Is It Wise To Move Back To Steubenville Area???????????? (Martins Ferry: section 8, real estate)

[JoeP]

Well in its defense, crime and grit are limited to rundown neighborhoods just like Cleveland or any city. The problem is that Stuebenville was a small city/town dedicated to steel. It didn't have anything to aborb that loss and has made little gains. It's a very challenging thing to overcome. If there were even a little outside investment job-wise, you could see some traction, and employees could find very inexpensive homes in decent traditional neighborhoods, but as it stands very little is happening.

[Orwelleaut]

After reading all of these negative thoughts on Steubenville specifically and the Ohio Valley generally, I am bothered by the lack of realism in this.

FIrst of all, I have been to Myrtle Beach. Would I go back? Absolutely, positively not. The beach was beautiful, but that is the only good thing I can say about it. The locals down there were pretty rude and ignorant acting, and had an almost unintelligible accent. The tourists were mostly wealthy folks from Jersey and Boston, and the locals obviously want their East Coast money.

If anyone looks up crime statistics, they will see that Myrtle Beach has far more crime than Steubenville. The SOuth in general has high crime, and any NOrtherner with a modicum of good judgment and sense about people can see that if they travel down there. The manners thing is fake B.S., and is based on a class system where working people and those of color are supposed to feel and act subordinate to the entrenched wealthy class who made their wealth generations ago through owning slaves.

While Steubenville, Ohio, surely has problems, this old OHio Valley city has many positives that Myrtle Beach lacks. The first is low crime. Steubenville may be a little rough in the city proper, but nothing like a bigger city or like the average Southern city. Steubenville is close to the culture of Pittsburgh, yet surrounded by beautiful, peaceful countryside. Nearby places like Martins Ferry, MIngo Junction, Cadiz, etc., are small town AMerica all the way, and are great little towns. Due to the peaceful nature of these places, the Steubenville-Weirton metro area ranks as one of the safest metro areas in the country. Nearby Metro Wheeling usually ranks as the safest metro area, along with Beaver County, PA, JOhnstown and Altoona, PA. Pittsburgh also ranks as the safest major city metro area in the nation. If one cares to look up crime stats, Pittsburgh has a homicide rate for just the city of Pittsburgh that stands out as far lower than any other major city.

While I do suspect that Steubenville has a pretty high rate of assault/battery and lots of drugs and I know for a fact that folks from other nearby Ohio Valley towns are a little afraid of Steubenville, we must look at the big picture reality of this: There is only 1 city within 100 miles of Pittburgh, PA or Cleveland, Ohio, that has a sever crime problem that even compares to the crime of the average Southern city. That city is YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO. Youngstown, as a city, without including the surrounding metro area, is in the top 10 most dangerous cities in AMerica. That is a fact. In Ohio, two other cities, Cleveland and Dayton, are also quite dangerous. Interestingly, though, when the crime stats are figured for those three Ohio metro areas, they are all safer than average. The reality is that the Ohio Valley, while economically depressed, is one of the safest places to live in the U.S. Steubenville, being the roughest city in this valley, is the one valley town that has crime issues. Still, Steubenville, compared to bigger cities, real high crime cities like YOungstown, Flint, Michigan, and most Southern cities, is nothing more than a rather rough old steel town. Pittsburgh has a couple of other old steel towns within its' orbit like Steubenville, like McKeesport, Homestead, Beaver Falls, and Aliquippa. These towns are all rough, hard-bitten old steel towns. They are all places with many bar fights, lots of druggies, little opportunity and dwlndling populations as the educated and ambitious leave. WHile they are rough, though, these kinds of places do not compare to places like Youngstown or Flint. It is rare for someone to be shot in these towns. It does happen, yes, but it is not the norm. These are switch blade in the pocket, talk with your fists towns where one is likely to be robbed if they appear to have money.

I may be wrong, but I suspect Steubenville is a Beaver Falls, not a Youngstown. It is a place locals are afraid of because of lots of fights and robberies, as well as prostitution and panhandling. This is, I think, why folks from the surrounding area avoid the downtown.

So, should one move back to Steubenville? I would give a definitive "no" as an answer. But, should one think Steubenville is murder capital USA? Also a definitive "no". Most importantly, should one avoid the Ohio Valley due to Steubenville? Another definitive "no". Should one move back to the Steubenville-Weirton area? This I would give a definitive "yes", as long as one has their means for securing a livelihood planned and in place before returning. Toronto, another river town jsut NOrth of Steubenville, is a great little town, as is Wellsville, another river town up by East Liverpool.

[MagooASU]

Originally Posted by italianbluesboy

Last year I was visiting the area and I parked near the steel mill and walked around. Later that evening I went to my friend's in Wheeling and he said, "What!?? You mean you walked around Steubenville??? Somebody gets murdered up there every other day!" The next week he emailed me a news article about a homicide in Steubenville the day before and he said, "See what I mean?"

Wow, he e-mailed you about ONE homicide and that's supposed to back up your friends claim?

Originally Posted by Jashrema

Have family from there. I wouldn't move there under any circumstances. It's like when you come over the hill, there's a black cloud over that city...of course also up in the clouds are the helicopters patrolling cuz crime is so bad. If you google the "Wu Tang" (Supposedly the most violent gang in existence now) they are headquartered in Steubenville. My friend says that NO ONE goes into the downtown area if they care about their safety.

You and your friend have no clue what you are talking about. There is NO black cloud over the city, there are NO helicopters patrolling the city. The only ones that I ever saw while living there for 20 years was the helicopters from the hospital. Your friend is WRONG, I never had problems in the downtown area whether it was noon or midnight. I'm not going to get into the Wu Tang thing because there are so many rumors about that it's pretty funny.


I left two years ago after living in Steubenville for the first 20 years of my life. Like any city there are some area that have had drug problems. The downtown area isn't that bad but that area isn't nearly what it used to be according to my grandparents. Much of the problem has to do with the elected officials. They do nothing to make the city better. They actually sold the only public golf course to the university in town. People in town will complain about the direction of the city and then will vote the SAME PEOPLE in office in the next election.

If anyone moves into the area I suggest sending your children to Steubenville City Schools. It is an excellent public school district and they have put millions of dollars into a new middle school that opened a few years ago, and have started building a new elementary school, and major improvements to Steubenville High School. The great thing about Steubenville is that the citizens support the school district unlike the people in surrounding areas. They're the only district that hasn't had problems passing levies. Heck, Indian Creek Local in Wintersville has certain classes taught in trailers outside of the school.

I wouldn't suggest moving back to the area but don't believe the people in the area outside of Steubenville. The things they say about the city and the people that live and are from there are just plain ludicrous. The people from the Ohio Valley will say Steubenville is a gang banger city while the rest of the state thinks we're a bunch off hicks. They're both wrong, but I guess rumors are fun to pass along.

[lostintime]

Wow ..... it is funny how rumors are spread . You'd think it's all crime and gang bangers . Stop spreading the crap. I've lived in Steubenville for the last 10 years and feel no more/less safe than Rochester,Mn where I grew up ..... or Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Flagstaff and Austin Texas ....... cities I spent significant time in.

The economy isn't thriving or all that varied, and at times the air stinks ...... but if you fit into that economy and don't mind the air sometimes, it's livable . The cost of housing is much lower.

But hey .... when I see those billboards proclaiming this city as a burb of Pittsburgh ...... I can only roll with laughter What were they smoking when they thought up that slogan ?

[BuckeyezRule]

Well, my husband is from Martins Ferry. His family is almost all still living there. I do remeber going into a gas station to get a pop in Steubenville & the clerk told me I should be careful to be out after dark there. I was thinking, 'buddy, I'm from Akron.' LOL Anyway, there are all different sorts. I would not live in any of those small cities as I'm too used to big city living & amenities. If we were to move there, it would probably be to St. Clairsville, as it is one of the few cities growing down there. =)

[Mortgagestar]

I have written many articles about the "Rust Belt" including Steubenville. Dean Martin,"Jimmy The Greek" Snyder, and a few others left "Da Ville".. The city and county are very politically corrupt and have been dominated by the same political party for over 70 years. Hence, ultimate power yeilds ultimate corruption. The city has a mayor for life who does nothing but collects wages for ad hoc positions. The police were on a Federal Corruption Decree for nearly 20 years. The sheriff was indicted for racketeering and his brother ran the Democratic Committe for years while even been convicted of racketeering and yet the people keep re electing these folks over and over. You get the government you deserve. The court house is over staffed by family members with graff and the town has boast of thier mob influence. Books written about corruption and even the Ohio Tourist magazine has reported of the political and blue collar crime.
Think about the old run down sections of a large town resembling East Berlin before the wall came down and its Steubenville. Even the high school football program is an issue of ethics. They recruit in two other states and many of the kids go on to either crime or dead from turf wars. The county jail there accepts criminals from other cities to keep matching funds in their budget. The thugs get out and harbour in Steubenville. The "Chicago Boys" are very violent and the drugs,prostitution,and drive byes are common.
Read these books; "Twelve Agaist The Underworld", "The Master Mechanic", and "Meeting At The Crossroads". The town and county has a reputation for shaking down any business wanting to locate there and several have been convicted of this via federal sting operations over the decades.
Unfortunately, most demographics combine Weirton,West Virginia with Steubenville as a metro center and this yields false data as Weirton is 180 degrees different in many categories. Weirton has seen a sharp rise in crime due to legalized gambling recently. However, most of the criminals are from Steubenville committing crime in Weirton. Go to Steubenville/Wheeling breaking news, local headlines, weather, sports and free classifieds. and Weirton Daily Times.
Stay in Myrtle Beach and avoid Steubenville. Its a small town with big city problems. Its called Lil Chicago for a reason.

[Humanisticnick]

I personally live in Steubenville about 9 months out of the year, I'm a student up on the hill, or as a "towny" would call a "franny". I do have to say the downtown is scary as can be, dark, mostly deserted, crime, poverty, shootings. Although I recently took a walk with a friend in downtown area, it has such capablites and yet it's so empty? I am originally from the Tampa metro area, where over the last 14 years every scrap of land is being dug up to be turned into something, and moving to a town where everything is being closed is weird. The crime is especially high in certain areas, but if you cant see those areas coming from a mile a-way you are hopeless anyways, there are some nice areas, areas i wouldn't mind moving out of my florida home for, the economy is creeping in, with zero help from county offical may i add. Some fellow students and I wanted to move into a downtown building clean it up and start a shop there, BEFORE we could even start, because it is a historic center or something it would be a MIN of ~$200,000!!!! thats like 9 houses in Steuby. Anyways I wouldn't move there by choice because there are plenty more beautiful places to call home, without the crime, and nasty smelling air (btw, WTF!). But for those who live there, it is what is home. The economy sucks, but it makes for a college town dream everything is cheap, you can rent an entire house for $450/ a month, friends buy old crappy houses from the county for $3,500, food is low as well, cross the bridge $1 bowling, I mean no there is nothing to do but in a weird way I don't mind calling it a second home.

[Floridanative2]

Originally Posted by htlong

i drove down the w va side of the river from east liverpool to wheeling in december and i caught a glimpse of steubenville for my first time and i think i figured out why dean martin left!!!
if youve been in myrtle beach for ten years........get ready for a shock!
from accross the river it looked like steubenville was back in the 1940's

How was East Liverpool? I have not been there for quite a long time. Look the same? Have heard it has sprauled a bit.

[pacjam]

I have lived in Steubenville just about 20 years. Things have been going down hill rapidly. The last five years have been the worse. Jobs are disappearing, taxes have gone way up, the older people die and no one takes their place. The city, county complex has the local paper go along with just about every tax increase. We just had a huge water bill increase, taxes and fees just keep climbing and more people leave. It is a bad cycle that appears to have no ending. If not for route 22 to Pittsburgh this town would be a ghost town. Every morning you see hundreds if not thousands of cars leaving this valley for work in Pittsburgh. Things continue like this and Steubenville will no longer be a city in a few years. Nothing is progressive about this town, the same old tired solutions are offered for our problems, usually more taxes. Think twice and then 100 times more before coming back.

[Mortgagestar]

Father Attacks Son's Killer In Courtroom

POSTED: 3:24 pm EDT August 6, 2007
UPDATED: 8:54 am EDT August 7, 2007


The father of a shooting victim was detained after he attacked his son's killer in the courtroom Monday. He has since been released by police, according to county officials.

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