According to a recent story in the Celina Daily Standard, Ohio ranks second in the country in the number of abandoned Wal-Mart buildings, as 20 vacated Wal-Marts dot the state. Nationally, the chain has 24,000,000 square feet of vacated buildings siting idle in what may be the largest systematic closure of retail structures in American history.

In the current edition of Old-House Journal, Youngstown’s Crandall Park neighborhood is cited as the “…nation’s most affordable historic district,” with large period houses averaging $110,000. And – if you act soon – you can own one of Crandall Park’s gems, a magnificent 6-bedroom, 3,764 square foot home now available on EBay. Click here for a video tour.

Did you know that Ohio ranks third in the United States in terms of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places? This fact is cited in the Ohio Historic Preservation Plan, issued by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office in Columbus.

Cleveland has been ranked 28th, and Columbus 50th, among the top 50 US cities in population in terms of “urban sustainability.” The SustainLane rankings look at aspects of civic life including renewable power sources, “green” design, city commuting, public transit, air quality and more.

Photo: Downtown Youngstown, circa 1910