Youngstown–Warren–Boardman metropolitan statistical area

Mahoning Valley Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH–PA MSA Youngstown–Warren, OH–PA CSA
CSA
Map of metro area (MSA in red, CSA in pink)
Nickname(s): Steel Valley
Country	United States
States	Ohio  Pennsylvania
Largest city	Youngstown
Elevation	660–3,001 ft (200–915 m)
Population (2012/2010)
• Urban	602,964
• MSA	565,773
• CSA	715,039
	MSA/CSA = 2012, Urban = 2010
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	16xxx to 44xx
Area code(s)	330, 234, 724

The Youngstown–Warren–Boardman metropolitan area, typically known as the Mahoning Valley or the Steel Valley, is a metropolitan area in Northeast Ohio in the United States, with the city of Youngstown, Ohio at its center. According to the US Census Bureau, the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) includes Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Ohio and Mercer county in Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 565,773.

This area also has a strong commuter interchange with Cleveland and Pittsburgh and their metropolitan areas. It is located at the geographic center of the Rust Belt of the United States which stretches from Minneapolis in the west to Johnstown and Altoona in the east.

Although steel has been produced in the Mahoning Valley since the mid-1800s, after the Civil War, the valley was primarily known for its iron production. Conversion to steel manufacturing began during the economic depression of the 1890s. The Mahoning Valley is suitable for steel manufacture because of "its proximity to the Lake Erie ports that receive iron ore…the coal fields of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia; and to limestone deposits." The "25-mile stretch of steel mills and related industries" along the Mahoning River is similar to the Ruhr Valley in Germany." Historically, it was the largest steel producing region in the world (including all of Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania).