“Go Home Buckeyes,” was the caption in an article in The Charleston City Paper published this spring.

The command was wrapped around a brick in the photo. The subhead was “worthless nuts.”

“They have gelled hair, wear cargo shorts, vertical-lined shirts, and, if you’re really lucky, high black-and-white socks with tennis shoes,” says a “sixth generation Charlestonian.”

The article continues: “Each spring they attack the city, gumming pralines and Hyman’s hush puppy samples. Their legions are strong, and their numbers are growing. They’re called Ohioans.”

Angry Charlestonians have also created a website Gobacktoohio.com, according to the article.

Rust Wire is very excited to share this newly released, original documentary by our own contributor, graduate student and photographer Sean Posey.

The past three decades have erased much of the city of Youngstown that my father and grandfather knew: An area once known as ” the city of homes” became known for widespread arson; a city once indelibly linked with steel and manufacturing became known as the grave yard of the American steel industry. Youngstown, much like Detroit, went from being
a symbol of the American dream to being a worst case example of the “urban crisis” that has engulfed so many of this country’s inner
cities.

Yet, we should not overlook the fact that much has changed for good in the Steel Valley.

Portland. Seattle. Minneapolis. Besides being magnets for well-educated young people, what do these cities have in common?

According to Aaron Renn, creator of the Urbanophile blog, they all have a relatively low proportion of black people.

In an article published on New Geography, Renn asks, is the trend towards cities like Portland a form of nationwide suburban sprawl?

Is it only a coincidence that cities with a high proportion of black residents are so often the most maligned, like Detroit, Cleveland and Youngstown?

The Economist Magazine is running a cautiously optimistic story about the future of Youngstown, paying tribute to recent downtown developments and the success of the Youngstown Business Incubator.
“Youngstown’s problems have been manifold,” The magazine writes. “But now there are a few signs that things are starting to improve.”

“One example is the Youngstown Business Incubator, which provides cheap office space and other assistance to start-ups that specialize in business software.
“Founded using government seed money 14 years ago in a part of downtown where few dared to venture, let alone start a …

A common refrain heard in Buffalo, and much of the Rust Belt, is that you can’t appreciate the place until you’ve left it.

A crop of young Buffalonians have put this idea into practice in the past several years by combining an appreciation for their hometown with the innovative resources and ideas they’ve gained through education and experiences in the world outside the Queen City.

Megan McNally, a senior at Barnard College in New York, used a school grant to purchase a home (pictured above) on Buffalo’s blighted West Side. Picking up renovation tips from the non-profit

NPR ran a great piece yesterday about young people moving back to Detroit during this time of unparalled economic turmoil.
The story follows a Chicago banker who, lured by cheap real-estate, moved back, bought a building and opened a restaurant.
Also featured is a Cincinnati music producer who moved to Detroit because he always wanted his own studio and in Detroit the price was right.
Last is a Detroit-born lawyer who returned from New Jersey because he wanted to be part of the city’s revitalization.
This story made me cry. I wish everyone who has …

A new report (pdf), as reported by a number of Ohio’s news sources, predicts a depressing future for Ohio’s ability to attract and retain young people.
The worse news is that its not just out-of-state students who are down on the buckeye state; the report finds that 51% of Ohio natives don’t want to stay. Having spent the past four years as an undergraduate student at two of Northeast Ohio’s universities, I can honestly testify that these numbers seem quite reasonable and realistic.

Some people are questioning the survey’s methodology and suggesting …

   I can hardly believe it, but the Pittsburgh Post Gazette says it’s true. Between 2000 and 2006, the city of Pittsburgh imported  2,300 Californians for a net gain of 100 more residents than lost to the sunny state.

   This article says that people are growing weary of higher-cost mega-cities like Boston, Washington and Los Angeles. They’ve got to go somewhere, The P-G opines. It might as well be the Rust Belt.
   The Rust Belt is American’s next frontier, the article says. It’s a bold statement, but I guess I …

Model D Media has a great video featuring attendees of Great Lakes Urban Exchange’s “I Will Stay If …” campaign kick-off party May 14. GLUE will be traveling to different cities around the Rust Belt encouraging young people to share their hopes for their city.
Check out these photos.

See more pictures at GLUE’s Web site.

Amber Arellano says it better than I ever could in today’s Detroit News.
“It’s tough for some folks to understand that many of us want to be here [in Detroit]. We didn’t end up here by inertia or lack of vision or better options. We’re educated and mobile; we can live anywhere. We choose to stay — or to return.”
“We return because we love the people and the culture. We stay because we’re proud of our roots, of who we are. We’re not naïve about this region’s daunting challenges; we’re choosing …