Youngstown, Ohio | What Happened To This Place? 

I'm 67 and grew up there. The mills closed and everybody and their cousin left town. They knew it was the begining of the end for the town.

I've always said you know you're in Youngstown when you can't tell the difference between a lived in house and an abandoned house. I've lived in Youngstown my whole life.

I grew up on the Sharon Line, but left at 18 when I moved away for college. My father worked at Youngstown Sheet and Tube, and later at General Motors (GM). It wasn't a bad place to live in the 60's and 70's despite the high crime rate. It's heartbreaking to see how the city has deteriorated since the mills shut down, and now GM is closed too. Thank you for documenting this.

I grew up in Warren, just north of Youngstown. My grandfathers worked in the mills - Van Huffel and Republic Steel, and my dad was at GM. Both my kids were born in Ytown. I stayed until my 30s, but there was nowhere left to work. Moved to SC, then FL. Warren looks almost as bad as Youngstown. Sad how far the area has fallen. Lot of good hard working people there. And some great pizza!

From Youngstown. It’s sad to see but still love where I grew up. It’s a tough town. It’s made me who I am today and wouldn’t have the success I do now if I didn’t grow up here.

Living in East Liverpool, OH I thought I saw some of the worst that Ohio had to offer, but as I've grown up it seems like most of Ohio has gone through the ringer. I used to go to Youngstown State University and it always pained me to drive through these neighborhoods. I hope with time Youngstown can recover because this place has a lot of heart behind it, it just needs a little love to get going again.

I grew up in Youngstown, south side and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, went to Youngstown College (YSU), was also working at Youngstown Sheet and Tube, and got drafted. I moved back 50 years later and could not believe what had become of the people and city. I bought a farm in southern Ohio and go back about once a year to see family.

What happened to Youngstown? Well been in this area my whole life and the answer to that is, the steel mills closed.

I worked one summer at Youngstown Sheet & Tube, went to YSU, lived in Youngstown, long ago. Sorry to see what a ghost town it has become...

Havent seen these streets with my eyes in a very very long time. Thanks for the flashback. The street i grew up on only has 2 houses left. All the schools i grew up attending are gone. Sad Sad. Its like Ytown is slowly dying.

I used to drive around Youngstown about 10 years ago for work and it was quite depressing seeing these once lively neighborhoods and large homes deteriorate. Downtown there is some revitalization but I didn't see many other areas in good shape.

This is what all of America is going to look like

Definitely visceral to see our city like this, and I understand you're seeking out the blight, but they're a ton of great people, art, buildings, and neighborhoods claiming it for themselves. To be clear, i feel every city has many faces. Thanks for sharing.

There are enough abandoned homes to shelter all the homeless in Ohio .

Westlake, Briar Hill, The Victories, Plaza View, Hayes Jr. High, Albert Street, Lala Land. I have good memories of all of these areas. My mother still lives in the home my father had built for us. Good times 😀

People need good paying jobs to keep up on homes or improve or rebuild but sadly in Ohio most people live paycheck to paycheck. This is the result.

I lived there for about 10 years, worked at the Ohio Works and YS&T. I lived on the Westside. I hated to leave there when the mills closed down. If the mills wouldn't have closed down, I never would have left, of all the places I've lived Youngstown will always be my favorite.

Born and raised in Ohio. I am really heartbroken over this video.

Is it weird to say as a California transplant that I miss those overcast skies?! I'm a Clevelander, but lived in Youngstown for some time. This feels like home. California has natural beauty, is it weird to say I find this beautiful as well? love urban decay.

youngstown born and raised here! great video

I mean, at least we have one of the best parks in the nation with Mill Creek..

I live here. It's sad..

Born and raised here and lost my older brother & little brother to street crime back in 2006. The energy is so stagnant and vexed here, and the Mob did a good job at destroying it 1st. Can't make this up. Born at St. ELIZABETH & RAISED ON THE EAST SIDE.

The person that did this video has to be from the area. They are going to well known "hoods" and sections that are mostly affiliated with drugs and gangs. If you know you know.

I never knew that area was so bad. It's terrible to see so many vacant buildings and all the boarded-up houses. I'll forget about visiting that area for sure...

Praying ✝️ for USA 🇺🇸 restoration and unity!

“Once I made you rich enough , rich enough to forget my name” The best lyric ever written for this city

S/O to the whole city of Youngstown! But born and raised on the EastSide Garland St..💯

Crying....oh the beauty and hystory those homes have......

I’m sure there are a lot of honest, hardworking people looking for employment there .

Born and raised. Left for California when I was 21. Best move I ever made.

I grew up here on Cordova on the north side… went back recently couldn’t believe my eyes the beautiful dream homes I used to fantasize over are abandoned. I went to hillman elementary and Harding elementary🙂 if u went like in the 90’s comment please.

Live here. Work here. Was waiting for this one…

Just keeps gettin' more 'n more Youngstowny

Born at Northside Hospital 61 years ago, I have a lot of family buried there.

So when you see these many abandoned stores, factories and schools....at what time in history were they flourishing? Because they all look like at one time they were very much used.

"What happened to this place?".......The same thing that happened to every place else.

I have a question for the locals of Youngstown, particularly the east side. I was driving through the Sharon Line neighborhood once, and noticed that several streets are completely abandoned and reclaimed by nature, some of which have even been barricaded by the city. I heard somewhere that Youngstown was supposed to peak at almost a quarter-million residents at one time and those areas were built for future housing, therefore when the steel mills collapsed some of them were never even built. Is that true?

Your microphone does a great job picking up all the sound

The whole town looks so creepy with those abandoned houses gloomy weather and leafless trees

Born and raised in the Suburb of Poland Township (right next to Struthers). Great place in the 70's and 80's . . . So sad now. I have not been back for a while . . . don't really want to go there now.

Born and raised in the YO !!! Grew up on Avon St off of Youngstown Hubbard Road on the east side. Wasn’t bad in the early 80’s, now it’s just bad. No employment from all the steel mills closing and now GM closes. Drugs and violence are running rampant all over the city. It’s where I was born, and it’s where I’ll die. It’ll always be home !!!

Old poorly built structures do not last forever

I grew up in Austintown. Left for university in Oklahoma, then to LA and now close to San Francisco. I have fond memories of my school friends there but haven’t made it back. Graduated in ‘77.

Sweet! I went to YSU back in the 90's. They've torn down over 2000 houses in the past few years i heard but not sure if thats true?

EVERY CITY HAS IT'S BLIGHTED AREAS EVEN OUR NATION'S CAPITAL , I WISH YOU WOULD HAVE SHOWED THE OTHER AREA'S AS WELL , YOUNGSTOWN IS MUCH MORE THEN WHAT YOU FILMED .

As someone who’s been born and raised in SoCal (SD) I can’t stand any more “perfect” weather and neighborhoods, Ohio has a strange beauty to it that i am craving - I’m actually planning on moving to Ohio real soon. Probably gonna try Cleveland at first but i was considering Youngstown later on when I can afford to buy some property.

Have you ever tried submitting your footage to Fox News or Newsmax? I'm glad that you are documenting the decimation and devastation that was brought on by the closures of the steel mills, some forty to fifty years ago. The rest of the country needs to know what those of us who grew up in these communities have known for nearly most of our lives. Thank you for what you are doing and I hope you continue to do so. Maybe Matt Walsh might be interested?

Deindustrialization did this just like in Huntington, WV where you did a video once.

I have been a resident of Youngstown Ohio since my birth on July 6th, 1952...Youngstown, Ohio has been going down hill since the Steel mills closed in 1982 My deceased husband Antonio Sorbara used to work at Wm. B Pollock company for many years.

Watching over here in Liverpool, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

The Projects sure didn't look like that when we lived there in the 60's! They were just a little better than a cardboard box!

So much property and abandoned-ness. If the city out work into some of these neighbors and actually took the time to invest in these communities… Youngstown would be beautiful.

Mills died and so did the city

One of the best places to live from1900 to 1960s now it one of the worst.

For a while there every great American boxer trained in Youngstown.

Sadly, this is America now. For a lot of reasons. If you look into the numbers and statistics it’s not hard to see why.

I grew up on the east side of Youngstown and the city is in bad shape they did this on purpose I remember idora park coming up I still consider this home alot of memories

How about Gary and Indianapolis, Indiana.

Hey we got nice parks at least

Credit the EPA for mill closing. Had relatives on the east side. Constant filth in the air. Both lived until their eighties. Th y e were frugal ,grew a large garden. Home still stands stripped of siding by thieves.

Unless you’re from Mars, what happened to Youngstown and many other rust belt cities and towns (Check Gary, IN) isn’t a mystery or a conspiracy or a politics. This video shows the aftermath of economic catastrophes from decades ago. It’s simply the closure of the primary employers. First the mills, which employed area folks for generations and then GM-Lordstown. No jobs means people leave. When people leave, businesses close. If folks aren’t working at those good paying mill or GM jobs, they can’t afford to keep up their homes. With fewer people and fewer businesses to contribute property or sales taxes to the city, services like maintenance and repair of streets suffers, schools close, neighborhoods are emptied. The same cycle

Where are the jobs in Ohio for people to stay or want to come to the area???????????

IT SEEMS THAT IN EVERY STATE, CITIES ARE JUST FALLING APART, NO JOBS, PEOPLE MOVING TO OTHER PLACES. LITTLE BY LITTLE, THE COUNTRY IS BECOMING FULL OF GHOST TOWNS.

Well this is sad but where in Youngstown is it? Downtown? Which I thought they were renovating.

Come può un posto così bello essere abbandonato a se stesso?

Cool area ☺

I grew up In Warren and use to come to the meat market on Saturdays with my dad and Grandma great towns back than 330✊🏿

This is Zanesville Ohio too in way too many ways and other location these town try forcing to annexation on

Looks like the third world. I'm originally from Campbell. Would rather be homeless in Los Angeles- which I was for almost three years - then live in a mansion in the Y-town area.

Gee, I wonder who lives in all that public housing? Don't see any FATHERS out cutting the grass. 🤔

If the city would start give out Citations or 30 days notice for houses that are mess up or abandoned people would start fixing there houses and tickets for grass higher then 4 inches...I live in the Eastside right now

Hubbard warren youngstown weirton sreubenville midland all steel towns. All gone no work.

The Mills closed and the alot of the mob left

The best and brightest from the region moved away.

8:52, I wonder who in the far past was making money well enough to construct that place? It must've been lovely in it's heyday.

Are all the lights still orange Downtown

Sooo glad i left and got my kids outta there

Steel mills closed, why ?

I once lived in a small town just minutes from downtown Youngstown known as Warren Ohio, back during the early 90's. But I've only got one more thing to say is that, has it really gotten this bad in Youngstown? RIP Youngstown, rest in peace.😭

U drove by my junior high school hayes elementary 🙂

Sad😢

That's we're I'm from

My great aunt lives in Youngstown. It's sad what it's become.

Why has it changed so much ?

I lived on the south side it was bad when I lived there

Raised off steel street west side📍

It is so sad what has happened to this town at one time you could go get three different jobs a day and do the same thing the next day !!

Straight Gangstaville

Omg u drove pasted my ol school

Did you see Elpresador ?

I went to YSU, which is the only “nice” part of town!

Sad

Just sad all them people living on top of each other like that no space at all

Southside

😲

Looks like Camden,nj

Grew up near Mill Creek Park neosho Dr

hard to watch

Local here . All government HUD or section 8 housing . I don't go to where you just went. NoNoNo..