Youngstown: life at its fullest

These are a few of my favorite things: shows at the Oakland, walks in Mill Creek Park, downtown festivals. Youngstown has plenty of attractions and events to keep us occupied. But my favorite thing of all is getting together with friends, eating, drinking and talking.

This weekend is a perfect example of all that is great about Youngstown: Friday night Rob Joki at the Oakland, Saturday night Zou and Digimob at Cedars, Monday night Lars Brondum and Elsa Higby at UUYO…

Yesterday, however, was my favorite day. We host a semi-regular potluck at our house for friends and neighbors, and yesterday we welcomed a new couple to town. They bought a couple of duplexes (duplices?) on the West side and are fixing them up to rent out. They are coming from Berkeley, where they looked around the country for the most affordable and excellent places to live, picking Youngstown from their short list for its centrality to great locations like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago and New York.

More than thirty people turned out to show support for Clint and Howard, despite the downpour preceding and the mugginess pervading the afternoon. We sat for hours sharing stories and thoroughly enjoyed everyone’s company.

Later in the evening, we attended another neighborhood get-together, which welcomed a new family to Fifth Avenue. They have five kids, which will exponentially increase the number of children living on upper Fifth Avenue. We chatted with the familiar neighbors and met the new ones.

It underscores why we’re here. We’re in Youngstown because the people here are unlike anywhere else. They are warm, caring, open and committed to the City. When we first arrived, a neighbor appeared at our door with dinner, ensuring that we had a great first night in our home. We’ve never forgotten it. It set the tone for our return, and we want everyone who comes to Youngstown to feel just as welcome. It makes a difference.

With the low cost of living, proximity to great locations, unmatched natural resources, incredible people, vibrant arts and proud history, Youngstown provides a platform for living life to its fullest. My friend Paul forwarded a quote this morning from the back cover of William Brenner’s 1976 “Downtown and the University”:

To all who are dissatisfied with their present home we give a cordial invitation to come to Youngstown. We have plenty of room for Skilled Labor or for Capital, and our latchstring hangs on the outside to all who are seeking health, a happy home, education or investment.

Paul said, “It made me smile.” Me, too.

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