Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
The very first Arby's opened on Route 224 in Boardman in 1964, and the township has been the place the Mahoning Valley goes to shop and eat ever since. Boardman takes its name from Elijah Boardman, one of the Connecticut investors who bought land in the Western Reserve, and it was settled at the end of the 1700s. It stayed largely rural until the Youngstown steel boom pushed new neighborhoods south, among them the Tudor Revival streets of Newport Village.
Today about 40,000 people live in this unincorporated township. Shopping centers line U.S. Route 224 and Market Street, led by Southern Park Mall, built by the Boardman-based DeBartolo company and still a draw for shoppers from eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. The local favorite, though, is Boardman Park, a large wooded park with an outdoor theater, picnic shelters and an old meeting house moved onto its grounds.
Youngstown's Mill Creek Park, with its gorges, lakes and gardens, begins just to the north, and Pittsburgh is about an hour's drive east, so Boardman is a practical base for exploring the valley.
A large township park off U.S. Route 224 with wooded walking paths, picnic shelters, sports fields, playgrounds and a gazebo popular for photos. It also holds an outdoor theater, a historic meeting house and a memorial to township veterans. Weekends in summer are busy with reunions and weddings, so come early for shelter-free picnic spots.
An open-air stage inside Boardman Park that hosts summer concerts, community theater, movie nights and dance recitals. Audiences spread out on lawn seating in front of the stage, so bring a blanket or low chairs and bug spray for evening performances. The park posts the season schedule early each summer.
The white frame St. James Episcopal Church, regarded as the oldest building in Boardman, was relocated to Boardman Park in 1972 and restored. The simple meeting house seats about 125 people and is now used for weddings, baptisms, concerts and meetings. Peek inside when an event or open house is on.
A stable building on Washington Boulevard, built in 1912 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, that survives from Boardman's horse-and-buggy era before the township became a suburb. It is privately owned and seen from the roadside, so a short stop on the way to the mall or the park is all it needs.
Brothers Leroy and Forrest Raffel opened the first Arby's here on Route 224 in July 1964, selling roast beef sandwiches. The chain later moved across the street, and the original building has stood empty while awaiting redevelopment. Fans of fast-food history can photograph the old site and then order lunch at the newer Arby's opposite.
The Mahoning Valley's main enclosed mall, opened in 1970 by the Boardman-based DeBartolo company, with department stores, chain shops, a food court and restaurants on its outparcels. It sits at the corner of Route 224 and Market Street, the heart of Boardman's retail strip, with more shopping plazas lining both roads.
A residential district of brick and half-timbered Tudor Revival homes from the early twentieth century, set on quiet curving streets close to Mill Creek Park. These are private homes, so enjoy them from the sidewalk on a slow stroll or drive, then continue into the park for lakeside trails.
No reviews yet. Been to Boardman? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to Boardman? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photosPhoto: Jack Pearce, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Lukasbdarling, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Jack Pearce, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Jack Pearce, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Larry Hachucka, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Dblcut3, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Eric Friedebach, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Eric Friedebach, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Larry Hachucka, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Larry Hachucka, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Nyttend, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
