YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, a modern indus trial city of 140,000 population, centre of the second largest steel district in the United States. sixth city in population and fourth in financial and industrial importance in Ohio, county -sot of Mahoning County, on the direct line between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, 67 miles from each and five miles from the Pennsylvania lint ; cov ers a rectangle containing 25.15 square miles. di vided diagonally by Mahoning River which flows southeasterly and joins the Ohio 35 moles away. The river divides the city into north and south sides, the latter first settled. A viaduct built in 1899 has given the •South Side' such impetus that it is now a thickly populated resi dence district. The main business street. Fed eral, parallels the river for three miles. crossing at the Public Square, Wick avenue which con nects the north and south sides and southward is called Market street The public square at Youngstown is 285 feet above Lake Eric, and 858 feet above sea-leveL Municipal Service and Improvements— The city has 320 miles of streets of which 154 miles are paved. There are 180 miles of sew cis. discharging into the Mahoning River. A da posal plant is now projected. In 1917 the clty built an impounding reservoir of 1,700 acres on the river at Milton, 17 miles away. The capac ity is 10,000,000,000 gallons; cost $120.000. Be side producing an immediate expansion in the industries of the whole valley, the reservoir is • one of the most attractive play spots in the tate. The domestic water supply is municipally owned and was established in len A new pumping station, 1916, has 31.500.000 ga: Ions daily capacity, the water from Mahon ing River, passing through mechanical sand filter, with alum and lime, through 206 miles of cast-iron mains. There are 2,091 fire hydrauo and three standpipes. The valuation of the water system is $2.477,000 and the annual cost of the pumping plant $56,460 The city as a whole is very healthy. The birth rate is 34.1S and the average death rate 14_51. In addition to the health officer, there is a secretary, chem ist, bacteriologist, six sanitary inspectors, in spectors of plumbing and foods. The police de partment has 154 men. 12 mounted, with the three platoon system established in 1897. M mu'ol boxes, 8 motor vehicles; expenditures 158,732. The fire department was completely motorized in 1913 and now has three steam en gines, five triple pumpers, nine hose wagons, 10 substations, 106 men, and expends $151,9 annu ally. The service-at-cost, or ITayler,lbsystem of
street-car operation became effective by action of the council December 1918, and by this 59 miles of the track and property of the Mahoning and Shenango Railway Company is supervised by the city under a commissioner ($6,000) ap pointed by the mayor for a four-year term. are 119 miles of suburban street railways centring in Youngstown, besides a 23-mile line of the and Southern, to LeetoniL The Mahoning River is spanned by seven bridges, of winch the Market Street viaduct is 1,600 feet long. Division Street bridge is to be replaced by a high level bridge 3,400 feet, cross ing the river and 44 railroad ;racks. There are two telephone companies— the automatic with 11,000 instruments, the Bell with 15,500 instru ments. Electric lighting is general (14,000 meters) but natural gas from West Virginia is used for domestic fuel.
Mill Creek Park,, situated in the southwestern section of the city, consisting of 485 acres, is the largest and one of the most beautiful natural parks in the country, largely the result of the 30 years labor of Volney Rogers, a local attorney. The park is three miles long, winding through a natural gorge. It has 14 miles of drives and seven miles of walks, three bathing beaches, two large artificial lakes, three water falls, an old mill and dancing A canoe house at $15.0(X1 and bathing at $50,000 will be erected soon. This park is managed by a commission, consisting of three men appointed by the judge of the County Common Pleas Court, with power to levy a maintenance tax on the 'townships of Youngs town. Up to the present time it has cost the taxpayers of the city $700,000 and is valued at $1,500.000. Other parks of the city are under the management of a commission appointed by the mayor. They receive their funds from the regular tax levy. Wick Park, northern part of the city, has 34 acres, one and one-half miles of paved drives i Lincoln Park, eastern part of city, 60 acres; Crandall Park, northern part of city, 50 acres; South Side Park, southern part of city, 22 acres; Pine Hollow Park, south eastern section of city, 22 acres. Most of these have playgrounds and 'bathing pools.