The former Republic Steel Youngstown Works once covered most of the river bank south of downtown Youngstown. Republic Iron and Steel was founded in Youngstown in 1899, and became the third largest steel company in the nation, after U.S. Steel and Bethlehem Steel. With the decline in the industry, it became part of LTV Steel in 1984. LTV Steel filed for bankruptcy in 2001. What remains of the plant site in Youngstown is not used in steel production.