Steubenville, Ohio | A Rust Belt City In Decline

Steubenville, OH is a Rust Belt city that has been on the decline for many decades. With the loss of mills and industries, people are simply having to move away to find jobs. Crime is high, as is the poverty. There's so many abandoned homes and businesses, its truly sad to see. On the uptick, amenities are pretty good, and housing prices are much cheaper than average. Not all is bad, there are some pretty decent places on the hillside away from these areas, and some really cool architecture. For now though, let's check out the hardest hit parts!

By the way, the majority of this was filmed back in December, however I included some clips from when I was there back at the time I filmed the East Liverpool, Ohio video. So there will be some differences that you can see, and a few of those buildings are no longer there, glad I got them before they were gone, a nice little piece of history now.

[susanjacquier]

Watching from afar (Australia), I can't help but think the cities most affected by these sad situations, are hit by the 'perfect storm ' of loss of hope, dignity and ability. When we lose our jobs to 'overseas' manufacturing, close down industries and shop online, we create an unstable community. It's happening here to a far lesser degree, but still holds true. Such beautiful buildings reduced to rats nests....it's heart breaking.

[pdfenton]

I was born there in 1942 and had a wonderful childhood, adolescence, and teen years at SHS. Left in 1963. So many beautiful memories. This saddens me.

[bobhague]

My dad's hometown. He grew up on Logan St. in a mostly Irish neighborhood dubbed "the Patch." One thing I noticed when returning for a funeral in the early 2000s was how much better the air quality was with the decline in heavy industry. It would make our eyes burn when we visited grandparents & relatives in the 1970s. Even then the city was already declining.

[HackHunter]

Holy cow, we use to run up to the Ville in the early 80's. Roller skating and visiting family. Seeing the side of that brick building with the Weirton Steel sign hits home. This one was tuff to watch. I feel bad for the people that have no other choice but to still live there.

[richardblayneamerican]

The sight of the abandoned schoolhouse especially makes me think of what used to be: children pouring out the front door of the school, talking and laughing, as the bell rings. These videos are sad, but always fascinating.

[snakebait]

Back in the 60's, my High School, Erie East in Erie Pa., would play Steubenville in football. It's really sad to see such a decline of a once prosperous City. An economic crash in 79 made me escape Erie with my family with no regrets!

[Kat-trig]

My sister went to Franciscan University in Steubenville. We'd go down to pick her up every Friday and then take her back every Sunday night. The city was in rough shape back then, 25 years ago. But from the looks of this video, it has gotten much, much worse.

[mayavenuemisfit]

I remember years ago seeing commercials and ads where Steubenville tried to convince Pittsburgh-area residents to move there, marketing itself as "the 'burb of the 'Burgh".

On paper it seemed like a really good idea, as Ohio has many advantages and "perks" that Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania as a whole does not: cheaper gas, lower cost-of-living, lower taxes, lower land costs, no vehicle inspections, etc. Steubenville itself is positioned in a very advantageous location, 25 miles from the airport and 35 miles from downtown. Not to mention the fact that you have Kroger over there, which is a much better grocery store chain than Giant Eagle.

Unfortunately though, as this video is proof of, that idea just never seemed to gain ground.

[krockpotbroccoli]

My wife is from Ohio, outside of Youngstown specifically. Every time she sees these videos she's astounded at what has become of these places. And its not that they weren't decaying when she left, its that its only been 12 years since she left and those years have not been kind to those towns.

[kathleenroush]

So depressing. My husband grew up across the river. It’s was a booming place in 1972 when he took me up there for the first time

[eyebleach]

Those are actually beautiful houses, some still looks occupied, even some of the buildings also looked like it was just built a couple of years ago. I am imagining how they all looked like during their heyday. The downtown area is so quiet and empty, even the echoes of the joyous past can no longer be heard. Sad to see houses that were once considered the pride of everyone living there has now become a forgotten relic of their once glorious past... Those homes and buildings are beautiful and haunting to look at..

[jamieryall]

Even if you lived in a nice house, you'd have to drive past all these derelicts. Dean Martin's hometown.

[PortlandsTransport]

Your videos always capture the despair

[timothywilliams]

I teach at the university in this town... worst decision I ever made. One after another, all my children have moved far away in search of employment. As the senior faculty members retire, what they all most look forward to is the chance to see their kids and grandkids on a regular basis, once they too get to move out of the Ohio Valley.

[panterabreath]

We use to drive from Cleveland to ride dirtbikes out here. Lots of good trails. Sadly not so much for the town.

[MistyDutton]

I live 7 mi away .... boot factory moving operations to other countries is to blame for this. They were a big supplier for this area for jobs. They just laid off more at the end of last year.

[StumpfsCurse]

I live across the river in Follansbee. The economic situation isn't much better here and seems to only worsen by the year. Our coke plants was shut down a few months ago and with it 200+ jobs were lost. We're bleeding people like mad here. Anyone with the means to move have left or are planning to. No one wants to live here anymore outside of some retirees. It's really sad to watch my home state die a slow death.

[ericbacon]

The "nice" buildings in this vid are all section 8 housing. I'm an electrician, I installed all those lighted address signs beside the doors of the section 8 unit doors about 9 years ago.
Sad that the best looking part of this town in the vid is just tax dollars at work.... it really is sad to see abandoned areas like this.

[platbsp]

I was just there, had a great time at The Spot Bar visiting with 1978 classmates! It's still home 💌

[michelledavis]

It’s so saddening to see this. 💔. I still live here but seriously needs to change or many of us are moving away!