Each month, we feature an Ohio Legacy City on our #GOPCThread Series, #OHCommunitySpotlight. This month’s we travel to the heart of the Steel Valley and highlight the City of You - Youngstown.
Founded in 1797, #Youngstown is a city in northeastOhio, the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. Home to 61,274, it's the principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metro. The 11th largest city and 7th largest metro within the state!
A green map of Ohio, highlighting the position of Youngstown using a red dot, in relation to Lake Erie and the Ohio River. Youngstown is on the far right side of the state, near the border. Image Source: Youngstown, Ohio - Ohio History Central]
Youngstown is named for New York native John Young, who surveyed the area in 1796 and settled there soon after. Young purchased property in the area in 1797 and settled with other families from Western PA. They concentrated near where Mill Creek meets the Mahoning River.
Before the area was settled, several native inhabitants could be found in the area, including Osage, Erie, and Kaskaski tribes.
Image: Tribal History of the Mahoning Valley via Native Lands
Today, Youngstown is racially diverse with no significant racial majority (41% black, 41% white,11% hispanic/latino). The city is majority homeowner (55%) and has a median household income of $31,020.
The discovery of coal in the area in the early 1800s led to the city's first major period of economic growth. Soon, the growth of the steel industry in the late 19th century contributed to the boom economy, along with rapid population growth from European immigration in the early 20th century.
Industrial decline in the 1970s saw many of the steel mills in the area shut down. This culminated in the September 19, 1977 closure of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Campbell Works, a date still known locally as Black Monday.
The collapse of the steel industry in the area had a devastating effect on the region, contributing to the term “rust belt”. But over the past 40 years, Youngtown has worked to diversify and grow its local economy.
On The 40th Anniversary Of Youngstown's “Black Monday,” An Oral History - Belt Magazine
Last year, Youngstown United Way hit a big milestone. During @ymv_unitedway’s largest annual fundraiser, the campaign raised the most money it ever has in its 102-year history!
The money was then poured back into the community, helping feed 400 families every month, getting glasses for children who need them, funding after-school wrap-around services and so much more.
The city with so much to offer has so many ready to give.
Youngstown has a plethora of amenities, activities and events year round. June 16-17 they’ll be hosting their Simply Slavic Festival, and June 22 they have the Ribs-N-Rock Festival.
They even have their own comic con!
Youngstown is also home to the beautiful Raymond J. Wean Foundation Park, a community complex open from dawn till dusk, attached to the Huntington Bank Community Alley and Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre, which overlooks the city’s skyline.
A picture of the Youngstown City Skyline taken from Wean Park on a bright day. In the bottom left half a large statue that reads “Youngstown” can be seen. Image Source: Dblcut3
The #WeanFoundation prioritizes Mahoning Valley and recognizes that in order to grow you must invest in what you have. In 2022, the Foundation gave over $2 million in community investment, with a focus on Black and Brown-led organizations.
They hosted the “Social Movement Ecology” and “Finding Confidence in Conflict” workshops, as well as a 3-part equitable compensation learning series for grantees.
Talk about putting your money where your mouth is.
The Wean Foundation aren’t the only ones who’ve bought into Youngstown’s success.
@CityofYOU has an interest in supporting local businesses. And if you’d like to support Youngstown’s local businesses, they made it super easy to do so using their YO! App
The app was made by experts @ColuApp and is sponsored by @CityofYOU. It rewards you for shopping locally by giving you points with a dollar equivalent to redeem at participating businesses (of which there are over 135!)
Maybe you can use some of those points (called City Bites) to get a bite of a kolachi, one of Mahoning County’s most popular doughy desserts served at a variety of bakeries in Youngstown.
Youngstown’s population decline has resulted in a troubling rate of vacant and abandoned homes. @YoungstownNDC has been working for nearly 2 decades to stabilize and revitalize the city’s neighborhoods.
.@YoungstownNDC innovative approaches and untiring commitment to neighborhood and resident stability have made it a national model for community development.
The @ywchamber just celebrated its 30th year of operation this month! In 1993, the Youngstown, Warren and Niles Chambers of Commerce merged to become one entity that would serve the entirety of Mahoning and Trumbull Counties.
Youngstown residents are showing rising support for the rights of tenants as well. Only a few months ago, residents took direct action and complained to their city council about their living conditions.
City council and the mayor @YtownTitoBrown’s office have already taken steps to address the rather inhuman situation, and Kelli Way, who led the call, along with three others have gone on to form the Go-Getters Tenant Association.
Youngstown celebrated their first African-American mayor in November 2005.
Jay Williams made #BlackHistory when he became the youngest mayor in Youngstown history. Leaving to work with @CommerceGov, and is now the head of @HartfordFdn
If Youngstown residents would like to contribute to this city’s history of excellence they should participate in the Needs Assessment Survey being administered by the Youngstown City Health District.
Fill it out here: Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
Physical health isn’t the only priority. @YoungstownState just received a 50K grant to fund wellness programs, as well as teach coaches and staff mental health first aid, better equipping them to meet the needs of students in high-intensity programs.
A picture of Youngstown State University’s Jones Hall, a large white building akin to a cathedral.
It’s clear #Youngstown is committed not only to the physical health, but also social, educational and financial health of the community as well. Which is something we at GOPC can fully get behind.
If you ever get the chance you should see for yourself all that the beautiful @CityofYOU has to offer, since there’s no way it can be summed up in a single thread.