Tourism in Youngstown (Boardman, Green, Campbell: relocate, for sale, apartment complex)

[italianbluesboy]

I am interested in visiting Youngstown as a tourist, and walking around the industrial ruins, and visiting the Steel Heritage Museum, and possibly talking to former steelworkers and the like. I want to visit the former sites of Youngstown Sheet and Tube, Republic Steel, and U.S. Steel, as well as the surrounding towns. What I want to know is what neighborhoods are unsafe? How do I keep from getting mugged or robbed or murdered? Would it be better if I went out in the morning, when the criminal element is still sleeping?

[CortlandGirl79]

Ok, first of all, i have to say that you probably aren't going to get mugged or murdered on your trip, you just have to be smart. I think most places downtown and near youngstown state are pretty safe during the day. My friend and i went to the steel museum one day by ourselves and no one was even around. Imagine that, two 20 something females, alone in youngstown and we didn't get raped or murdered??? Trust me people, y-town is not that bad, unless of course you sell drugs or are into prositution. I would have to say 95% of murders here are drug related, so leave your drugs at home! HAHA! Ok, back to the main point, the steel museum is pretty interesting, gives you and idea of what y-town was like before we lost over 50,000 steel jobs in the late 70s. I know they have a research center upstairs and i'm sure the people there would be helpful. You may want to contact them before making your trip to see if they have any ideas. I don't know much about seeing the actual mill properties or what neighborhoods are safe. One suggestion i have is the Arms Museum on Wick ave., it's the home of the mahoning valley historical society and it's also an Arts and crafts house from the early 1900s. They have an exhibit of the mills in y-town and youngstown history. Right next door to the Arms Museum is the Butler Museum of American Art...........the first of it's kind in the country, great architecture too, and the best part is..........it's totally free! I must also suggest you pick up two great books, Steeltown USA: Work and Memory in Youngstown AND Steelworker Alley: How Class Works in Youngstown, two great reads if you are interested, not just in youngstown, but the steel industry's fall from glory and how it affected this entire area. Oh yeah, and one more thing, i'm a big fan of the beauty of mill creek park, it's the largest metropolitan park outside of new york city. Check out the sites below.......

http://www.millcreekmetroparks.com

http://www.mahoninghistory.org (Arms Museum)

http://www.butlerart.com

http://www.ohiohistory.org/places/youngst/ (Museum of Labor and Industry)

http://www.defendyoungstown.com (Website made by a pittsburgh native, guys loves y-town)

Ok, i know i got a little crazy, but i hope it helps you out.

[CortlandGirl79]

This may help you also........

http://www.youngstownsteel.com/

[dankman38]

Youngstown is actually a nice little city (though economically poor) but not "unsafe". During the day you really don't have to worry about anything at all, most of the residents are regular Joes, at night avoid rowdy bars and you should be OK.

[yagisenin]

Like the others said, be aware of your surroundings (which is something you should really do anywhere), watch your back, and you will probably come away unscathed.

Basically, use your head and trust your instincts. If you realize that you are in a rundown neighborhood and/or get a bad vibe while walking through a certain area, it's probably a good idea to leave as soon as you can.

Daylight, from morning to early afteroon is the best time for sightseeing.

[boardmanite]

Well, you've probably already made your trip to Youngstown, but here is my two cents:
I live just south of Youngstown, in the suburb of Boardman, and I find the city to be a fascinating place. I've visited all the museums and parks mentioned here, which really are cool. If you're really interested, the books are excellent too. However, if you're looking for old industrial ruins (which in my opinion tell the story better), the best ones I've found are off of Albert St. Anyone in the metropolitan area knows Albert St and it definitely doesn't have a good reputation. I've driven there multiple times in the middle of the night, but I wouldn't recommend it. So I guess what I'm trying to say is go there during the day. From downtown Youngstown, follow the signs for US 62 and OH 7 to Hubbard. You'll get on an expressway that ends on Albert St. Turn left. Go through the first three traffic lights (I think its 3). Then look on your left for extremely dilapidated mills. There's several places to turn in and drive back. I don't know who owns the properties, and it's probably illegal, so you'll have to be a little stealthy Afterward get lost on the East Side. It's not that big of a neighborhood, so you won't get too turned around. But it's definitely a mess. As you drive through, think about Capitalism and look for chickens. I'm not kidding about either one of those. The East Side is home to Youngstown's Hispanic population, so you will see lots of churches that have services in Spanish. Then venture down into Campbell. Drive around the old, dilapidated pre-fab houses off of Robinson Rd. You'll get a taste of South America. Don't spend too much time there, though. It can be a little scary.
Next drive up Oak Hill Avenue, starting from the green bridge downtown. (Near the bus station on Federal). You'll get a tour of the city like no other. First you'll go through the hollowed out neighborhoods closest to downtown. I really feel safe in this area because there's nothing there. (Also try lower Hillman to see the "Detroit-style urban prairies") As you head farther south, the neighborhoods become more populated, but just as blighted. Look for the enormous church on the right. You wouldn't ever know it was there (unless you were Catholic), without driving down Oak Hill. Oak Hill actually ends on Indianola Avenue, so you'll have to take a different street through the rest of the South Side. If you're feeling adventurous, try Hillman. If you're scared, take Market or Glenwood. You'll go through some of the most volatile neighborhoods in the city. But the housing in the Indianola-Midlothian section is much more intact (ie fewer houses have been torn down, not that they're in good shape). Drive down some of the side streets to really get a feel for the area. These neighborhoods are virtual history. Think of what they've witnessed in the last 100 years: The boom, the bust, the despair. The hope???
Finish off your tour with a drive down Overhill, Oak Knoll, Jeanette, Newport, Forest Hill, and Mill Creek. Just a stone's throw away from the impoverished South Side, this area is one of the lovliest neighborhoods in North East Ohio. Get out of the car--it's now safe to do so --and stroll around the gently-curving park-like streets. Think about who lives there and compare that with who lives on the South Side. Why? If you come up with an answer, rethink it. Reflection is key.
If you're really brave, drive down Market Street and go either left or right on 224. You will have entered the sprawling suburban jungle, home to parking lots, turning lanes, dime-a-dozen shops, etc. As in any jungle, there are endangered species: pedestrians, trees of any kind, open space, sidewalks, leisure time, etc.
I don't know about you, but I am actually so glad that all the businesses that used to be downtown relocated to Boardman, spreading for 8 miles along 224 and gobbling up farmland and wide open spaces. Green is such an ugly color. Besides, it's route 224 that's going to keep recent college grads like myself in the Youngstown area.



Enjoy your tour! No moment in Youngstown is a dull moment.

[vader]

Oh please, its not like youngstown in Bagdad Iraq..Sheesh

[Zaprikil]

"Just a stone's throw away from the impoverished South Side"

It seems strange to hear everyone talk about my childhood home in the context that they do. A very long time ago I lived at 342 E. Auburndale, about a half a block off of South Ave, in this house:



Back then it was just a regular family neighborhood and there were lots of kids for me and my brother to play with. We attended Taft Elementary school, which we walked to; I believe that old school is gone now. In summer time we went to Borts pool, if Mom would give us a dime to get in. We also liked to go to Wilkinson's drug store, which was just up the street at the corner of South Ave., that store was actually a main destination. We'd go up there with our Dad to use the tube tester they had, in the hopes of getting the TV to work again. I also remember looking at the magazines when the Beatles invaded America and I think Wilkinson's also had a Ice Cream bar, where you could get floats and stuff.

About walking around, as kids we went anywhere that was within about a mile from home. We used to go out playing army up along South Ave. and down towards Midlothian (if I remember the street right); we also went in the other direction, down by the railroad tracks and got a real thrill out of putting a penny on the tracks when a train was coming to see it get flattened. I still have a scar on my knee from racing a friend to South Ave. on our bikes, when I tried to stop before entering South Ave. and slipped on some light gravel. There used to be an electric trolly of some kind on South Ave. that ran on tracks that went right down the middle of the street. I don't think that was there for a long part of my time, as it was replaced by the bus.

The milkman would leave a new supply of milk on the front porch and the coal truck would deliver coal through an opening to the basement, that was next to the driveway.

Anyways, I have many fond memories from my childhood in the now impoverished south side of Youngstown.

[boardmanite]

Zaprikil, if you don't mind my asking, around what years did you live there? Its very strange, because the whole time I was growing up (90s), Youngstown was a place you just didn't go to. But a lot of people my parents age have really good memories of downtown and the south side in particular. Its hard to believe the city went downhill so fast.

[Zaprikil]

Don't mind you asking at all Boardmanite. I lived there until the end of the school year in 1964. As a young adult I also lived in Boardman for a year, at the...can't think of the name, but it was an apartment complex near the mall and I think it had the word "King" in it. I also lived in a house that was converted to two apartments and a small business, it was right on Market St.; I think it was in Youngstown, just outside of Boardman.

The house I lived in is for sale right now, any idea what it's like on E. Auburndale?