Problems—yet hope

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A new government office building in Youngstown's downtown
A new government office building in Youngstown's downtown

The cityscape of Youngstown itself is rather a marvel for its lack of new tall buildings. From some angles it looks frozen in time at about 1940. Except for the university, the downtown proper is fairly quiet with mainly government services and banks. There is not one new car dealer operating any longer within the city limits; for most shopping, one must go to the suburbs of Boardman, Niles, Austintown, or Liberty.

Many think, however, that the city has already reached rock bottom and is on the rebound. A new state office complex (the George Voinovich Government Center) has been completed, as have two new federal courthouses, one with an award-winning design by architect Robert Stern.

The recently re-opened Federal Street
The recently re-opened Federal Street

As of 2005, Federal Street (formerly Federal Plaza, a failed attempt to create a pedestrian-only shopping complex) in downtown has been reopened to through traffic. In addition, several new government and office buildings are being built downtown, and many city school buildings are either being rebuilt or revamped. The city has hopes of a downtown renaissance.

Construction began on a 60-home upscale development called Bailey Center in 2004, and a grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development allowed for the demolition of Westlake Terrace, a public housing project that was one of the most dilapidated and crime-ridden areas of the city; it is being replaced with a mixture of senior housing, rental townhouses and for-sale single-family homes. Low real estate prices and the fervent efforts of the Youngstown Central Area Improvement Corporation (CIC) have resulted in the purchase of several long-abandoned downtown buildings (many by out-of-town investors) and their restoration and conversion into specialty shops, restaurants, and eventually condominia, and a nonprofit organization called Wick Neighbors is planning a $250 million New Urbanist revitalization of Smoky Hollow, a neighborhood that borders both downtown and the YSU campus. The neighborhood will eventually comprise about 400 residential units, YSU student housing, retail space, and a central park, with construction slated to begin in 2006.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s there were so many Mafia-related murders (committed chiefly via car bombings) in Youngstown that the metropolis earned the popular nickname "Bomb City" and the phrase "Youngstown tune-up" became a popular nickname for a car bomb assassination. Today, the city has successfully ferreted out the Mob influences that had plagued and corrupted its government for years; the climax of this effort was the arrest, trial, and 2002 conviction of former US Representative James A. Traficant Jr. on bribery and racketeering charges.

One of the more successful business ventures in recent years is the Youngstown Business Incubator, a downtown nonprofit organization housed in a former department store building where fledgling technology-based companies can grow. The incubator currently has about sixteen business tenants and will soon begin construction on a multi-million dollar downtown technology center where some of its largest firms will relocate.

The city of Youngstown, in partnership with the University, has created an ambitious urban renewal plan called Youngstown 2010, whose stated goal aims to create a "cleaner, greener, and better planned and organized Youngstown". 2010 unveiled their "master plan" for Youngstown in January 2005, which took shape after the organization held several meetings where they took input from citizens.

The suburbs to the south and west continue to enjoy a measure of economic success and steps are being taken to revitalize the downtown area of Youngstown.

[edit] Neighborhoods

Downtown's Central Square from the east.
Downtown's Central Square 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

[edit] Television stations

The Youngstown-Warren regional area is served by six television stations, unusual for a city of this size that is so close to large cities Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Even Akron, some 50 miles west and much larger, is lumped into Cleveland's TV market. Youngstown's stations are:

[edit] Print media

The Youngstown area's major newspaper is The Vindicator, although other newspapers exist as well. The Business Journal covers economic and business news in the area, and The Jambar is the student newspaper at YSU. The Cleveland Plain Dealer and Akron Beacon Journal are common in Youngstown as well, with some areas also selling the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

[edit] Famous Youngstowners and former "Steel Valley" residents

[edit] The arts

[edit] Sports

[edit] Government

[edit] References

  1. ^ Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1890. Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Internet Release date: June 15, 1998.
  2. ^ Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1900. Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Internet Release date: June 15, 1998.
  3. ^ Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1910. Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Internet Release date: June 15, 1998.
  4. ^ Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1920. Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Internet Release date: June 15, 1998.
  5. ^ Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1930. Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Internet Release date: June 15, 1998.
  6. ^ Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1940. Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Internet Release date: June 15, 1998.
  7. ^ Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1950. Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Internet Release date: June 15, 1998.
  8. ^ Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1960. Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Internet Release date: June 15, 1998.
  9. ^ Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1970. Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Internet Release date: June 15, 1998.
  10. ^ Youngstown 2010 - The Plan Chapter 4: Citywide Conditions
  11. ^ Youngstown 2010 - The Plan Chapter 4: Citywide Conditions
  12. ^ History of Youngstown, by the Youngstown & Mahoning County Visitors Bureau
  13. ^ History of Youngstown, by the Youngstown & Mahoning County Visitors Bureau

[edit] External links

http://www.youngstowncvb.com Youngstown & Mahoning County Convention and Visitors Bureau]


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