Youngstown Area (Warren, Austintown, Niles: low income, violent crime, houses)

[bethany12]

The Youngstown area has a bad reputation with crime (mafia, drugs, gangs, etc.). But now I am curious about the region because I have been seeing houses in the burbs and outlying areas at amazing prices. I have done double takes several times at seeing some of the prices on well kept homes with nice acreage. Unlike a lot of cities, these are not run down abandoned homes. I would like to hear from locals - Is the city so bad that living in one of the outlying areas not worth it?

[CortlandGirl79]

Originally Posted by bethany12

The Youngstown area has a bad reputation with crime (mafia, drugs, gangs, etc.). But now I am curious about the region because I have been seeing houses in the burbs and outlying areas at amazing prices. I have done double takes several times at seeing some of the prices on well kept homes with nice acreage. Unlike a lot of cities, these are not run down abandoned homes. I would like to hear from locals - Is the city so bad that living in one of the outlying areas not worth it?

I grew up in the area and still live north of Youngstown in Trumbull County. Other than lack of jobs i think our area is a great place to live.

I haven't heard anything about the mob in a long time. They might still be around, but it's not like it was back in the 60s and 70s. You don't hear about car bombings on the news or anything like that.

As for drugs, i think everyone knows that they are everywhere in this country. It doesn't matter what kind of neighborhood you live in, someone will be addicted to some type of drug including alcohol. Most of the violent crime in our area is contained to the city of Youngstown and some bad areas of Warren. I'm not saying there isn't crime elsewhere in the Mahoning Valley, but from what i see on the news and in real life most crime is drug related or committed by a known person.

BTW, the entire city of Youngstown is not terrible. If fact, if you visit or move to the area i would suggest you visit some of the great cultural institutions Youngstown has to offer. I'm 30 and my g/f's and i have ventured downtown for concerts and social events. Downtown at night is very well lit and there is a noticeable police presence. When i've been down there i've seen mostly young professionals out and about at the bars and restaurants. One night we were at a local Martini bar where all the patrons were Anesthetists from St. Elisabeth's hospital. All of these people make over $100k/year and they didn't seem scared to be downtown either.

Currently i live in Warren, but i grew up in the small town of Cortland north of both Youngstown and Warren and i had an ideal childhood growing up there. The only crime i ever hear of in my hometown is teenage vandalism and domestic violence, the same can be said for most areas of the valley. If you are looking into an area with more acreage i think you will find that those areas are very safe and no different from rural areas elsewhere. I know a ton of people with acreage outside of our cities and small towns and they love it. Also, most of our rural areas are very close to shopping and highways, so that's always a plus.

If you would like to see some pictures of the area check out these phototours:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/ohio/...hoto-tour.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/ohio/...ng-if-you.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/ohio/...hoto-tour.html

Bethany,

If you have any questions regarding certain addresses, streets or towns please feel free to ask. There are a few of us here in the valley that are regular posters and i think you will find that we are all more than willing to help you learn more about our area. I mainly can cover Trumbull County, JR_C usually is good w/the city of Youngstown and Austintown, and SouthRangeFamily has a good idea on what's going on in southern Mahoning Co. and Columbiana. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like.

Cortlandgirl79

[truemuck]

What CortlandGirl said is right on the money, so I won't bother to repeat that, but the only thing I'll add is this....
If you're looking for a property in the city of Youngstown itself, stick to the West Side, south of Mahoning Ave. or to the North Side near 5th Ave. and Crandall Park. Also the couple small neighborhoods to the south of Midlothian on the South Side aren't bad either, but anything north of Midlothian I would stay away from. And I'd stay away from the East Side as well. Campbell is kinda ghetto, too.
The rest of the suburbs though are pretty good, it all depends on what you're looking for.

[bethany12]

Could you please expand on the green spaces available in the area and outdoor opportunites? I really am interested in water activities. What about pollution? What are property taxes like? What about the cost of living? And what about the restaurants/neighborhood taverns in the area (I am not a big bar/dance club person)?
I have been looking at areas in NH, VT, WV, SC, and PA. I am just trying to gather more info.

[000000]

Originally Posted by bethany12

The Youngstown area has a bad reputation with crime (mafia, drugs, gangs, etc.). But now I am curious about the region because I have been seeing houses in the burbs and outlying areas at amazing prices. I have done double takes several times at seeing some of the prices on well kept homes with nice acreage. Unlike a lot of cities, these are not run down abandoned homes. I would like to hear from locals - Is the city so bad that living in one of the outlying areas not worth it?

bethany, there are two billboards on 680 that i would like to make mention of by way of introduction. the first billboard i would make mention of is the schwebel's bread billboard which states "youngstown born, youngstown bread". i fit both qualifications, though i no longer live in the area but end up visiting often to see family and friends. the second is the welcome sign that has graffiti on it. it initially stated "welcome to youngstown", but some vandal crossed out youngstown and replaced it with "hell". i don't know where you would be moving from, but the youngstown-warren area is likely going to be a different, hopeless world. think of flint, michigan and gary, indiana.


to answer your questions:
1. the mafia used to own the u.s. rep (traficant, if you move there you will soon know way more about him and why he appeals to the mindset of the locals), but they got too sloppy and have been minimalized. while you no longer have youngstown specials (carbombings, local mobster were fixated on doing business in this fashion), in the wake of corrupt efficiency you have honest incompetence in most of the city, township, and county elected officials. while jay williams is touted as a shining star, he is nearly alone in a dark sky of small-town politicos who are more concerned about their little fiefdoms than in working together.

2. cortlandgirl seeks to minimize the drug problem in the cities by saying that all cities have these problems. not all cities have the problems to the extent that youngstown does.

3. there are gangs, but their influence has waned since the 90's when youngstown earned the highest per-capital murder rating in the nation. the loser mentality of many of the citizens revel in the fact that youngstown was ever recently the best at something.


i would assert that the reason the prices are so low mainly because there was little demand for houses in the area even before the economy went sour. you simply will not be able to flip most of those houses. if you just want a place to live, you could move to the burbs or any of the rural areas not to much further out. quality of life issues become the main concern at this point because even though "you can just drive to cleveland or pittsburgh" for stimulation, do you really want to have to do that?

[000000]

Originally Posted by bethany12

Could you please expand on the green spaces available in the area and outdoor opportunites? I really am interested in water activities. What about pollution? What are property taxes like? What about the cost of living? And what about the restaurants/neighborhood taverns in the area (I am not a big bar/dance club person)?
I have been looking at areas in NH, VT, WV, SC, and PA. I am just trying to gather more info.

mill creek park is actually a really nice park in the day, dangerous by night. not enough so to move into youngstown for that reason. there is not much pollution to speak of due to there being very little businesses to create the pollution. the streets aren't always clean, though. property taxes are a little high considering how the quality of services given back in return. chain restaurants with a few non-chains around. people will chime in with casa ramarez, schachetti's, cafe capri, et. al but the gastronome will be dissapointed; espeically if they do not like italian. there are a lot of italian places in the youngstown area. there are some local taverns around, but they tend to like locals. tend to talk about people they knew in high school. the people of the area are not very warm to outsiders.

[000000]

the mahoning river is polluted (i should've remembered this, but the rest of the area is relatively fine. unless you were thinking of deerfield and it's dump). mosquito lake is named after all of the mosquitos which inevitably make it less fun. you will have to drive away to find water activities.

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

There are a few of us here in the valley that are regular posters and i think you will find that we are all more than willing to help you learn more about our area. I mainly can cover Trumbull County, JR_C usually is good w/the city of Youngstown and Austintown, and SouthRangeFamily has a good idea on what's going on in southern Mahoning Co. and Columbiana.

cortlandgirl is among the gentrifiers and cheerleaders of the area on this board. i admit that i hate the youngstown area for a number of reasons i really did not get into yet. i know she purposefully did not mention 000000 as a responder because she wants to paint the prettiest picture possible. i try to act as a counterbalance to all of the love that is on this board, but not on the ground in youngstown.

[South Range Family]

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

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?

[JR_C]

I've been slow to reply because you seem to be more interested in suburban/rural living. The outer east side can provide that (there are working farms within the city limits on that side of town) but I'm not very familiar with that area, and some bad parts of the city are also on the east side.

Youngstown does have a bad reputation. But, as someone who actually lives in the city, I think it's exagerated. I've worked downtown for almost 9 years and have lived on the city's lower west side for almost 7.(adjacant to the "dangerous" Mill Creek Park, no less) I have yet to be a victim of a crime. I'm not saying there isn't crime in the city. But I think it's being addressed, and it's not as bad as some believe.

I will also agree that the Mahoning river was polluted by the steel mills for decades. But, the pollution has been "encapsulated" by years of additional silt. This doesn't matter much as far as recreation though, because the river is largely ignored by almost everyone. There is a project by the Army Corps of Engineers to clean up the river. But, it's hard to say when that will happen. Here is a link to that project's website: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District - Mahoning River, Ohio Environmental Dredging

[CortlandGirl79]

Originally Posted by 000000

2. cortlandgirl seeks to minimize the drug problem in the cities by saying that all cities have these problems. not all cities have the problems to the extent that youngstown does.

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

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!

In other areas of the Valley the drug problems reflect the rest of the nation. For example, where i lived in Niles was a low income area where most of my neighbors were potheads. Growing up in Cortland i didn't know anyone that did drugs, even though i'm sure there were some people that did. I also don't know anyone that lives in the more middle class neighborhoods in Niles that do drugs. I'm not saying that middle class people don't do drugs, they do. 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.