youngstown state (Boardman, Poland, Butler: sale, crime, hotel)

[worried mom 2]

my 17 yr old is looking at youngstown state. I am hearing some not so nice things about youngstown and would like info about the university area. any input would be appreciated.

[scoob]

YSU is the most safe part of the city.................. Youngstown is not that bad.... depending on what is bad to you.........

[NorthwoodsZJ]

I wouldn't worry... YSU is known as a very safe campus. I'm in the area frequently & not once have I seen anything that made me uncomfortable.

As any large city, Youngstown does have it's "bad areas" but the campus isn't one of them.

[jppepin]

my son is enrolled at YSU for the fall session. we live in W. Farmington which is in the country, so my son doesn't have alot of city street smarts. he's been driving there for his entrance tests, etc. and really likes it. its a small campus and very secure. I spoke with the security department on his orientation and the stats are good. like any campus, they always advise you to travel together. they're building new housing for the students and they look great and are very close to the college. I think he'd do well there, their tuition is very reasonable and they have come a long way with their stats as far as education goes.

[mdmagana]

I have friends who went to school there. I'm told the campus is safe, and the main streets around the campus are safe as well. When I saw YSU, the situation reminded me of USC. USC is in one of the worst parts of south central L.A.... but the campus is clean and safe... just don't stray too many blocks away from the school.

[JR_C]

It's not even that bad around YSU though. The worst parts of Youngstown are on the south and east sides of the city. Downtown, which is just south of the campus, is also one of the safest spots in the city. The area north of campus looks scarier than it really is, but I wouldn't walk around there at night if I were female. (but, as far as I know, there is no reason to unless you're at a frat party)

[bamba_boy]

I was from Poland (a very bucolic small town just S of Youngstown) and never had a problem while a student at YSU. The school did a great job in preparing me for a science career with very small classes and generally competant profs. I was impressed how when short-handed or lacking specialized expertise to teach a class the school brought in very good industry people to be one-term temp teachers.

Anyway, my education there got me into a top-rated grad-school (University of Texas at Austin) where I was well-prepared to pretty much sale through their classes onto a career in my field. I'd highly rate it, at least for science and engineering (can't speak for the social sci's and liberal arts).

[BoardmanFrank]

I went to Youngstown State for five years, all of them living a block away from campus on the North Side. I was never once even asked for money, never had my bike stolen, we hung out outside all the time, no worries really.

I think the most common thing to make one feel uncomfortable is people walking around off-campus who aren't students. For the most part, the crime has radiated away from downtown and campus and most physical crimes take place in south side neighborhoods on the fringe of Boardman and the east side.

There are emergency boxes to push if you ever need help. Both the city and YSU police share jurisdiction space so it like having 2 sets of police units watching things. I think they all realize that if something bad ever happens to a student it may mean big trouble for parents like you, so they really step up there presence.

I found these stats online, which tend to match my personal experience with safety with the actual numbers.

on-campus
Youngstown State University Police Department

off-campus
Youngstown State University Police Department

I have lived in big cities most of my life, and believe me, YSU and downtown are really safe places.

[1phwalls]

I am a female that grew up on the south side of Youngstown - East Lucius - first block off Market. I went to YSU to get a bachelors and then a masters degree - so I was on campus for 6 years. Never had a problem. Follow normal precautions (the campus police have tip brochures) Lock your car, put everything in your car out of site, know your surroundings etc.

The blocks surrounding YSU are fine. There is the book store, food, coffee shop on one street. The Butler Art Museum is around the corner, along with the old Wick Pollick Inn hotel - that is unfortunately closed - on Wick Ave. A few blocks over is mostly banks, a news building, Buffalo Wild Wings. The Y-Town Police are only a few minutes from campus, and like someone mentioned, they cover YSU along with the YSU campus police.

Stay away from the East and South sides of Youngstown at night. That is where the trouble makers are! There is a strip of bars on the southside by indianola - steer clear. They have a lot of underage girls drinking there - something your son doesn't need to be around so he doesn't end up in a bad situation. There are always cops down there on the lookout for the troublemakers, but if drunk people want to get stupid - they will. Besides, there are a couple hang outs by YSU for the college crowd.

If your kids stay away from the trouble makers, trouble will most likely not find them.

[TheYO]

Originally Posted by 1phwalls

Stay away from the East and South sides of Youngstown at night. That is where the trouble makers are! There is a strip of bars on the southside by indianola - steer clear. They have a lot of underage girls drinking there - something your son doesn't need to be around so he doesn't end up in a bad situation. There are always cops down there on the lookout for the troublemakers, but if drunk people want to get stupid - they will. Besides, there are a couple hang outs by YSU for the college crowd.

I used to frequent those Southside bars all the time when I was in high school. Oh the memories.

The Southside/Uptown area is pretty sketchy as a whole, so I wouldn't stop there. It's fine to drive through though if your son wants to go to Boardman for the mall or any of the other stores/restaurants in the suburbs.

I'm not too familar with YSU's campus, but the area around it is very safe. Downtown has undergone some major changes recently and has become a great hangout for people of all ages. I feel safe parking my car in the lot on the corner of Hazel and Commerce (across from Cedars) and walking around W Federal at night going from bar to bar.