Boardman, Ohio

History

Boardman was founded by Elijah Boardman in the late 1780s. Though the CDP of Boardman consists of suburban spillover from Youngstown, Boardman was traditionally an agricultural community with grain crops and apple orchards. Around the turn of the century, the railroad led to Southern Park, a horse racing facility on Washington Boulevard, making the area an early draw for Youngstown urbanites.

Because of its proximity to Youngstown, Boardman was ripe for strip development starting as early as 1950.

Geography

Boardman is located at 41°2′20″N 80°39′55″W (41.038958, −80.665395). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 15.3 square miles (39.6 km²), of which 15.1 square miles (39.2 km²) is land and 0.15 square miles (0.4 km²), or 1.12%, is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 37,215 people, 15,955 households, and 10,211 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,335.8 people per square mile (902.0/km²). There were 16,801 housing units at an average density of 1,054.5/sq mi (407.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.25% White, 2.56% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.80% of the population.

There were 15,955 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $40,935, and the median income for a family was $52,709. Males had a median income of $39,826 versus $25,575 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,757. About 3.6% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under the age of 18 and 5.2% of those 65 and older.

Notable business developments

Edward DeBartolo, Sr., a shopping mall developer, began his company in Boardman. Boardman Plaza on U.S. Route 224 (west of Market Street) was one of the first strip malls in the country. Established in 1950 by DeBartolo, the plaza had three full-service grocery stores within a few hundred feet of each other. Today one must travel at least 3 miles (5 km) to get the same food service. Later, circa 1970, DeBartolo opened the more contemporary Southern Park Mall, near the intersection of US 224 and Market Street.

The fast food chain Arby's opened its first location in Boardman in 1964. The original Arby's store—with the distinctive round roof architecture—remains open as a bird seed store, with a new Arby's right across the street on Route 224 near the Southern Park Mall, owned and operated by the now internationally-known chain.

Also around 1950, the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, one of the great steel makers in the country, opened a modern new suburban headquarters in Boardman (right across Market Street from the DeBartolo Corporation). Here, a whole new "suburban" work environment was started; with a white shirt dress code, it was antiseptic and wholly removed from the dirt and grit of the Mahoning Valley farther north.

When Youngstown Sheet and Tube closed around 1980, a nice campus was left for others to develop. Today, the former headquarters is the center of many medical offices, a Dunkin Donuts and a branch of Youngstown State University.

A commercial suburb

Boardman is a large, sprawling suburb. It is a busy community south of Youngstown composed of many chain restaurants. It is one of the main shopping and retail centers for the greater Youngstown area. Its main competitor is the northern 422 "Strip" in Niles, Ohio (a similar suburb of Warren, Ohio).

While much development is centered on the 224 corridor, a new area of development (even further south) is surging along the South Avenue artery which parallels the southern extension of Interstate 680 between its Midlothian and Western Reserve Road exits.

Boardman abuts one of the Youngstown area's most popular attractions, Mill Creek Park. Within the park grounds, there is an 11-acre (45,000 m²) rose garden, several small waterfalls, a lily pond with geese and turtles, marshlands, and Lanterman's Mill, where grain is ground daily. In addition, there is a 36-hole golf course.

Education

Public education is provided by the Boardman Local Schools school district. Boardman High School is the only public high school in Boardman. The first high school, located on Market Street, became the Boardman Center Middle School (grades 5–8) in 1969, when the new high school was built on Glenwood Avenue. The district operates seven schools: Boardman High School, Glenwood Junior High School, Center Intermediate School, and Market Street, Robinwood Lane, Stadium Drive, and West Boulevard Elementary Schools.

Notable people