I first heard of Cornersburg when I was young and my brother brought home this pizza that, up to that time, was the best pizza I had ever tasted, from Cornersburg Pizza. That was probably 60 years ago and it is quite gratifying to learn that Cornersburg Pizza is still in business in Cornersburg.

Only as I grew older and biked all over the Westside where I lived did I figure out the reason for the name. The center of Cornersburg is a corner where Canfield Road runs roughly east-west, Meridian Road comes in from the north and Tippecanoe from the south. Also, Lynhaven Rd intersects with Meridian just north of the intersection of the other roads. Cornersburg’s boundaries are roughly defined by Meridian Rd on the west, Kirk Road on the north, Bears Den on the east and the border of Youngstown on the south, just south of Sunnybrooke Drive. Some maps I’ve seen include neighborhoods west of Meridian and Tippecanoe, but these are out of Youngstown.

At one time, Youngstown was quite a ways from the little village of Cornersburg, as one description from the 1880’s attests: “A village of 250 population within a short distance of Youngstown.” Gradually Youngstown grew to its present southern borders between 1900 and 1920. The development of the southwest side of the city, considered part of the Westside, came later, especially after World War II as veterans, both laborers and GI-bill educated were buying homes. I have not found when Cornersburg was incorporated into the city, but I suspect it was around the time when it was being developed beyond the village center. It is the newest part of Youngstown, except for areas that have been re-developed. A new subdivision, Castle Court, was built in the 1990’s.

Neighborhood Scout‘s description of the demographics of the community reflects its history as well as explain some of the more popular businesses:

In the Cornersburg neighborhood, 28.1% of the working population is employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is executive, management, and professional occupations, with 28.0% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (26.7%), and 15.6% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.

. . .

In the Cornersburg neighborhood in Youngstown, OH, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Italian (30.3%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (21.3%), and residents who report Irish roots (19.2%), and some of the residents are also of English ancestry (9.9%), along with some Slovak ancestry residents (6.9%), among others.

It is surprising the number of businesses that have been in Cornersburg for a long time. Perhaps the longest-lived is Komara Jewelers, a family run business that has been in the community for 75 years. As I mentioned, my memories of Cornersburg Pizza go back nearly that long. The Cornersburg Sparkle has been serving the grocery needs of the community for 30 years. Belleria Pizza has been there for probably 25 years. And while we are talking Italian, Cornersburg Italian Specialties offers a deli, party trays, and catering and has won several awards for their food. Davidson’s Family Restaurant is also a popular place (we know–we tried to go there on our last visit to town and couldn’t get in!). There are a variety of other businesses including several drug stores, a couple barber shops, convenience stores, Cornersburg True Value, Subway, KFC, Dunkin’ Donuts, and China Star restaurants, a car wash and several bank branches. For those living in the community, a number of conveniences are a walk or short drive away, a rarity these days in our larger cities.

No neighborhood is without its problems but the relative stability and number of businesses around the corners of Cornersburg suggest that it is still one of the better places to live in the Youngstown area. And writing about this has my mouth watering for a good slice of pizza or an Italian deli sandwich. How about you?

To read other posts in the Growing Up in Working Class Youngstown series, just click “On Youngstown.” Enjoy!