Youngstown, Ohio, revival gains momentum in former heart of America’s steel industry

For decades, Youngstown, Ohio, was a red-hot beating heart of America’s steel industry, providing families like Mike Chismar’s with real prosperity.

“That’s why my grandparents came to America. But seeing it now, it’s heartbreaking,” Chismar said.

The heartbreak was plain to see when CBS News recently visited the city as crews were knocking down a 100-year-old steel mill — the latest installment in a process that started nearly 50 years ago. One 1982 headline said it all: “Youngstown, Ohio, Jobless Rate Is Highest In Nation” — describing the city’s then-25% unemployment rate.

But business owner Aspasia Lyras says the story of Youngstown today isn’t about what they lost, it’s about what they’ve forged.

“Tough times don’t last. Tough cities do. That’s our slogan,” Lyras told CBS News.

Her spot, Penguin City Brewing, was an abandoned factory floor just three years ago.

“I just wanted to be a part of this revitalization,” Lyras said.

Derek McDowell’s flea market next door to Lyras is packed and humming when it’s open once a month, but when it’s closed, the same building looks and sounds like the past.

It’s another example of using the shell of the city’s history to launch its future. Even sunlight had not come into the building for decades. The windows were hidden under corrugated metal before McDowell removed them.

“We’re going to uncover what was once covered to show you that there’s new life for the city of Youngstown by letting the light back into a place like this,” McDowell said, adding, “We have a future here.”

Today, the unemployment rate in Youngstown is just a few points over the national average. The population has stabilized, and the number of people working is finally back up to pre-COVID levels.

When asked what other cities can learn from what they’re doing in Youngstown, Lyras said, “We can do a lot here, more than just steel.”

Youngstown’s comeback isn’t flashy and isn’t a headline. It’s a heartbeat — slow, steady and picking up speed.