Youngstown (Warren, Boardman, Austintown: rentals, crime, buying a home)

[bradandbrit]

There is a possibility that my family may move to Younsgtown. I am a young mom of a toddler and I just started looking at homes in the area. What can you tell me about the city and the surrounding area? We are middle class and just want something modest with nearby parks, other young families, etc. Any info would be great thanks!

[CortlandGirl79]

It would help us if you could tell us where your job will be located and what price range you will be looking for.

As a lifetime resident of the area i would suggest that you don't live in the city of youngstown if you have children. This because the schools are pretty bad and many neighborhoods are just not safe. Otherwise i think you will find that the Mahoning Valley is a great place to raise children and the cost of living is very low.

Many of the surrounding communites are wonderful and have good schools. There are also many parks in the area, including wonderful Mill Creek MetroParks The area also has many shopping options and cultural activities.

Let us know if you are looking for a small city or town, or perhaps something more rural. How far of a commute would you like??? Also, if you don't mind, where are you coming from??

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like.

~Cortlandgirl79

[bradandbrit]

Thanks for the quick response. My husband will be fresh out of med school and we are thinking of doing our 3 year residency with Northside Medical Center.

We currently live in Des Moines, IA and my husband will be spending a month long intership with the hospitol in July. I would like to take that time to be looking at the city and homes. The pay during residency is not great and our budget for a home will be between $140,000-$160,000.

As far as commute, the shorter the better. He will be working long hard hours and I don't really want him driving 45 minutes to get home, in fact less than 30 would be nice. Thanks again, Brittany

[Traveler87]

Columbiana, Ohio is a great little town about 30 minutes south of Youngstown. Columbiana has a great park, Firestone Park, with walking/biking trails, lots of ponds, and a very nice public pool. There is a very nice main street with all the little antique shops, and a very nice circle in the middle of it all. There was a lot of new construction going on in this town, including the mainstreet itself with new little shops going in. New housing developments are going up fast, but the town still maintains its small town feel. Some new developments you could look into are, Old Sagebrook, Terra Verde, Firestone Links, Arrowhead Lakes. The school system is great, small schools, about 350 in the each the elem, middle, and highschools. It is not far from the entertainment of Boardman, like the Southern Park Mall and The Shops at Boardman Park. The Youngstown area offers a lot, you just have to look in the right places.

City of Columbiana, Biggest Little Town in Ohio

[JR_C]

Despite CortlandGirl's warning, you could live in the same neighborhood as the hospital.

This blog focuses on the Fifth Ave. historic district.
Youngstown Renaissance: Fifth Avenue Historic District Homes

Tyler Clark, the author of the above blog, recently moved to the upper north side with his family. (wife and 2 children) I've heard many good things about that neighborhood. You have Crandall Park, the recently remodeled North Side Pool, and the Henry Stambaugh Golf Course.

Two neighborhood links for more information:
Youngstown 2010 - Neighborhoods - North Heights (broken link)
Youngstown 2010 - Neighborhoods - Fifth Avenue

Or, you could live in Liberty, the community just to the north of Youngstown. I don't know much about Liberty, though.

I wouldn't recommend buying a home if you only plan to stay for 3 years, though. The housing market in the entire region is very slow.

[CortlandGirl79]

I agree w/JR_C, if you are only planning on staying 3 years i definitely wouldn't buy, although, in my area of the Valley, homes in your price range are selling better than those in higher price ranges.

The homes on 5th Ave. are spectacular and the area is pretty safe. I must warn you that there are some really rough areas just a few blocks from 5th depending how far north or south you are. Also, Tyler Clark does have two children, but they are home schooled.

I would suggest that you look at Liberty Township. The area is growing and, like JR_C said, Liberty is very close to Northside, maybe 10 minutes at the most. If you are looking for a more rural setting you might want to check out Vienna or Fowler Township.

Being that i'm from north of youngstown, i always recommend the desirable locations in my area, these would include City of Cortland, Ohio (44410) and Howland Township (Warren zip 44484). Both locations are 20 to 25 min north of the hospital. If you want to look south of youngstown i would recommend austintown, boardman, or poland.

Hopefully, we've given you some options. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Good luck w/your decision.

[pghquest]

Originally Posted by bradandbrit

There is a possibility that my family may move to Younsgtown. I am a young mom of a toddler and I just started looking at homes in the area. What can you tell me about the city and the surrounding area? We are middle class and just want something modest with nearby parks, other young families, etc. Any info would be great thanks!

I'm currently in the process of moving to that area also. I chose Boardman area. Seems to be a fairly nice area.

[South Range Family]

Since North Side Hospital is on the Northern edge of the city, I would defer to Cortland girl as the real expert on that area. 30 minutes could get you to just about anywhere around here, I would still stay to the North. The town of McDonald would be a really good choice. The reason that McDonald has stayed so nice, is because nobody drives through McDonald to get somewhere else. It's not like driving through Austintown to get to North Jackson, or driving through Niles to get to the Eastwood Mall.

[boardmanite]

Are you looking for an urban, suburban, or rural area? All are within 30 minutes of North Side Hospital. If you are thinking of a place on the North Side, I'd suggest driving around that area during the day and at night, just to make sure you feel comfortable. It could be fine for you, or you might not like it. I've said this before when posters have asked about the North Side: As a single guy, I'd live there in a heartbeat. But if I had kids, I would think long and hard about it. Not saying I wouldn't, but there are a lot of factors to consider.

If you want to be in the city and close to a park, you might want to also look at some neighborhoods on the West Side. The homes along the park aren't as grand as the ones on the South or North Sides, but the neighborhoods are considerably better.

If you want a more suburban location, you could try Liberty Township (to the north of Ytown), Boardman Township (to the south) or Austintown Township (to the west). The commute from any of those places would be less than 30 minutes, especially if your home is near I-80, I-680, or OH-11, since all provide easy access to North Side Hospital.

If you want a rural location, try the areas around Vienna/Hartford/Brookfield.

And for a small town location, Canfield and Poland are more upscale towns, that are located directly on highways for an easy commute. (OH-11 and I-680 respectively) Cortland is another option for a small town. A previous poster recommended Columbiana, but I think the commute would be too long, considering the location of your husband's job.

Mill Creek Park is a HUGE park that stretches through Youngstown and Boardman, and there are many affordable neighborhoods that are literally right next to the park. Canfield and Austintown have a bike path that is pretty nice. I'm not familiar enough with Liberty Twp to know if they have a decent park out there, but still you wouldn't be far at all from Mill Creek Park in the city.

Anyways, good luck to you!

[tallinvestor]

I suggest Hubbard. New schools being built for an already great school system. The crime is low. Great parks. I know that there are more young families moving there for the school systems as I have some rentals there.