Youngstown Area (Cleveland, Warren, Lima: to rent, crime, credit)

[bethany12]

Originally Posted by KenD

Bethany,

While I am also giving serious consideration to moving to the outskirts of Youngstown, I think I can speak with some authority about northern New England.

Yes, I found in my research that the great idyllic towns of New England are so out of my price range that I can almost kick them off of my list. Example: I am finding housing in Youngstown for 1/4-1/2 of what I would spend for a decent place in Burlington, VT.
Out of curiosity, why are you thinking of Youngstown?

[JR_C]

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

I've heard they are pretty gross, but I know JR_C takes the WRTA bus around Youngstown, so he can comment on that.

This is a tough area to live without a car. But living car-free and wanting a walkable community are two different things. Like others have said, the older and smaller towns/cities are probably better for walkability. My neighborhood is fairly walkable, but not everyone is comfortable with its transitional nature.

BTW, the buses are typically not gross. In the almost 9 years that I've used them, I have ridden in a few that smelled, but they are rare.

[KenD]

Originally Posted by bethany12

Yes, I found in my research that the great idyllic towns of New England are so out of my price range that I can almost kick them off of my list. Example: I am finding housing in Youngstown for 1/4-1/2 of what I would spend for a decent place in Burlington, VT.
Out of curiosity, why are you thinking of Youngstown?

Burlington is a piece of work all on it's own. First off, it's a university city, with all the good and bad that goes with that. It is located on Lake Champlain, a truly breathtaking body of water. This city itself is quite nice and extremely far to the left of the political spectrum, if that's your taste.

On the downside, real estate prices (and the associated taxes) do not line up with the quality of life, as I would like to see it.

If you're only finding prices in that range, you're probably not looking in the right places.

Check out HUD (just choose your counties) and the banks. (on the upper left hand side of the page is a link to each bank's current inventory list - and boy are they cutting prices) These banks have a mountain of real estate to unload and it's about to get worse as we embark on Real Estate Meltdown II - This time it's for all the money.

For me, the greater Youngstown area presents a number of positives, including low real estate prices (as you know) availability of manufacturing space (I own my own business) a large pool of available labor, as well as a pleasant mix of the four seasons. Currently, we live in Western Maryland (just outside Cumberland) and there are many things to like but it is also a small city and I would prefer to have more choices.

On the downside, our first trip to Youngstown, looking for real estate, really left a bad taste in our mouths. While we aren't giving up, the experience was one that kind of made us think twice about leaving here. We're planning to take another trip to Youngstown (and probably Warren) sometime in the Spring and see if the first time was a fluke.

If you need any help with dealing with either the banks or understanding HUD (no small feat, I assure you) let me know and I'll do what I can.

[000000]

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

First of all, i don't know why you are always attacking my opinions on things, i never call you out when posting here.

your opinion on things is the opposite of mine. i admitted to the op that i am biased in one way, but not as many of the regulars admit their bias for the area.
i wouldn't take it personally, since this is the internet, and i don't take it as personally. you got the vitriol this time because you were quick and overt in your celebration. truemuck simply repeated what you wrote, i had nothing original to respond to at the time.

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

Next, I didn't mention you as a regular because you aren't. You don't post here nearly as much as SR, JR, and myself.

more like i haven't been here as long.

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

We get that you hate the entire Youngstown area and think it's a dump. You no longer live here and we do. Even though i'm considered a "cheerleader" for the area i am honest and admit that there are problems here. I think it's fine that you post here and share your opinion, you're entitled to it.

i offer my opinion as a counterbalance to the overt positivity that is painted about the area on these forums. i suppose i could just point to the vindicator message boards if people wanted to find out how people in youngstown really think about their city, but i try to have a little more tact. ha.

i disagree that you admit to the level of the problems that face the area. only part of a sentence about there not being jobs in the area does not capture the essence of the area. people who do not already have a job before moving to the area will have a very hard time finding anything in the area, especially if they are professionals.

the picture painted of the area does not mention things like the area's housing market has been in the dumps for a while so a the housing burst has only made prices go lower than they were in better times, does not mention how much money lordstown workers pump into the area and that a whole shift of them are now out of work (asssuming that gm makes out through this), does not mention that the people around the area are weird about outsiders, the area is weird about unions which dissuades new investment, etc.

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

As for you saying that i minimized the drug problem, you are DEAD wrong! OP did NOT ask about the city of Youngstown, she asked about the Youngstown AREA, which i consider to be Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana Counties. She also asked about outlying areas with acreage. These are the areas i was describing. If she were asking about the city of Youngstown i would say there is a huge drug problem!

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

I'm just saying that outside of Youngstown and some areas of Warren you aren't going to see the blatant in your face drug use.

you wonder where the suburban kids and some of the rural kids get some of the drugs they can't grow? they go to the cities which ruin the city areas which keep the suburbs from growing beyond suburb status because their flagship city is lagging behind. like it or not areas are interconnected, and would be better served as one depressed interconnected area instead of the small fiefdoms that the local governments are trying to keep.

plus, a "well-lit downtown" is not as exciting as drugs can be for many kids who grow up in the area with nothing to do in the area.

[000000]

Originally Posted by South Range Family

I think somebody is misinformed, or just plain exaggerating about Mosquito Lake. Ohio State Parks - Mosquito Lake State Parks

i told someone who likes watersports that they would not like the lack of water around the area in a way to get the point across that mosquito lake is not the most thrilling place to be. i guess everything i said must be wrong because i made one point with added effect.

Originally Posted by South Range Family

I'm ready to hear the life story of 000000. I'm curious to know how old you are, and what made you so bitter.

Usually the bitter people are the ones that never left to at least see the rest of the world.

I've been around. I came back because it turns out to be a pretty good place to raise a family. I wouldn't waste my time within the city limits, or anywhere with less than 10 acres, but that's just my personal preference. So what's your story?

twentysomething.

the lack of opportunities available in the area made me very bitter towards the area and i am much happier now that i am away.

what makes me so bitter on the boards, instead of real life, is that people are coming on this board looking for good advice about what youngstown is really like, and the projection of mahoning county is of a place just like any other in america. i too have been around, but i have yet to find a place with such a mixture of the worst parts of appalachia, the northeast, and the midwest since the steel money departed.

to put it another way, there are too many people like the board me in the area.

[000000]

Originally Posted by JR_C

This is a tough area to live without a car. But living car-free and wanting a walkable community are two different things. Like others have said, the older and smaller towns/cities are probably better for walkability. My neighborhood is fairly walkable, but not everyone is comfortable with its transitional nature.

BTW, the buses are typically not gross. In the almost 9 years that I've used them, I have ridden in a few that smelled, but they are rare.

i would agree that while the public transportation is as lacking as it is in most ohio cities, the wrta's limited routes are run quite well. aside from not smelling, i have ridden the bus and only ever recall two incidents while i was on board.

[000000]

Originally Posted by mhcLyon

There is Youngstown State U that generates a good group of people and adds to the area.

this is true, too. the university is a plus for the area and has a couple of known departments. strangely enough, it is also a very safe campus. i would not want to live in the area around it, though.

[Orwelleaut]

Originally Posted by 000000

this is true, too. the university is a plus for the area and has a couple of known departments. strangely enough, it is also a very safe campus. i would not want to live in the area around it, though.

The YSU campus is very safe indeed. The UCR reports peg YSU as safer than BG or Kent, and I think this is accurate.

To someone not familiar with Y-town and YSU, such a safe campus in a rather high crime city may seem odd. Not to those of us who have attended YSU. I think YSU is so safe, first of all, because there are not that many students living in the dorms like at BG or Kent. YSU is very much a commuter campus. A lot of students live with their families, or are non-traditional students. This is a recipe for lots of serious students determined to better themselves, more so than the partying traditional students fresh out of high school who are enjoying being away from home for the first time. YSU does not seem to have the party atmosphere that one finds at a school like BG, but more of a serious academic feel with mostly commuter students. Also, the YSU campus is very heavily policed. Vagrants who enter campus don't tend to stay long, as the campus police are on top of this. The atmosphere on campus, during the week, is truly a world apart from that just across the street at Taco Bell or McDonald's. Campus is about local folks seeking to better themselves, and is, as a result, an oasis of positive behaviors in Youngstown. If you are a non-traditional student, especially, who is committed to improving your career prospects, YSU is a great place!!

The one sad thing, I think, about YSU in relation to the local area, is that so many grads have given up on the Mahoning Valley area. WHile I can't fault grads for accepting those good job offers elsewhere, it is just a shame that the area doesn't retain more of it's most talented and motivated citizens.

[Orwelleaut]

Originally Posted by KenD

Burlington is a piece of work all on it's own. First off, it's a university city, with all the good and bad that goes with that. It is located on Lake Champlain, a truly breathtaking body of water. This city itself is quite nice and extremely far to the left of the political spectrum, if that's your taste.

On the downside, real estate prices (and the associated taxes) do not line up with the quality of life, as I would like to see it.

If you're only finding prices in that range, you're probably not looking in the right places.

Check out HUD (just choose your counties) and the banks. (on the upper left hand side of the page is a link to each bank's current inventory list - and boy are they cutting prices) These banks have a mountain of real estate to unload and it's about to get worse as we embark on Real Estate Meltdown II - This time it's for all the money.

For me, the greater Youngstown area presents a number of positives, including low real estate prices (as you know) availability of manufacturing space (I own my own business) a large pool of available labor, as well as a pleasant mix of the four seasons. Currently, we live in Western Maryland (just outside Cumberland) and there are many things to like but it is also a small city and I would prefer to have more choices.

On the downside, our first trip to Youngstown, looking for real estate, really left a bad taste in our mouths. While we aren't giving up, the experience was one that kind of made us think twice about leaving here. We're planning to take another trip to Youngstown (and probably Warren) sometime in the Spring and see if the first time was a fluke.

If you need any help with dealing with either the banks or understanding HUD (no small feat, I assure you) let me know and I'll do what I can.

If you guys have lived in the Cumberland area for very long, I think you'd feel very at home in Greater Youngstown. This part of Ohio feels a lot like Western PA. Coming from Cumberland, you will still have some of the beauty of the Appalachians here, unlike when you get West of Cleveland into the flat farm country. You also have quite a bit more crime in certain areas than around Cumberland, though, but also areas that are just as quiet as Western MD. Not knowing the area, it would be wise, I think, for you guys to avoid residing in Youngstown, Warren, Girard, and Campbell. These are the old mill towns, and have a lot of violent crime. Areas like Niles, Howland, Canfield, or Austintown are good if you prefer something similar to LaVale, with plenty of shopping and activities close. Outside of those immediate burbs, any of the small towns are quiet, and are generally cheaper to live in than the burbs. For a feel very similar to Western MD, in fact, I'd recommend Columbiana County. This is hilly terrain, and is rural with little towns. East Liverpool, down on the Ohio River, feels similar to Cumberland, and is only about 35 minutes from Youngstown on route 11. North of Warren, the terrain does get very flat, although there are some nice parks in the isolated patches of rugged terrain.

Speaking of rugged terrain, I think you guys would enjoy Millcreek Park. I guess the park is not safe at night, but it is fine during the day. It is in the city of Youngstown, but seems to attract mainly people looking to hike, picnic, and just relax and enjoy nature. There are lots of trails that follow some pretty rugged hills, and offer nice views of the lakes in the park.

In terms of the natural setting, this area has a lot more lakes than Western MD. Nothing here has the mountain beauty of Deep Creek, but there are a lot of pleasant, peaceful lakes that are great for fishing, boating and swimming in the summer. Lake Erie is only an hour North, if you're into a lake with waves and a feel more like going to the Atlantic Coast. If you're into watersports, in fact, I think this area is especially nice as a metro area for that.

[000000]

Originally Posted by Orwelleaut

Campus is about local folks seeking to better themselves, and is, as a result, an oasis of positive behaviors in Youngstown.

that is a spot-on way of describing the campus. sadly, though, many of the locals outside of the campus are not as concerned about bettering themselves nor are there are many places in the area which will hire the graduates ysu produces (for those who would want to stay).