10 reasons why Youngstown’s alive, well

By DIANE DIPIERO

Forbes Magazine decided to publish an article about the country’s “fastest-dying” cities and chose to toss the Youngstown area into the mix. There is no denying that the city has changed in many ways — a lot of them negative.

What the article failed to mention is that the city still has a pulse, which could grow stronger if area residents and others accentuated the positive (and did their best to eliminate the negative). The problem is that Northeast Ohio has an inferiority complex, and that needs to stop.

I no longer live in the Mahoning Valley, but I come back often and I carry my Youngstown pride with me everywhere I go. I can think of many reasons to prove to Forbes and others that the Youngstown area is indeed alive. Here are 10 of those reasons:

The People: I left Youngstown for Penn State University in 1982, a young adult eager to see what the rest of the world held. I lived in New York for 10 years, and have been in Cleveland for 13. In all the years that I’ve been away, I have never felt like a stranger when I return to the Youngstown area.

Family and friends in Coitsville, Campbell and neighboring towns have embraced me every time I’ve come back to visit. They’ve also adopted my husband and children as part of their extended family.

There is a strong sense of community among the people in Youngstown that is hard to find elsewhere. Talk comes easily, and if you don’t directly know someone, you can inevitably find a common connection. It’s something that I’ve searched for in other places, but I have never felt it stronger than in Youngstown.

The Faith: Youngstowners don’t hold onto their faith because they’re bitter about the past; they treasure it because it’s part of who they are. With all the talk of the world becoming secular and people forgetting their faith, you don’t see that happening here. That faith keeps people grounded in solid values and principles.

Strong Political Beliefs: I grew up listening to Dan Ryan on the radio and began to recognize the voices of regular callers who would debate the state of local and national politics. On holidays, our extended family would gather and talk passionately about political issues in Campbell, Youngstown and the country. People in the Youngstown area are savvy when it comes to politics, and they’re not afraid to speak their minds. It’s refreshing, and it makes for great conversations.

The Ethnic Flavor: This is one of the most welcoming features about this area. You can learn so much about different customs and cultures just by spending a few hours in Youngstown. Plus, where else can you find excellent spaghetti, pirohy, baklava and other ethnic treats in such a small area?

Canfield Fair: The Canfield Fair will celebrate its 162nd year at the end of this month, and has become a tradition for so many. I’ve introduced my kids to it, and it is becoming an annual event for us.

Mill Creek Park: 2,600 acres, 20 miles of drive, 15 footed trails. Boating, fishing, golfing. It’s a treasure that many in the area take for granted.

Butler Institute of American Art: I took a few school field trips to this museum, but didn’t appreciate its significance until I was older and realized that not every city had a museum that charged no admission fee to see the works of John Singleton Copley, John Singer Sargent and Albert Bierstadt. Did you know the Butler is called “America’s Museum”? (Take that, Forbes.)

Youngstown Business Incubator: To date, YBI companies have created 170 jobs, garnered customers in 44 countries, developed 19 new commercial software applications and entered into joint marketing agreements with companies such as Dell and Microsoft.

The Greening Project: Instead of cursing the long-gone steel mills and dreaming of the days when Youngstown was a sprawling urban community, forward-thinking locals are working to create green space and community gardens. It’s a big step in redeveloping a city.

Youngstown State University: One hundred years of educating students and working to better the community.

I’m sure we could come up with many, many more great things about Youngstown if we put our heads together. Now it’s time to share them with the rest of the country. I believe that reports of this region’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Do you?

X Diane DiPiero is a freelance writer living in Cleveland Heights.