Downtown Youngstown is the traditional center of the city of
Youngstown
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. After decades of precipitous decline, the downtown area shows signs of renewal. Civic leaders have expressed hope that the district will emerge as a significant arts and entertainment district within the Youngstown-Warren metropolitan area.
Downtown Youngstown is the site of most of the city's government buildings and banks. A number of entertainment venues are also located in the downtown, including the
Covelli Centre
The Covelli Centre is a multi-purpose arena in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. It opened in 2005, thanks in a large part to a $26 million HUD redevelopment grant secured in 2000 by Congressman James A. Traficant Jr. It is home to the Youngstown ...
,
Powers Auditorium
Powers Auditorium, in Youngstown, Ohio is one of the largest auditoriums in the Youngstown-Warren area. The facility is the main venue of downtown Youngstown's DeYor Performing Arts Center. The complex also includes the Adler Art Academy, Beecher ...
(the original Warner Bros. Theatre), the DeYor Performing Arts Center, and Oakland Centers for the Performing Arts. In addition, the downtown sits to the immediate south of notable cultural and educational resources, including
Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio.
The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges a ...
, the
Butler Institute of American Art, and the McDonough Museum of Contemporary Art.
1970–2002
Youngstown's traditional downtown area fell into steep decline in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Amid the departure of retail businesses along the main thoroughfare of West Federal Street, municipal officials made a decision to close the street to vehicle traffic in order to build a pedestrian-oriented shopping area. By the mid-1980s, most of the downtown area's department stores and movie theaters had closed up. Meanwhile, the city's car dealerships relocated in the suburbs. By the early 1990s, the downtown had become a stark symbol of the community's economic decline.
2002–present
![Youngstown Wells Building](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Youngstown_Wells_Building.jpg)
In the early 2000s, municipal officials took steps to reverse Youngstown's economic difficulties. They presented a citywide redevelopment plan known as Youngstown 2010. One of the plan's primary goals was to facilitate the revival of the downtown area. One of the municipal government's first steps was to re-open West Federal Street to traffic, a project that was completed in early 2005.
While the city has been less successful in drawing large retail businesses back to the downtown, older buildings are being refurbished for smaller businesses, while others have been razed to make way for new buildings. The downtown is currently the site of the
Covelli Centre
The Covelli Centre is a multi-purpose arena in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. It opened in 2005, thanks in a large part to a $26 million HUD redevelopment grant secured in 2000 by Congressman James A. Traficant Jr. It is home to the Youngstown ...
, which has given Youngstown a professional hockey team, and formerly an Arena Football League 2 franchise. At first the Covelli Centre was running at a loss, however it has been consistently profitable for several years as of 2016.
Economy of Downtown Youngstown
Downtown's economy largely depends on companies whose offices are located in the area and the university.
Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio.
The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges a ...
is the largest employer in the city, and the headquarters of Home Savings and Loan is also located downtown. Other companies with offices downtown include
JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the ...
,
FNB Corporation
F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB) is a diversified financial services corporation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the holding company for its largest subsidiary, First National Bank. As of September 30, 2022, FNB has total assets of nearly $4 ...
,
Huntington Bancshares
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is an American bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company is ranked 521st on the Fortune 500, and is 26th on the list of largest banks in the United States.
The company's banking sub ...
,
KeyBank
KeyBank, the primary subsidiary of KeyCorp, is a regional bank headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and is the only major bank based in Cleveland. KeyBank is one of the largest banks in the United States.
Key's customer base spans retail, small b ...
,
PNC Bank
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (stylized as PNC) is an American bank holding company and financial services corporation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its banking subsidiary, PNC Bank, operates in 27 states and the District of ...
,
InfoCision
InfoCision Management Corporation is a company that operates call centers. Based in Bath Township, Ohio outside of Akron, it is the second-largest teleservice company in the United States. It operates 30 call centers at 12 locations in Ohio, West ...
, and The Youngstown Business Incubator. The
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
has a large branch located in downtown that is a large employer.
The Youngstown Business Incubator houses several small, (B2B Software) technological companies. The Incubator occupies one historic building. The incubator has been expanding as of 2016-2017, converting the old vindicator building.
The old Stambaugh building, which once housed the Youngstown Sheet and Tube headquarters has been renovated to a 4 star Double Tree by Hilton hotel, in 2018. In 2019, the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater opened alongside a Riverfront park, and Huntington Community Alley.
External links
Official website of the City of YoungstownYoungstown 2010 A citywide revitalization effort
{{Youngstown
Youngstown, Ohio
Neighborhoods in Youngstown, Ohio