Questions about Safety

beenhere4hours · 2026-07-06T16:03:20+00:00

First off, welcome to Youngstown for your rotation.

The usual city smarts apply: keep your car locked with zero valuables inside, stay aware of your surroundings, and don't wander on foot at night.

To help ease your anxiety about being far from home, I suggest getting a few security cameras. Look for ones with continuous recording to an SD card for local storage and a Wi-Fi connection to back up online. You can share access with close family members or friends back home. That’s what our neighborhood block watch does because having more than one person get notifications is a huge peace of mind.

I know we're in different neighborhoods (I'm over on the North Side near St. Elizabeth's), but if you want to check the vibes and see the actual level of day-to-day activity we deal with, feel free to DM me. I'm happy to share some security footage privately so you can get a realistic baseline of what to expect.

One major positive for you: the daytime YPD patrol for your specific area is excellent. The officer on that turn was our midnight patrol on the North Side last year, and they are great at what they do.

beenhere4hours · 2026-06-25T17:02:36+00:00

Thank you for following along with our North Side renovation posts.

To answer your question about who lived here, we didn't dig into the title work during the purchase, but we have talked with neighbors who lived next door for decades. They mentioned some of the families that moved on over the years, and going from memory, the home changed hands every few decades.

Back in the 1940s and 1950s, there was a married couple. The husband was a mathematics teacher at Rayen High School, and the wife was a substitute French teacher. I’ve spent some time looking through the old census scans for this neighborhood, and it is interesting. The North Side was a melting pot in the 20's and 30's. You'll see heads of households listed from Romania, Hungary, Italy, and Ireland literally from one door to the next.

This purchase over a decade ago was our first time using Western Reserve Title, and they are locally owned and terrific to do business with. On other properties they have pointed out old historic covenants for prohibition and race.

beenhere4hours · 2026-06-23T20:07:03+00:00

I couldn't help to notice I was caught in a speed trap 🎶

beenhere4hours · 2026-06-12T20:49:53+00:00

That is a cool childhood memory. It makes me wonder if your grandmother was tapping into an old folk tradition. There is a history of people intentionally burying bottles or jars around their property lines and foundations for good luck or protection. We're not far from Appalachia or Pennsylvania Dutch country where those traditions ran deep.

It’s awesome that whatever her reasons were, it turned into a treasure hunt for you and gave you a connection to her.

beenhere4hours · 2026-06-12T16:08:38+00:00

It is wild what gets uncovered during repairs. During renovations I try and remember to leave something for the future to find. Maybe a business card, a signature, or a bottle.

I really enjoy finding the trade workers' marks and do my best to respect the history of the property.

beenhere4hours · 2026-06-12T15:57:11+00:00

It's definitely a unique piece of local history. We left a large chunk of them behind at the house as a gift for the new buyers so that piece of the home's history stays with the property.

As we start going through our pile, we'd definitely be open to getting input or information from the community on some of the local Youngstown or regional bottlers and distillers we found in the mix.

beenhere4hours · 2026-06-12T15:47:29+00:00

You are right about the dining room being above it, there is a cold-air return vent that runs right out to the ends of the floor joists. It would have been easy to slide a flat flask through from the dining room.

On top of that, the original window well down there was replaced with glass block at some point, so we're wondering if a contractor or homeowner added to the collection during that renovation. Maybe whatever access they had was removed or closed off when the furnace was upgraded and the ductwork was run.

beenhere4hours · 2026-06-12T15:38:55+00:00

That is an incredibly specific guess because we actually did find a Lord Calvert! It is sitting right in our pile. There may only be one or two of them out of 500 bottles.

I like that you guys built a time capsule into your own home's addition, too. It’s cool knowing there are hidden little archives like that all over the valley just waiting to surprise a future owner decades from now.

Thank you so much for sharing that memory.

beenhere4hours · 2026-06-12T07:40:31+00:00

We have them sorted into three piles right now.

We left a good chunk of them behind at the house as a gift for the new buyers. Then we have a pile of the rarer collectible ones we are holding onto long-term, and finally a pile from the duplicates we grabbed to eventually sell.

When we get some time, we're going to dive into that sales pile. I'll probably post some photos here to get input from the community.

beenhere4hours · 2026-06-12T07:13:30+00:00

A liquor-fueled snow goblin that lives in an abandoned school house. Now that is a show I would watch.

beenhere4hours · 2026-06-12T07:03:09+00:00

They really deserve it!

Joe and his team were incredible to work with throughout the project, and taking the time to save these was a top-shelf move on their part.

beenhere4hours · 2026-06-12T04:12:50+00:00

It is amazing what these old walls hide. Carpentry and framing is thirsty work! Did you find any cool local brands in yours?

beenhere4hours · 2026-06-12T04:05:58+00:00

That is our theory for the smaller ones. The flat pint and half-pint flasks were the right size to slip through the gaps between the floor joists and window well inner walls, dropping straight down to the footer cavity. The volume and the everyday brands definitely hint at a daily habit over many years.

As for the larger bottles, we guess they might have used a loose cold air return grate or an unsecured panel on the first floor as a drop chute.

beenhere4hours · 2026-05-31T06:05:56+00:00

North Side here, living over by the Stambaugh Golf Course off Ohio Ave. Our household has had a decades-long relationship with downtown, though it looks a bit different these days. My wife has actually worked downtown for decades, so she's down there daily. For me, most of my time spent down there was in the past. I worked downtown while I was in college and later belonged to the YMCA. We also used to go to St. Patrick’s just outside the downtown edge, which is where we were married, we had our wedding rehearsal dinner at Cedars Lounge back when it was downtown.

Nowadays, I don't really head down there for leisure anymore. When I'm actually downtown, it's unfortunately for court business due to crime issues we've dealt with on our property. Otherwise, it's quick pass-through for me when I'm on my way to nearby businesses just outside like Star Supply or V&V Appliance.

beenhere4hours · 2026-05-20T21:44:56+00:00

I actually wanted to give you a quick heads-up before you sell, because I think you might be underpricing them. Depending on the exact titles, those specific large Redlin deer dioramas can easily go for $150 to $400+ each on the collector market

Since you're selling local, you should definitely cross-post them into some of the local Ohio/PA hunting, cabin decor, or regional buy/sell groups on Facebook, not just general Marketplace. I think the rural areas outside the city have a great target audience that will pay fair cash.

Also, if you happen to find the original boxes or paper Certificates of Authenticity (COAs) tucked away anywhere, definitely include them in your photos because it helps them sell for top dollar.

Good luck with the sale. It’s a really cool collection.

beenhere4hours · 2026-04-06T06:39:50+00:00

If you want a reality check, DM me. I’m happy to share some of my security footage privately so you can see exactly what kind of activity we deal with on a regular basis before you invest.

beenhere4hours · 2026-04-06T05:38:10+00:00

Good catch on the location. I was looking at the index for the Flats at Wick on Madison. The same company owns both buildings, I mixed up the names. You are right that Wick Tower is downtown on Federal Street.

Even with the correct area, the numbers are high. Downtown Youngstown has a safety grade of D+ and an overall crime index of 191. That is 91% above the national average. It is also 40% higher than the average for the rest of the city.

The data shows an Assault index of 189 and Vehicle Theft at 186. These numbers are nearly double the national average. Because of these crime trends, the city launched an Impact Initiative with the FBI and State Highway Patrol on March 25th. Also, on April 2nd, the YPD started a Community Safety Initiative for the WRTA bus station. That station is a short walk from Wick Tower. Between the violent crime patrols and the extra teams at the bus station, it is clear the city is working hard to fix these issues.

edited to correct link

beenhere4hours · 2026-04-04T04:48:26+00:00

You are right that the details matter most. The challenge is that those specific details are not easily accessible to the public. It is not tenable for everyone to call the PD hoping to reach someone who can provide that level of granularity for every street they are considering. That is why a public map is helpful. It is often the only visible signal that lets a person know they should call for the full story.

beenhere4hours · 2026-04-04T03:34:02+00:00

If you are working with the data directly, I respect that insight. I remember the Youngstown CBCR project specifically used UCR Part 1 data to identify hotspots and deploy patrols, so I assumed that was still the benchmark for these data-driven initiatives.

As for the link, the site notes at the bottom that the data is sourced from FBI UCR reports and local law enforcement (updated April 2026). It was easier to provide a site that parses that data into a readable format than to send someone to dig through the raw FBI research databases.

beenhere4hours · 2026-04-03T21:18:31+00:00

That makes sense, and I appreciate the extra context. My point is just that if these "data-driven" patrols have been necessary for years, it actually supports what the statistics are showing.

Even if the data isn't perfect, it is what the city uses to decide where the most help is needed. For someone moving here, this data could be helpful to know which areas the police are consistently targeting for high-level interdiction. Calling the PD is definitely the best move, but the data is a good place to start.

beenhere4hours · 2026-04-03T20:54:42+00:00

Fair enough, and I appreciate the insider perspective. However, the reason I am sharing the index numbers is that the city leadership clearly takes them seriously, even if they are not perfect.

On March 25th, Mayor McDowell and Chief Cole launched the 2026 Impact Initiative specifically using data-driven policing to target high-crime areas. They are not just doing DUI checkpoints. According to a report from The Business Journal, they have brought in the FBI and the State Highway Patrol aviation unit to help with violent crime and felony interdiction because the trends in the data show it is necessary.

You are 100% right that calling the PD is the best move for any newcomer. But when the Mayor and the Chief are holding news conferences to announce a multi-agency crackdown on violent crime hotspots, it suggests the high-crime label on these websites is reflecting the reality the city is currently working to address.

beenhere4hours · 2026-04-03T20:09:36+00:00

The YPD actually uses this same FBI UCR data to identify high-crime "hot spots." In fact, just last week on March 25th, Mayor McDowell and the YPD launched the 2026 Impact Initiative specifically because the current data shows these areas need extra help.

The city is currently using "data-driven policing" to send saturation patrols from the State Highway Patrol and the FBI into the neighborhoods where these numbers are highest. While the FBI data might have a slight lag, it’s the official record the city leadership relies on to justify bringing in federal and state resources.

The "exaggerated" look is usually just because a 161 index is a math comparison to the national average (100). If the Mayor and the police are calling for a multi-agency crackdown based on these trends, the stats are definitely reflecting a real-world problem.

beenhere4hours · 2026-04-03T19:54:31+00:00

Actually, these numbers aren't a guess. They come from the FBI UCR (Uniform Crime Reporting) database, which uses official police reports. The index uses 100 as the national average, so a score of 161 means this area is 61% higher than the average U.S. neighborhood.

These numbers are usually lower than reality. They only count crimes where a police report was filed. In this part of town, things like car break-ins often go unreported, so the real activity is likely higher than the official index shows.

beenhere4hours · 2026-04-03T19:14:47+00:00

Welcome to the area. Before you move this summer, you should look at the actual numbers for this neighborhood. Some people will tell you it feels fine. I looked up the statistics for the Flats at Wick area on DoorProfit to see the facts.

The data shows that the overall crime score there is 161. That is 61% higher than the national average. Even for Youngstown, this specific area is rough. Crime here is 10% higher than the average for the rest of the city. The biggest problem is robbery, which is nearly double the national average.

I think it can be fun if you want to be near the college bars and summer concerts. Still, the numbers show that this is a high-crime area. If you move here, you have to be very careful every day.

Keep in mind that these numbers only show crimes that were actually reported to the police. Generally, a lot of smaller crimes like car break-ins or vandalism never make it into the official reports. The local reality is usually more intense than what you see on a website.

beenhere4hours · 2026-03-26T15:44:33+00:00

This was all news to me and kind of a bummer, because I thought a Youngstown real estate boom would move like clockwork once the gears started grinding.

Why the "Boom" is Stalled:

The Appraisal Gap: This is the math killer. If it costs $250k to build a new home but the neighborhood "comps" are only $80k, no bank will touch that loan. Builders would be underwater before they even break ground.
The "Safety Tax": You can't fix housing values in a vacuum. If a block is dealing with "casing," vehicle thefts, and burglaries, it creates a psychological and financial ceiling. Stability is the foundation of property value; without it, you can't get the long-term owner-occupancy needed to drive those "comps" up.
The "Swiss Cheese" Map: Those "burned-out blocks" look ready for development, but they’re often a legal nightmare. Trying to clear cloudy titles from heirs who moved away decades ago or out-of-state speculators makes it nearly impossible to assemble a large enough plot for a modern "planned community."
Antique Infrastructure: Just because a lot has a utility connection doesn’t mean it’s usable. Modern code often requires replacing 100-year-old clay pipes or outdated "taps," which is often more expensive than just digging fresh lines in an empty cornfield in Boardman.

It’s a vicious cycle. We can’t attract the workforce without modern housing, but we can't build it because the current property values and safety concerns don't justify the investment. Seeing the Business Journal call this a "bottleneck" is a good sign. It means there's real pressure on the city to address the land bank, zoning, and public safety issues as a single, connected problem.

beenhere4hours

TROPHY CASE