Dayton () is the
sixth-largest city in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Montgomery County.
A small part of the city extends into
Greene County.
The 2020
U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while
Greater Dayton
The Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Greater Dayton and the Miami Valley, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in the Miami Valley region of Ohio and is anchored by the cit ...
was estimated to be at 814,049 residents. The Combined Statistical Area (CSA) was 1,086,512. This makes Dayton the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Ohio and
73rd in the United States.
Dayton is within Ohio's
Miami Valley
The Miami Valley is the land area surrounding the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio, USA, and includes the Little Miami, Mad, and Stillwater rivers as well. Geographically, it includes Dayton, Springfield, Middletown, Hamilton, and other ...
region, north of the
Greater Cincinnati
The Cincinnati metropolitan area and also known as the Cincinnati Tri-State area, or Greater Cincinnati) is a metropolitan area centered on Cincinnati and including surrounding counties in the U.S. states of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. The area ...
area.
Ohio's borders are within of roughly 60 percent of the country's population and manufacturing infrastructure, making the Dayton area a logistical
centroid
In mathematics and physics, the centroid, also known as geometric center or center of figure, of a plane figure or solid figure is the arithmetic mean position of all the points in the surface of the figure. The same definition extends to any ...
for manufacturers, suppliers, and shippers.
Dayton also hosts significant
research and development in fields like industrial,
aeronautical, and
astronautical engineering that have led to many technological innovations. Much of this innovation is due in part to
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...
and its place in the community. With the decline of heavy manufacturing, Dayton's businesses have diversified into a
service economy
Service economy can refer to one or both of two recent economic developments:
* The increased importance of the service sector in industrialized economies. The current list of Fortune 500 companies contains more service companies and fewer manu ...
that includes insurance and legal sectors as well as healthcare and government sectors.
Along with
defense and
aerospace
Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astr ...
,
healthcare accounts for much of the Dayton area's economy. Hospitals in the Greater Dayton area have an estimated combined employment of nearly 32,000 and a yearly economic impact of $6.8 billion.
It is estimated that
Premier Health Partners, a hospital network, contributes more than $2 billion a year to the region through operating, employment, and capital expenditures.
In 2011, Dayton was rated the #3 city in the nation by
HealthGrades for excellence in healthcare.
Dayton is also noted for its association with aviation; the city is the birthplace of
Orville Wright. Other well-known individuals born in the city include poet
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American C ...
and entrepreneur
John H. Patterson. Dayton is also known for its many
patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...
s,
inventions, and
inventors,
most notably the
Wright brothers' invention of
powered flight
A powered aircraft is an aircraft that uses onboard propulsion with mechanical power generated by an aircraft engine of some kind.
Aircraft propulsion nearly always uses either a type of propeller, or a form of jet propulsion. Other potential ...
.
In 2007 Dayton was a part of the top 100 cities in America. In 2008, 2009, and 2010,
''Site Selection'' magazine ranked Dayton the #1 mid-sized metropolitan area in the nation for economic development.
Also in 2010, Dayton was named one of the best places in the United States for college graduates to find a job.
History
Dayton was founded on April 1, 1796, by 12 settlers known as the Thompson Party. They traveled in March from
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
up the
Great Miami River
The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee: ''Msimiyamithiipi'') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accesse ...
by
pirogue
A pirogue ( or ), also called a piragua or piraga, is any of various small boats, particularly dugouts and native canoes. The word is French and is derived from Spanish , which comes from the Carib '. Description
The term 'pirogue' does n ...
and landed at what is now St. Clair Street, where they found two small camps of
Native Americans. Among the Thompson Party was Benjamin Van Cleve, whose memoirs provide insights into the Ohio Valley's history. Two other groups traveling overland arrived several days later. The oldest surviving building is
Newcom Tavern
Newcom Tavern, also known as the "Old Cabin", is an historic structure in Dayton, Ohio and is the city's oldest existing building. It was built in 1796 for Colonel George Newcom and his wife Mary, who ran it as a tavern and hostel. The building pa ...
, which was used for various purposes, including housing
Dayton's first church, which is still in existence.
In 1797,
Daniel C. Cooper
Daniel C. Cooper (November 21, 1773 — July 13, 1818) was an American surveyor, farmer, miller and political leader.
Biography
He was born in the Passaic Valley at Long Hill, Morris County, New Jersey, the son of wealthy farmer Georg ...
laid out
Mad River Road
{{Unreferenced, date=December 2009
Mad River Road was the first overland route between Dayton, Ohio and Cincinnati, Ohio. It was cut by Daniel C. Cooper in 1795 to provide access to the new town of Dayton and the "Mad River Country" northeast and ...
, the first overland connection between Cincinnati and Dayton, opening the "Mad River Country" to settlement. Ohio was admitted into the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
in 1803, and the village of Dayton was incorporated in 1805 and chartered as a city in 1841. The city was named after
Jonathan Dayton
Jonathan Dayton (October 16, 1760October 9, 1824) was an American Founding Father and politician from the U.S. state of New Jersey. He was the youngest person to sign the Constitution of the United States and a member of the United States Hou ...
, a captain in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
who signed the
U.S. Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nation ...
and owned a significant amount of land in the area.
In 1827, construction on the Dayton–Cincinnati canal began, which would provide a better way to transport goods from Dayton to Cincinnati and contribute significantly to Dayton's economic growth during the 1800s.
Innovation
![Dayton, Ohio 1870](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Dayton%2C_Ohio_1870._LOC_73694508.jpg)
Innovation led to business growth in the region. In 1884,
John Henry Patterson acquired James Ritty's National Manufacturing Company along with his
cash register
A cash register, sometimes called a till or automated money handling system, is a mechanical or electronic device for registering and calculating transactions at a point of sale. It is usually attached to a drawer for storing cash and other ...
patents and formed the
National Cash Register Company
NCR Corporation, previously known as National Cash Register, is an American software, consulting and technology company providing several professional services and electronic products. It manufactures self-service kiosks, point-of-sale termin ...
(NCR). The company manufactured the first mechanical cash registers and played a crucial role in the shaping of Dayton's reputation as an epicenter for manufacturing in the early 1900s. In 1906, Charles F. Kettering, a leading engineer at the company, helped develop the first electric cash register, which propelled NCR into the national spotlight. NCR also helped develop the
US Navy Bombe, a code-breaking machine that helped crack the
Enigma machine cipher during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
Dayton has been the home for many patents and inventions since the 1870s.
According to the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
, citing information from the
U.S. Patent Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...
, Dayton had granted more patents per capita than any other U.S. city in 1890 and ranked fifth in the nation as early as 1870. The
Wright brothers, inventors of the airplane, and
Charles F. Kettering
Charles Franklin Kettering (August 29, 1876 – November 25, 1958) sometimes known as Charles Fredrick Kettering was an American inventor, engineer, businessman, and the holder of 186 patents.
For the list of patents issued to Kettering, see, Le ...
, world-renowned for his numerous inventions, hailed from Dayton. The city was also home to
James Ritty
James Jacob Ritty (29 October 1836 – 29 March 1918), saloonkeeper and inventor, opened his first saloon in Dayton, Ohio in 1871, billing himself as a "Dealer in Pure Whiskies, Fine Wines, and Cigars." Some of Ritty's employees would take ...
's Incorruptible Cashier, the first mechanical cash register, and
Arthur E. Morgan's hydraulic jump, a flood prevention mechanism that helped pioneer
hydraulic engineering
Hydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive use of gravity as the motive force to cause the m ...
.
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American C ...
, an African-American poet and novelist, penned his most famous works in the late 19th century and became an integral part of the city's history.
Birthplace of Aviation
Powered aviation began in Dayton. Orville and Wilbur Wright were the first to construct and demonstrate powered flight. Although the first flight was in
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, and is a part of what is known as North Carolina's Outer Banks. The population was 3,708 at the 2020 Census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk.
History ...
, their Wright Flyer was built in and returned to Dayton for improvements and further flights at
Huffman Field, a cow pasture eight miles (13 km) northeast of Dayton, near the current Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
When the government tried to move development to Langley field in southern Virginia, six Dayton businessmen including Edward A. Deeds, formed the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company in Moraine and established a flying field. Deeds also opened a field to the north in the flood plain of the Great Miami River between the confluences of that river, the Stillwater River, and the Mad River, near downtown Dayton. Later named
McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It was operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917 to 1927. It was named f ...
for Alexander McDowell McCook, an American Civil War general, this became the Army Signal Corps' primary aviation research and training location. Wilbur Wright also purchased land near Huffman prairie to continue their research.
During World War I, the Army purchased 40 acres adjacent to Huffman Prairie for the Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. As airplanes developed more capability, they needed more runway space than McCook could offer, and a new location was sought. The Patterson family formed the Dayton Air Service Committee, Inc which held a campaign that raised $425,000 in two days and purchased 4,520.47 acres (18.2937 km2) northeast of Dayton, including Wilbur Wright Field and the Huffman Prairie Flying Field. Wright Field was "formally dedicated" on 12 October 1927. After World War II, Wright Field and the adjacent Patterson Field, Dayton Army Air Field, and Clinton Army Air Field were merged as the Headquarters, Air Force Technical Base. On 13 January 1948, the facility was renamed
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...
.
The Dayton Flood
A catastrophic flood in March 1913, known as the
Great Dayton Flood
The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 resulted from flooding by the Great Miami River reaching Dayton, Ohio, and the surrounding area, causing the greatest natural disaster in Ohio history. In response, the General Assembly passed the Vonderheide Act to ...
, led to the creation of the
Miami Conservancy District
The Miami Conservancy District is a river management agency operating in Southwest Ohio to control flooding of the Great Miami River and its tributaries. It was organized in 1915 following the catastrophic Great Dayton Flood of the Great Miami R ...
, a series of dams as well as hydraulic pumps installed around Dayton, in 1914.
The war effort
Like other cities across the country, Dayton was heavily involved in the war effort during World War II. Several locations around the city hosted the
Dayton Project
The Dayton Project was a research and development project to produce polonium during World War II, as part of the larger Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bombs. Work took place at several sites in and around Dayton, Ohio. Those workin ...
, a branch of the larger
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...
, to develop
polonium
Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84. Polonium is a chalcogen. A rare and highly radioactive metal with no stable isotopes, polonium is chemically similar to selenium and tellurium, though its metallic character ...
triggers used in early atomic bombs. The war efforts led to a manufacturing boom throughout the city, including high demand for housing and other services. At one point, emergency housing was put into place due to a housing shortage in the region, much of which is still in use today.
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing (; 23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954) was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist. Turing was highly influential in the development of theoretical co ...
is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. He visited the
National Cash Register
NCR Corporation, previously known as National Cash Register, is an American software, consulting and technology company providing several professional services and electronic products. It manufactures self-service kiosks, point-of-sale termin ...
(NCR) company in Dayton in December 1942. He was able to show that it was not necessary to build 336
Bombes
The bombe () was an electro-mechanical device used by British cryptologists to help decipher German Enigma-machine-encrypted secret messages during World War II. The US Navy and US Army later produced their own machines to the same functiona ...
, so the initial order was scaled down to 96 machines to decipher German Enigma-machine-encrypted secret messages during World War II.
Post-War Dayton
Between the 1940s and the 1970s, the city saw significant growth in suburban areas from population migration. Veterans were returning from military service in large numbers seeking industrial and manufacturing jobs, a part of the local industry that was expanding rapidly. Advancements in architecture also contributed to the suburban boom. New, modernized shopping centers and the
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...
allowed workers to commute greater distances and families to live further from the downtown area. More than 127,000 homes were built in Montgomery County during the 1950s.
During this time, the city was the site of several race riots, including one in 1955 following the murder of
Emmett Till, the
1966 Dayton race riot, two in 1967 (following a speech by civil rights activist
H. Rap Brown and another following the
police killing of an African American man), and one in 1968 as part of the nationwide
King assassination riots
The King assassination riots, also known as the Holy Week Uprising, were a wave of civil disturbance which swept the United States following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. Many believe them to be the greatest wav ...
.
Since the 1980s, however, Dayton's population has declined, mainly due to the loss of manufacturing jobs and decentralization of metropolitan areas, as well as the national
housing crisis that began in 2008.
While much of the state has suffered for similar reasons, the impact on Dayton has been greater than most. Dayton had the third-greatest percentage loss of population in the state since the 1980s, behind Cleveland and Youngstown.
Despite this, Dayton has begun diversifying its workforce from manufacturing into other growing sectors such as healthcare and education.
Peace accords
In 1995, the
Dayton Agreement
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement or the Dayton Accords ( Croatian: ''Daytonski sporazum'', Serbian and Bosnian: ''Dejtonski mirovni sporazum'' / Дејтонски миро ...
, a peace accord between the parties to the hostilities of the
conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the former Yugoslavia, was negotiated at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...
, near Fairborn, Ohio, from November 1 to 21.
Richard Holbrooke
Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke (April 24, 1941 – December 13, 2010) was an American diplomat and author. He was the only person to have held the position of Assistant Secretary of State for two different regions of the world (Asia from 1977 ...
wrote about these events in his memoirs:
There was also a real Dayton out there, a charming Ohio city, famous as the birthplace of the Wright brothers. Its citizens energized us from the outset. Unlike the population of, say, New York City, Geneva
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
or Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, which would scarcely notice another conference, Daytonians were proud to be part of history. Large signs at the commercial airport hailed Dayton as the "temporary center of international peace." The local newspapers and television stations covered the story from every angle, drawing the people deeper into the proceedings. When we ventured into a restaurant or a shopping center downtown, people crowded around, saying that they were praying for us. Warren Christopher
Warren Minor Christopher (October 27, 1925March 18, 2011) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician. During Bill Clinton's first term as president, he served as the 63rd United States Secretary of State.
Born in Scranton, North Dakota, ...
was given at least one standing ovation in a restaurant. Families on the airbase placed "candles of peace" in their front windows, and people gathered in peace vigils outside the base. One day they formed a "peace chain," although it was not large enough to surround the sprawling eight-thousand-acre base. Ohio's famous ethnic diversity was on display.
2000s initiatives
Downtown expansion that began in the 2000s has helped revitalize the city and encourage growth.
Day Air Ballpark
Day Air Ballpark, formerly known as Fifth Third Field, is a minor league baseball stadium in Dayton, Ohio, which is the home of the Dayton Dragons, the Midwest League affiliate of the nearby Cincinnati Reds. In 2011, the Dragons broke the all-ti ...
, home of the
Dayton Dragons
The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark, formerly known as Fifth Third Field. I ...
, was built in 2000. The highly successful minor league baseball team has been an integral part of Dayton's culture.
In 2001, the city's public park system,
Five Rivers MetroParks, built RiverScape MetroPark, an outdoor entertainment venue that attracts more than 400,000 visitors each year. A new performance arts theater, the
Schuster Center
The Schuster Performing Arts Center is located in Dayton, Ohio and was built in 2003 to serve as Dayton's principal center of the lively arts. It is owned and operated by the Victoria Theatre Association and occupies the former site of Rike's d ...
, opened in 2003. A large health network in the region,
Premier Health Partners, expanded its
Miami Valley Hospital
Miami Valley Hospital (MVH) is a large urban hospital in Dayton, Ohio, and is a member of the Premier Health Partners network. The hospital has two additional locations; Miami Valley Hospital South in Centerville, Ohio, and Miami Valley Hospital ...
with a 12-story tower addition.
In 2010, the Downtown Dayton Partnership, in cooperation with the City of Dayton and community leaders, introduced the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan. It focuses on job creation and retention, infrastructure improvements, housing, recreation, and collaboration. The plan is to be implemented through the year 2020.
Nickname
Dayton is known as the "Gem City". The nickname's origin is uncertain, but several theories exist. In the early 19th century, a well-known
racehorse named Gem hailed from Dayton. In 1845, an article published in the ''Cincinnati Daily Chronicle'' by an author known as T stated:
In the late 1840s, Major William D. Bickham of the ''Dayton Journal'' began a campaign to nickname Dayton the "Gem City." The name was adopted by the city's Board of Trade several years later.
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American C ...
referred to the nickname in his poem, "Toast to Dayton", as noted in the following excerpt:
She shall ever claim our duty,
For she shines—the brightest gem
That has ever decked with beauty
Dear Ohio's diadem.
Dayton also plays a role in a nickname given to the state of Ohio, "Birthplace of Aviation." Dayton is the hometown of the
Wright brothers, aviation pioneers who are credited with inventing and building the first practical airplane in history. After their first manned flights in
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, and is a part of what is known as North Carolina's Outer Banks. The population was 3,708 at the 2020 Census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk.
History ...
, which they had chosen due to its ideal weather and climate conditions, the Wrights returned to Dayton and continued testing at nearby
Huffman Prairie.
Additionally, Dayton is colloquially referred to as "Little Detroit".
This nickname comes from Dayton's prominence as a Midwestern manufacturing center.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Climate
Dayton's climate features warm, muggy summers and cold, dry winters, and is classified as a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Dfa''). Unless otherwise noted, all normal figures quoted within the text below are from the official climatology station, Dayton International Airport, at an elevation of about to the north of downtown Dayton, which lies within the valley of the
Miami River; thus temperatures there are typically cooler than in downtown.
At the airport, monthly mean temperatures range from in January to in July. The highest temperature ever recorded in Dayton was on July 22, 1901, and the coldest was on February 13 during the
Great Blizzard of 1899
The Great Blizzard of 1899, also known as the Great Arctic Outbreak of 1899 and the St. Valentine's Day Blizzard, was an exceptionally severe winter weather event that affected most of the United States, particularly east of the Rocky Mountains ...
. On average, there are 14 days of + highs and 4.5 nights of sub- lows annually. Snow is moderate, with a normal seasonal accumulation of , usually occurring from November to March, occasionally April, and rarely October. Precipitation averages annually, with total rainfall peaking in May.
Dayton is subject to severe weather typical of the Midwestern United States.
Tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
es are possible from the spring to the fall. Floods, blizzards, and severe thunderstorms can also occur.
On Memorial Day of 2019, Dayton suffered extensive property damage and one death during a
tornado outbreak
__NOTOC__
A tornado outbreak is the occurrence of multiple tornadoes spawned by the same synoptic scale weather system. The number of tornadoes required to qualify as an outbreak typically are at least six to ten, with at least two rotational l ...
, in which a total of 15 tornadoes touched down in the Dayton area.
Although some of the tornadoes were only
EF0
The Enhanced Fujita scale (abbreviated as EF-Scale) rates tornado intensity based on the severity of the damage they cause. It is used in some countries, including the United States, Canada, China, and Mongolia.
The Enhanced Fujita scale repla ...
and remained on the ground for less than a mile, one was an EF4 measuring a half-mile-wide (805 meters), which tore through the communities of Brookville, Trotwood, Dayton, and Riverside. Several streets were closed, including portions of I-75 and North Dixie Street. 64,000 residents lost power and much of the region's water supply was cut off.
Ecology
The Dayton Audubon Society is the
National Audubon Society's local chapter. The Dayton chapter manages local activities contributing to the annual, hemisphere-wide
Christmas Bird Count
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a census of birds in the Western Hemisphere, performed annually in the early Northern-hemisphere winter by volunteer birdwatchers and administered by the National Audubon Society. The purpose is to provide pop ...
. The Chapter began participation in the National Count in 1924. The local Count was initially coordinated by Ben Blincoe, who was succeeded by Jim Hill in 1970. In the mid-1960s, the freezing of Lake Erie and associated marshlands led species of waterfowl to appear in the Dayton-area, where surface waters remained unfrozen. Nine varieties of birds have been observed every year in the Dayton area:
downy woodpecker
The downy woodpecker (''Dryobates pubescens'') is a species of woodpecker, the smallest in North America. Length ranges from . Downy woodpeckers primarily live in forested areas throughout the United States and Canada, with the exception of deser ...
,
Carolina chickadee
The Carolina chickadee (''Poecile carolinensis'') is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae.
Taxonomy
The Carolina chickadee is often placed in the genus ''Parus'' with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome ''b'' sequence data an ...
,
tufted titmouse
The tufted titmouse (''Baeolophus bicolor'') is a small songbird from North America, a species in the tit and chickadee family (Paridae). The black-crested titmouse, found from central and southern Texas southward, was included as a subspecies ...
,
brown creeper
The brown creeper (''Certhia americana''), also known as the American treecreeper, is a small songbird, the only North American member of the treecreeper family Certhiidae.
Description
Adults are brown on the upper parts with light spotting, r ...
,
cardinal,
junco
A junco , genus ''Junco'', is a small North American bird in the New World sparrow family Passerellidae. Junco systematics are still confusing after decades of research, with various authors accepting between three and twelve species. Despite ...
,
tree sparrow
The Eurasian tree sparrow (''Passer montanus'') is a passerine bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape, and a black patch on each pure white cheek. The sexes are similarly plumaged, and young birds are a duller version o ...
,
song sparrow
The song sparrow (''Melospiza melodia'') is a medium-sized New World sparrow. Among the native sparrows in North America, it is easily one of the most abundant, variable and adaptable species.
Description
Adult song sparrows have brown upperp ...
and
crow
A crow is a bird of the genus '' Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifica ...
.
Demographics
:''Note: the following demographic information applies only to the city of Dayton proper. For other Dayton-area communities, see their respective articles.''
Dayton's population declined significantly from a peak of 262,332 residents in 1960 to only 141,759 in 2010. This was in part due to the slowdown of the region's manufacturing and the growth of Dayton's affluent suburbs including
Oakwood,
Englewood,
Beavercreek,
Springboro,
Miamisburg
Miamisburg ( ) is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio. The population was 20,181 at the time of the 2010 census. A suburb of Dayton. It is part of the Dayton metropolitan area. Miamisburg is known for its large industry (mainly for its nuclear ...
,
Kettering
Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...
, and
Centerville. The city's most populous ethnic group, white, declined from 78.1% in 1960 to 51.7% by 2010. Recent census estimates show a population decline since 2010.
As of the
2000 census, the median income for a household in the city was $27,523, and the median income for a family was $34,978. Males had a median income of $30,816 versus $24,937 for females. The per capita income for the city was $34,724. About 18.2% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.0% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census,
there were 141,759 people, 58,404 households, and 31,064 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 74,065 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 51.7%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 42.9%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 0.9%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 1.3% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.9% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 3.0% of the population.
There were 58,404 households, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.9% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.8% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26, and the average family size was 3.03.
The median age in the city was 34.4 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 14.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64, and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.
2013 census population estimates
The 2013 census population estimate showed a slight Dayton population increase for the first time in five decades.
However, the 2014 population estimate indicated a decrease of individuals from 2013's estimate.
Economy
![445aw-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/445aw-1.jpg)
Dayton's economy is relatively diversified and vital to the overall economy of the state of Ohio. In 2008 and 2009, ''
Site Selection
The award-winning ''Site Selection'' magazine, published by Conway Data, Inc., is the official publication of thIndustrial Asset Management Council(IAMC). The magazine delivers expansion planning information to over 44,000 readers including corpora ...
'' magazine ranked Dayton the #1 medium-sized metropolitan area in the U.S. for economic development.
Dayton is also among the top 100 metropolitan areas in both exports and export-related jobs, ranked 16 and 14 respectively by the
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...
. The 2010 report placed the value of exports at $4.7 billion and the number of export-related jobs at 44,133. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area ranks 4th in Ohio's Gross Domestic Product with a 2008 industry total of $33.78 billion. Additionally, Dayton ranks third among 11 major metropolitan areas in Ohio for exports to foreign countries. The Dayton Development Coalition is attempting to leverage the region's large water capacity, estimated to be 1.5 trillion gallons of
renewable
A renewable resource, also known as a flow resource, is a natural resource which will replenish to replace the portion depleted by usage and consumption, either through natural reproduction or other recurring processes in a finite amount of ti ...
water aquifers, to attract new businesses. Moody's Investment Services revised Dayton's bond rating from A1 to the stronger rating of Aa2 as part of its global recalibration process.
Standard & Poor's upgraded Dayton's rating from A+ to AA- in the summer of 2009.
''
Bloomberg Businessweek
''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
'' ranked Dayton in 2010 as one of the best places in the U.S. for college graduates looking for a job.
Companies such as
Reynolds and Reynolds,
CareSource,
DP&L (soon AES inc),
LexisNexis
LexisNexis is a part of the RELX corporation that sells data analytics products and various databases that are accessed through online portals, including portals for computer-assisted legal research (CALR), newspaper search, and consumer info ...
,
Kettering Health Network
Kettering Health, formerly known as Kettering Health Network and Kettering Medical Center Network, is a nonprofit network of fourteen Dayton and Cincinnati area medical centers, Kettering College, and 120 outpatient facilities. The system is base ...
,
Premier Health Partners, and
Standard Register have their headquarters in Dayton. It is also the former home of the
Speedwell Motor Car Company
The Speedwell Motor Car Company was a Brass Era American automobile manufacturing company established by Pierce Davies Schenck that produced cars from 1907 to 1914. The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 greatly damaged the Speedwell factory and inven ...
,
MeadWestvaco
MeadWestvaco Corporation was an American packaging company based in Richmond, Virginia. It had approximately 23,000 employees. In February 2006, it moved its corporate headquarters to Richmond. In March 2008, the company announced a change to sta ...
(formerly known as the
Mead Paper Company), and
NCR. NCR was headquartered in Dayton for over 125 years and was a major innovator in computer technology.
Research, development, aerospace and aviation
![Downtown Dayton, Ohio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Downtown_Dayton%2C_Ohio.jpg)
The Dayton region gave birth to aviation and is known for its high concentration of
aerospace
Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astr ...
and aviation technology. In 2009, Governor
Ted Strickland
Theodore Strickland (born August 4, 1941) is an American politician who was the 68th governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ...
designated Dayton as Ohio's aerospace innovation hub, the state's first such technology hub. Two major United States research and development organizations have leveraged Dayton's historical leadership in aviation and maintain their headquarters in the area: The
National Air and Space Intelligence Center
The National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) is the United States Air Force unit for analyzing military intelligence on foreign air and space forces, weapons, and systems. NASIC assessments of aerospace performance characteristics, ca ...
(NASIC) and the
Air Force Research Laboratory
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of aerospace warfighting technologies, pl ...
(AFRL). Both have their headquarters at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...
.
![Kettering tower](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Kettering_tower.JPG)
Several research organizations support NASIC, AFRL, and the Dayton community. The
Advanced Technical Intelligence Center
The Advanced Technical Intelligence Center for Human Capital Development (ATIC) is a university and industry-focused research, education, and training nonprofit corporation within the Dayton Region.It consolidates technical intelligence educati ...
is a confederation of government, academic, and industry partners. The
University of Dayton Research Institute
The University of Dayton Research Institute is the professional research arm of the University of Dayton
The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one ...
(UDRI) is led by the University of Dayton. The Cognitive Technologies Division (CTD) of Applied Research Associates, Inc., which carries out human-centered research and design, is headquartered in the Dayton suburb of Fairborn. The city of Dayton has started
Tech Town, a development project to attract technology-based firms and revitalize the downtown area. Tech Town is home to the world's first
RFID business incubator
Business incubator is an organization that helps startup companies and individual entrepreneurs to develop their businesses by providing a fullscale range of services starting with management training and office space and ending with venture c ...
. The University of Dayton–led Institute for Development & Commercialization of Sensor Technologies (IDCAST) at TechTown is a center for remote sensing and sensing technology. It is one of Dayton's technology business incubators housed in The Entrepreneurs Center building.
Healthcare
![MVH Southeast Tower](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/MVH_Southeast_Tower.JPG)
The
Kettering Health Network
Kettering Health, formerly known as Kettering Health Network and Kettering Medical Center Network, is a nonprofit network of fourteen Dayton and Cincinnati area medical centers, Kettering College, and 120 outpatient facilities. The system is base ...
and
Premier Health Partners have a major role on the Dayton area's economy.
Hospitals in the Greater Dayton area have an estimated combined employment of nearly 32,000 and a yearly economic impact of $6.8 billion.
In addition, several Dayton area hospitals consistently earn top national ranking and recognition including the ''
U.S. News & World Report''s list of "America's Best Hospitals" as well as many of HealthGrades top ratings. The most notable hospitals are
Miami Valley Hospital
Miami Valley Hospital (MVH) is a large urban hospital in Dayton, Ohio, and is a member of the Premier Health Partners network. The hospital has two additional locations; Miami Valley Hospital South in Centerville, Ohio, and Miami Valley Hospital ...
and
Kettering Medical Center.
The Dayton region has several key institutes and centers for health care. The
Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton
The Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND) is a research center which focuses on tissue regeneration and is partnered with the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, Air Force Research Laboratory, ...
focuses on the science and development of human tissue regeneration. The
National Center for Medical Readiness
The National Center for Medical Readiness (NCMR), conceptualized and founded by Mark E. Gebhart, MD provides medically oriented education, training, product testing, and research opportunities for medical, public health, public safety, and civilian ...
(NCMR) is also in the Dayton area. The center includes Calamityville, which is a disaster training facility. Over five years, Calamityville is estimated to have a regional economic impact of $374 million. Also, the Neurological Institute at Miami Valley Hospital is an institute focused on the diagnosis, treatment, and research of neurological disorders.
Top employers
According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the
city proper
A city proper is the geographical area contained within city limits. The term ''proper'' is not exclusive to cities; it can describe the geographical area within the boundaries of any given locality. The United Nations defines the term as "the sin ...
are:
Government
The Dayton City Commission is composed of the mayor and four city commissioners. Each city commission member is elected at-large on a non-partisan basis for four-year, overlapping terms. All policy items are decided by the city commission, which is empowered by the City Charter to pass ordinances and resolutions, adopt regulations, and appoint the city manager. The city manager is responsible for budgeting and implementing policies and initiatives. Dayton was the first large American city to adopt the city manager form of municipal government, in 1913.
Cityscape
Architecture
Unlike many
Midwestern cities its age, Dayton has very broad and straight downtown streets (generally two or three full lanes in each direction) that improved access to the downtown even after the automobile became popular. The main reason for the broad streets was that Dayton was a marketing and shipping center from its beginning; streets were broad to enable wagons drawn by teams of three to four pairs of oxen to turn around. Also, some of today's streets were once barge canals flanked by draw-paths.
![MutualHomeSavingsBuilding](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/MutualHomeSavingsBuilding.jpg)
A courthouse building was built in downtown Dayton in 1888 to supplement Dayton's original
Neoclassical courthouse, which still stands. This second, "new" courthouse has since been replaced with new facilities as well as a park. The Old Court House has been a favored political campaign stop. On September 17, 1859,
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
delivered an address on its steps. Eight other presidents have visited the courthouse, either as presidents or during presidential campaigns:
Andrew Johnson,
James Garfield,
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
,
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
,
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
,
Gerald Ford,
Ronald Reagan, and
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
.
The
Dayton Arcade
The Dayton Arcade is a collection of nine buildings in Dayton, Ohio. The Arcade is a historic, architecturally elegant complex in the heart of Dayton's central business district. Built between 1902 and 1904, it was conceived by Eugene J. Barney o ...
, which opened on March 3, 1904, was built in the hopes of replacing open-air markets throughout the city. Throughout the decades, the Arcade has gone through many transformations but has retained its charm. Some of its main features include a Flemish facade at the Third Street entrance, a glass dome above the Arcade rotunda, and a chateau roof line above the Third Street facade. The Dayton Arcade is currently under renovations with no official completion date set.
In 2009, the
CareSource Management Group finished construction of a $55 million corporate headquarters in downtown Dayton. The , 10-story building was downtown's first new office tower in more than a decade.
Dayton's two tallest buildings are the
Kettering Tower at and the
KeyBank Tower
KeyBank Tower is a skyscraper in Dayton, Ohio. Its address at 10 West 2nd Street was the first official name of the structure. The building was once named MeadWestvaco Tower until KeyBank gained naming rights to the tower in 2008. The tower has ...
at . Kettering Tower was originally Winters Tower, the headquarters of Winters Bank. The building was renamed after
Virginia Kettering
Virginia Weiffenbach Kettering (1907 - 2003) was Dayton, Ohio's leading philanthropist and patron of the arts.
Early life and education
Kettering was born July 15, 1907 in Bellevue, Kentucky to architect and marble importer Norman and Clara Weiff ...
when Winters was merged into
Bank One
Bank One Corporation was an American bank founded in 1968 and at its peak the sixth-largest bank in the United States. It traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock symbol ONE. The company merged with JPMorgan Chase & Co. on July 1, ...
. KeyBank Tower was known as the
MeadWestvaco
MeadWestvaco Corporation was an American packaging company based in Richmond, Virginia. It had approximately 23,000 employees. In February 2006, it moved its corporate headquarters to Richmond. In March 2008, the company announced a change to sta ...
Tower before
KeyBank
KeyBank, the primary subsidiary of KeyCorp, is a regional bank headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and is the only major bank based in Cleveland. KeyBank is one of the largest banks in the United States.
Key's customer base spans retail, small b ...
gained naming rights to the building in 2008.
Ted Rall
Frederick Theodore Rall III (born August 26, 1963) is an American columnist, syndicated editorial cartoonist, and author. His political cartoons often appear in a multi-panel comic-strip format and frequently blend comic-strip and editorial-cart ...
said in 2015 that over the last five decades Dayton has been demolishing some of its architecturally significant buildings to reduce the city's
rental vacancy rate and thus increase the occupancy rate.
Neighborhoods
Dayton's ten historic neighborhoods—
Oregon District,
Wright Dunbar,
Dayton View,
Grafton Hill,
McPherson Town,
Webster Station,
Huffman,
Kenilworth
Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the ...
,
St. Anne's Hill, and
South Park—feature mostly single-family houses and mansions in the Neoclassical,
Jacobethan,
Tudor Revival
Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
,
English Gothic
English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...
,
Chateauesque,
Craftsman,
Queen Anne,
Georgian Revival
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover— George I, George II, Ge ...
,
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...
, Renaissance Revival Architecture, Shingle Style Architecture,
Prairie
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
,
Mission Revival
The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...
,
Eastlake/Italianate,
American Foursquare, and
Federal
Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to:
Politics
General
*Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies
*Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
styles.
Downtown Dayton is also a large area that encompasses several neighborhoods itself and has seen a recent uplift and revival.
Suburbs
Dayton's suburbs with a population of 10,000 or more include
Beavercreek,
Centerville,
Clayton,
Englewood,
Fairborn,
Harrison Township,
Huber Heights,
Kettering
Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...
,
Miami Township,
Miamisburg
Miamisburg ( ) is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio. The population was 20,181 at the time of the 2010 census. A suburb of Dayton. It is part of the Dayton metropolitan area. Miamisburg is known for its large industry (mainly for its nuclear ...
,
Oakwood,
Riverside,
Springboro,
Trotwood,
Vandalia,
Washington Township,
West Carrollton, and
Xenia.
In the federal government's
National Urban Policy and New Community Development Act of 1970 The Urban Growth and New Community Development Act (Renamed National Urban Policy and New Community Development Act of 1970, , title VII, 1970-12-31, , et seq.) is a statute enacted by the United States Congress in 1970.
The act championed by Sena ...
, funding was provided for thirteen
"new towns" or planned cities throughout the country. One location was set to become a suburb of Dayton and was known variously as Brookwood or Newfields.
The goal was to have an entirely new suburb that would eventually house about 35,000 residents. The new town was to be located between Trotwood and Brookville, and modeled on the ideas of
Ian McHarg. The project was abandoned in 1978 and most of the land became
Sycamore State Park.
Recreation
Dayton was named National Geographic's outdoor adventure capital of the Midwest in 2019 due in large part to the metropolitan area's revitalized Five Rivers MetroPark, extensive bicycle and jogging trail system, urban green spaces, lakes and camping areas.
Bicycling
In cooperation with the
Miami Conservancy District
The Miami Conservancy District is a river management agency operating in Southwest Ohio to control flooding of the Great Miami River and its tributaries. It was organized in 1915 following the catastrophic Great Dayton Flood of the Great Miami R ...
,
Five Rivers MetroParks hosts 340 miles of paved trails, the largest network of paved off-street trails in the United States.
The regional trail system represents over 35% of the 900 miles in Ohio's off-street trail network. In 2010, the city of
Troy
Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...
was named "
bike friendly" by the
League of American Bicyclists
The League of American Bicyclists (LAB), officially the League of American Wheelmen, is a membership organization that promotes cycling for fun, fitness and transportation through advocacy and education.
A Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizat ...
, which gave the city the organization's bronze designation.
The honorable mention made Dayton one of two cities in Ohio to receive the award, the other being Columbus, and one of 15 cities nationwide.
Culture
Fine arts
![Schustercenter](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Schustercenter.jpg)
The Dayton Region ranked within the top 10% in the nation in
arts
The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...
and culture. In a 2012 readers' poll by ''American Style'' magazine, Dayton ranked #2 in the country among mid-size cities as an arts destination, ranking higher than larger cities such as Atlanta, St. Louis, and Cincinnati. Dayton is the home of the
Dayton Art Institute
The Dayton Art Institute (DAI) is a museum of fine arts in Dayton, Ohio, United States. The Dayton Art Institute has been rated one of the top 10 best art museums in the United States for children. The museum also ranks in the top 3% of all art mus ...
.
The
Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center in downtown Dayton is a world-class performing arts center and the home venue of the
Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) is a fully professional musical group in Dayton, Ohio, formed in 1933. It is a member of the League of American Orchestras (LAO) and the Regional Orchestra Players' Association (ROPA), and presents programs ma ...
,
Dayton Opera, and the
Dayton Ballet
The Dayton Ballet is a ballet company based in Dayton, Ohio.
The Dayton Ballet was founded in 1937, making it the second oldest regional ballet company in the United States. Dayton Ballet seasons typically comprise four works—familiar tradition ...
. In addition to
philharmonic
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola ...
and opera performances, the Schuster Center hosts concerts, lectures, and traveling Broadway shows, and is a popular spot for
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
s and other events. The historic
Victoria Theatre in downtown Dayton hosts
concert
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...
s, traveling Broadway shows, ballet, a summertime classic film series, and more. The
Loft Theatre, also downtown, is the home of the
Human Race Theatre Company
The Human Race Theatre Company is the professional producing theatre company of Dayton Ohio, dedicated to producing works on universal themes that explore the human condition and startle us all into a renewed awareness of ourselves. The HRTC is l ...
. The Dayton Playhouse, in West Dayton, is the site of numerous plays and theatrical productions. Between 1957 and 1995, the
Kenley Players
The Kenley Players was an Equity summer stock theatre company which presented hundreds of productions featuring Broadway, film, and television stars in Midwestern cities between 1940 and 1996. ''Variety'' called it the "largest network of theater ...
presented live theater productions in Dayton.
In 2013,
John Kenley was inducted into the Dayton Theatre Hall of Fame.
Dayton is the home to several ballet companies including:
* The
Dayton Ballet
The Dayton Ballet is a ballet company based in Dayton, Ohio.
The Dayton Ballet was founded in 1937, making it the second oldest regional ballet company in the United States. Dayton Ballet seasons typically comprise four works—familiar tradition ...
, one of the oldest professional dance companies in the United States. The Dayton Ballet runs the
Dayton Ballet School
The Dayton Ballet is a ballet company based in Dayton, Ohio.
The Dayton Ballet was founded in 1937, making it the second oldest regional ballet company in the United States. Dayton Ballet seasons typically comprise four works—familiar tradition ...
, the oldest
dance school
A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose.
Overview
A dance studio normally includes a smooth floor covering or, if used f ...
in Dayton and one of the oldest in the country. It is the only ballet school in the
Miami Valley
The Miami Valley is the land area surrounding the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio, USA, and includes the Little Miami, Mad, and Stillwater rivers as well. Geographically, it includes Dayton, Springfield, Middletown, Hamilton, and other ...
associated with a professional
dance company
A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a sport, spectacle or entertainment. There are many different types of dance companies, often working in different styles of dan ...
.
* The
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (established in 1968), which hosts the largest repertory of African-American-based contemporary dance in the world. The company travels nationally and internationally and has been recognized by critics worldwide.
Front Street, the largest artists' collective in Dayton, is housed in three industrial buildings on East Second Street.
Food
![Marion's Piazza](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Marion%27s_Piazza.JPG)
The city's fine dining restaurants include
The Pine Club, a nationally known steakhouse.
Dayton is home to a variety of
pizza chains that have become woven into local culture, the most notable of which are
Cassano's and
Marion's Piazza. Notable Dayton-based restaurant chains include
Hot Head Burritos.
In addition to restaurants, the city is also home to
Esther Price Candies Esther Price Candies is a chain of candy stores in the United States. The Esther Price candy and chocolate company is based in Dayton, Ohio.
Esther Price Candies sells its products in 87 store locations in five states, including Ohio, Indiana, Kent ...
, a candy and chocolate company, and
Mike-sells, the oldest potato chip company in the United States.
The city began developing a reputation for its number of
breweries and
craft beer venues by the late 2010s.
Religion
![Sacred Heart Church in Dayton, Ohio from SE in 2021](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Sacred_Heart_Church_in_Dayton%2C_Ohio_from_SE_in_2021.jpg)
Many major religions are represented in Dayton. Christianity is represented in Dayton by dozens of denominations and their respective churches. Notable Dayton churches include the
First Lutheran Church,
Sacred Heart Church, and
Ginghamsburg Church. Dayton's
Muslim community is largely represented by the
Islamic Society of Greater Dayton (ISGD), a Muslim community that includes a mosque on Josie Street. Dayton is also home to the
United Theological Seminary
United Theological Seminary is a United Methodist seminary in Trotwood, Ohio. Founded in 1871 by Milton Wright (father of the Wright brothers), it was originally sponsored by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. In 1946, members ...
, one of 13 seminaries affiliated with the
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...
.
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...
is represented by
Temple Israel. Hinduism is represented by the
Hindu Temple of Dayton
The Hindu Temple of Dayton is a Hindu temple in Beavercreek, Ohio. It opened in 1984, making it the oldest Hindu temple in the Dayton metropolitan area. It has shrines for the deities Venkateshwara, Rama and Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman, Ganesha ...
.
Old North Dayton also has a number of Catholic churches built by immigrants from Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, and Germany.
Tourism
Tourism also accounts for one out of every 14 private sector jobs in the county. Tourism in the Dayton region is led by the
National Museum of the United States Air Force
The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the ...
at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...
, the largest and oldest military aviation museum in the world. The museum draws over 1.3 million visitors per year and is one of the most-visited tourist attractions in Ohio. The museum houses the
National Aviation Hall of Fame
The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is a museum, annual awards ceremony and learning and research center that was founded in 1962 as an Ohio non-profit corporation in Dayton, Ohio, United States, known as the "Birthplace of Aviation" with it ...
.
Other museums also play significant roles in the tourism and economy of the Dayton area. The
Dayton Art Institute
The Dayton Art Institute (DAI) is a museum of fine arts in Dayton, Ohio, United States. The Dayton Art Institute has been rated one of the top 10 best art museums in the United States for children. The museum also ranks in the top 3% of all art mus ...
, a museum of fine arts, owns collections containing more than 20,000 objects spanning 5,000 years of art and archaeological history. The Dayton Art Institute was rated one of the top 10 best art museums in the United States for children. The
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery is a
children's museum
Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums fea ...
of science with numerous exhibits, one of which includes an indoor
zoo
A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes.
The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...
with nearly 100 different animals.
There are also some notable historical museums in the region. The
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio that commemorates three important historical figures— Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar—and the ...
, operated by the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
, commemorates the lives and achievements of Dayton natives
Orville and
Wilbur Wright and
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American C ...
. The Wright brothers' famous
Wright Flyer III
The Wright Flyer III was the third powered aircraft by the Wright Brothers, built during the winter of 1904–05. Orville Wright made the first flight with it on June 23, 1905. The Flyer III had an airframe of spruce construction with a wing ...
aircraft is housed in a museum at
Carillon Historical Park
Carillon Historical Park is a 65-acre (26.3 ha) park and museum in Dayton, Ohio, which contains historic buildings and exhibits concerning the history of technology and the history of Dayton and its residents from 1796 to the present. As a part o ...
. Dayton is also home to
America's Packard Museum
America's Packard Museum is an automotive museum located in Dayton, Ohio.
History
The Citizens Motorcar Company, known as America's Packard Museum, is a restored Packard dealership transformed into a museum that displays twentieth-century classic ...
, which contains many restored historical
Packard vehicles.
SunWatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park, a partially reconstructed 12th-century prehistoric
American Indian village, is on the south end of Dayton; it is organized around a central plaza dominated by wood posts forming an astronomical calendar. The park includes a museum where visitors can learn about the Indian history of the Miami Valley.
Music & Entertainment
![Dayton Air Show 2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Dayton_Air_Show_2009.jpg)
The
Vectren Dayton Air Show is an annual
air show that takes place at the
Dayton International Airport
Dayton International Airport (officially James M. Cox Dayton International Airport), formerly Dayton Municipal Airport and James M. Cox-Dayton Municipal Airport, is 10 miles north of downtown Dayton, in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. ...
. The Vectren Dayton Airshow is one of the largest air shows in the United States.
The Dayton area is served by
Five Rivers MetroParks, encompassing over 23 facilities for year-round recreation, education, and conservation. In cooperation with the
Miami Conservancy District
The Miami Conservancy District is a river management agency operating in Southwest Ohio to control flooding of the Great Miami River and its tributaries. It was organized in 1915 following the catastrophic Great Dayton Flood of the Great Miami R ...
, the MetroParks maintains over of paved, multi-use scenic trails that connect Montgomery County with Greene, Miami, Warren, and Butler counties.
Dayton was home to a thriving
funk music scene from the 1970s to the early 1980s, that included bands such as
Ohio Players,
Roger Troutman
Roger Troutman (November 29, 1951 – April 25, 1999), also known as Roger, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and the founder of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the funk movement and heavily influence ...
&
Zapp,
Lakeside,
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
,
Dayton
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
,
Heatwave
A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in th ...
, and
Slave.
From 1996 to 1998, Dayton hosted the
National Folk Festival. Since then, the annual Cityfolk Festival has continued to bring folk, ethnic, and world music and arts to Dayton. The Five Rivers MetroParks also owns and operates the
PNC Second Street Market The PNC Second Street Market is a public market in Dayton, Ohio. The market is located at the corner of Webster Street and East 2nd Street. It is Dayton's largest and oldest operating public market. In 2012, ''Country Living Magazine'' mentioned the ...
near downtown Dayton.
The Dayton area hosts several arenas and venues. South of Dayton in
Kettering
Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...
is the
Fraze Pavilion, whose notable performances have included the
Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida.
The ...
,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, and
Steve Miller Band
The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock, as ...
. South of downtown, on the banks of the
Great Miami River
The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee: ''Msimiyamithiipi'') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accesse ...
, is the
University of Dayton Arena
University of Dayton Arena (commonly known as UD Arena) is a 13,409-seat multi-purpose arena located in Dayton, Ohio. The arena opened in 1969. It is home to the University of Dayton Flyers basketball teams. From 2001 to 2010, the facility host ...
, home venue for the
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...
Flyers basketball teams and the location of various other events and
concert
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...
s. It also hosts the
Winter Guard International
Winter Guard International (WGI) is an American performing arts association, governing body, and the producer of regional championship events for three activities: color guard (known as winter guard), percussion ensembles, and small marching ban ...
championships, at which hundreds of percussion and color guard ensembles from around the world compete. In addition, the Dayton Amateur Radio Association hosts the annual
Dayton Hamvention
The Dayton Hamvention is one of the two largest amateur radio convention (or hamfest) in the world. It is held each May in the Dayton, Ohio area and draws attendees from various parts of the world. Since 2017, it has been held at the Greene County ...
, North America's largest hamfest, at the Greene County Fairgrounds in nearby
Xenia. The Nutter Center, which is just east of Dayton in the suburb of
Fairborn, is the home arena for athletics of Wright State University and the former Dayton Bombers hockey team. This venue is used for many concerts, community events, and various national traveling shows and performances.
The Oregon District is a historic residential and commercial district in southeast downtown Dayton. The district is populated with art galleries, specialty shops, pubs, nightclubs, and coffee houses.
The city of Dayton is also host to yearly festivals, such as the Dayton Celtic Festival, the Dayton Blues Festival, Dayton Music Fest, Urban Nights, Women in Jazz, the African American and Cultural Festival, and the Dayton Reggae Fest.
Sports
The Dayton area is home to several minor league and semi pro teams, as well as NCAA Division I sports programs.
Baseball
The
Dayton Dragons
The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark, formerly known as Fifth Third Field. I ...
professional baseball team is a Class A minor league affiliate for the Cincinnati Reds. The Dayton Dragons are the first (and only) team in minor league baseball history to sell out an entire season before it began and was voted as one of the top 10 hottest tickets to get in all of professional sports by Sports Illustrated. The Dayton Dragons 815 consecutive sellouts surpassed the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers for the longest sellout streak across all professional sports in the U.S.
Collegiate
![UDarena](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/UDarena.jpg)
The
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...
and Wright State University both host NCAA basketball. The
University of Dayton Arena
University of Dayton Arena (commonly known as UD Arena) is a 13,409-seat multi-purpose arena located in Dayton, Ohio. The arena opened in 1969. It is home to the University of Dayton Flyers basketball teams. From 2001 to 2010, the facility host ...
has hosted more games in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, NCAA men's basketball tournament over its history than any other venue. UD Arena is also the site of the First Round games of the NCAA Tournament. In 2012, eight teams competed for the final four spots in the NCAA basketball tournament. Wright State University's NCAA men's basketball is the Wright State Raiders and the University of Dayton's NCAA men's basketball team is the Dayton Flyers.
Hockey
The Dayton Gems were a minor league ice hockey team in the International Hockey League (1945–2001), International Hockey League from 1964 to 1977, 1979 to 1980, and most recently 2009 to 2012.
The Dayton Bombers were an East Coast Hockey League, ECHL ice hockey team from 1991 to 2009. They most recently played the North Division of the ECHL's American Conference. In June 2009, it was announced the Bombers would turn in their membership back to the league.
Despite the folding of the Bombers, hockey remained in Dayton as the Dayton Gems (2009–), Dayton Gems of the International Hockey League (2007-), International Hockey League were formed in the fall of 2009 at Hara Arena. The Gems folded after the 2011–12 season. Shortly after the Gems folded, it was announced a new team, the Dayton Demonz, would begin play in 2012 in the Federal Hockey League (FHL). The Demonz folded in 2015 and were immediately replaced by the Dayton Demolition, also in the FHL. However, the Demolition would cease operations after only one season
when Hara Arena decided to close due to financial difficulties.
Football
Dayton hosted the first American Professional Football Association game (precursor to the National Football League, NFL). The game was played at Triangle Park between the Dayton Triangles and the Columbus Panhandles on October 3, 1920, and is considered one of the first professional football games ever played. Football teams in the Dayton area include the Dayton Flyers and the Dayton Sharks.
Golf
The Dayton region is also known for the many golf courses and clubs that it hosts. The Miami Valley Golf Club, Moraine Country Club, NCR Country Club, and the Pipestone Golf Course are some of the more notable courses. Also, several PGA Championships have been held at area golf courses. The Miami Valley Golf Club hosted the 1957 PGA Championship, the Moraine Country Club hosted the 1945 PGA Championship, and the NCR Country club hosted the 1969 PGA Championship. Additionally, NCR CC hosted the 1986 U.S. Women's Open and the 2005 U.S. Senior Open. Other notable courses include the Yankee Trace Golf Club, the Beavercreek Golf Club, Dayton Meadowbrook Country Club, Sycamore Creek Country Club, Heatherwoode Golf Club, Community Golf Course, and Kitty Hawk Golf Course.
Rugby
The city of Dayton is the home to the Dayton Area Rugby Club which hosts their home games at th
Dayton Rugby Grounds As of 2018, the club fields two men's and one women's side for Rugby union, Rugby Union and several Rugby sevens, Rugby Sevens sides. The club also hosts the annual Gem City 7's tournament.
Media
Newspapers
Dayton is served in print by ''The Dayton Daily News'', the city's sole remaining daily newspaper. The ''Dayton Daily News'' is owned by Cox Enterprises. The Dayton region's main business newspaper is the ''Dayton Business Journal''. The ''Dayton City Paper,'' a community paper focused on music, art, and independent thought ceased operation in 2018. ''The Dayton Weekly News'' has been published since 1993, providing news and information to Dayton's African-American community.
Magazines
There are numerous magazines produced in and for the Dayton region. ''The Dayton Magazine'' provides insight into arts, food, and events. ''Focus on Business'' is published by the Chamber of Commerce to provide awareness of companies and initiatives affecting the regional economy
Television
Nielsen Media Research ranked the 11-county Dayton media market, television market as the No. 62 market in the United States. The market is served by stations affiliated with major American networks including: WDTN, channel 2 – NBC, operated by Nexstar Media Group; WHIO-TV, channel 7 – CBS, operated by Cox Media Group; WPTD, channel 16 – Public Broadcasting Service, PBS, operated by ThinkTV, which also operates WPTO, assigned to Oxford, Ohio, Oxford; WKEF, channel 22 – American Broadcasting Company, ABC/Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox, operated by Sinclair Broadcasting; WBDT, channel 26 – The CW, operated by Vaughan Media (a shell corporation of Nexstar), assigned to Springfield, Ohio, Springfield; WKOI-TV, channel 43 – Ion Television, assigned to Richmond, Indiana; and WRGT-TV, channel 45 – My Network TV, operated under a local marketing agreement by Sinclair Broadcasting. The nationally syndicated morning talk show ''The Daily Buzz'' originated from WBDT, the former ACME Communications property in
Miamisburg
Miamisburg ( ) is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio. The population was 20,181 at the time of the 2010 census. A suburb of Dayton. It is part of the Dayton metropolitan area. Miamisburg is known for its large industry (mainly for its nuclear ...
, before moving to its current home in Florida.
Radio
Dayton is also served by 42 AM broadcasting, AM and FM broadcasting, FM radio stations directly, and numerous other stations are heard from elsewhere in southwest Ohio, which serve outlying suburbs and adjoining counties.
Transportation
Public transit
![City Railway Company (of Dayton Ohio) 1899](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/City_Railway_Company_%28of_Dayton_Ohio%29_1899.jpg)
The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (RTA) operates public bus routes in the Dayton metro area. In addition to routes covered by traditional Diesel engine, diesel-powered buses, RTA has several Trolleybus, electric trolley bus routes. The Trolleybuses in Dayton, Dayton trolleybus system is the second longest-running of the five remaining trolleybus systems in the U.S., having entered service in 1933. It is the present manifestation of an electric transit service that has operated continuously in Dayton since 1888.
Dayton operates a Greyhound Lines, Greyhound Station which provides inter-city bus transportation to and from Dayton. The hub is in the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority North-West hub in
Trotwood.
Airports
Dayton International Airport
Dayton International Airport (officially James M. Cox Dayton International Airport), formerly Dayton Municipal Airport and James M. Cox-Dayton Municipal Airport, is 10 miles north of downtown Dayton, in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. ...
lies in a northern exclave of the city and offers service to 21 markets through 10 airlines. In 2008, it served 2.9 million passengers. The Dayton International Airport is also a significant regional air freight hub hosting FedEx Express, UPS Airlines, United States Postal Service, and major commercial freight carriers.
The Dayton area also has several regional airports. The Dayton–Wright Brothers Airport is a general aviation airport owned by the City of Dayton south of the central business district of Dayton on Ohio State Route 741, Springboro Pike in
Miami Township. It serves as the reliever airport for Dayton International Airport. The airport primarily serves corporate and personal aircraft users. The Dahio Trotwood Airport, also known as Dayton-New Lebanon Airport, is a privately owned, public-use airport west of the central business district of Dayton. The Moraine Airpark is a privately owned, public-use airport southwest of the city of Dayton.
Major highways
The Dayton region is primarily served by three interstates:
* Interstate 75 runs north to south through the city of Dayton and many of Dayton's north and south suburbs, including Kettering and Centerville south of Dayton and Vandalia, Tipp City, and Troy north of Dayton.
* Interstate 70 is a major east–west interstate that runs through many of Dayton's east and west suburbs, including Huber Heights, Butler Township, Englewood, and Brookville, and intersects with I-75 in Vandalia, Ohio, just north of the city. This intersection of I-70 and I-75 is also known as "Freedom Veterans Crossroads", which was officially named by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2004. I-70 is the major route to the airport.
* Interstate 675 (Ohio), Interstate 675 is a partial interstate ring on the southeastern and eastern suburbs of Dayton. It runs northeast to south and connects to I-70 to the northeast and I-75 to the south.
Other major routes for the region include:
* US 35 is a major limited access east–west highway that bisects the city. It is most widely used between Drexel, Ohio, Drexel and
Xenia.
* U.S. Route 40, Route 40 is a major east–west highway that runs parallel to (and 2 miles north of) I-70
* Ohio State Route 4, State Route 4 is a freeway that is most heavily traveled between I-75 and I-70.
* Ohio State Route 444, State Route 444 is north–south state highway. Its southern terminus is at its interchange with Route 4, and its northern terminus is at Interstate 675 (Ohio), Interstate 675. This limited-access road serves Dayton and Fairborn and is a significant route to access points serving
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...
.
From 2010 through 2017, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) performed a $533 million construction project to modify, reconstruct and widen I-75 through downtown Dayton, from Edwin C Moses Blvd. to Stanley Avenue.
Rail
Dayton hosts several inter-modal freight railroad terminals. Two Class I railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway, operate switching yards in the city.
Formerly the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad, and afterward, Amtrak made long-distance passenger train stops at Dayton Union Station on S. Sixth Street. The last train leaving there was the ''National Limited (Amtrak), National Limited'' in October 1979.
Education
Public schools
Dayton Public Schools, Montgomery County, Ohio, Dayton Public Schools operates 34 schools that serve 16,855 students, including:
* Belmont High School (Ohio), Belmont High
* Meadowdale High School (Ohio), Meadowdale High
* Dunbar High School (Ohio), Paul Laurence Dunbar High
* Ponitz Career Technology Center
* Stivers School for the Arts
* Thurgood Marshall High School (Dayton, Ohio), Thurgood Marshall High
Private schools
The city of Dayton has more than 35 private schools within the city, including:
* Archbishop Alter High School
* Carroll High School (Dayton, Ohio), Carroll High School
* Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School
* Dayton Christian School
* Dominion Academy of Dayton
* The Miami Valley School
* Spring Valley Academy
Charter schools
Dayton has 33 charter schools. Three of the top five charter schools named in 2011 are K–8 schools managed by National Heritage Academies. Notable charter schools include:
* Dayton Early College Academy
* Emerson Academy
* North Dayton School of Discovery
* Pathway School of Discovery
* Richard Allen Schools
Colleges and universities
![UniversityofDayton](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/UniversityofDayton.jpg)
The Dayton area was ranked tenth for higher education among metropolitan areas in the United States by ''Forbes'' in 2009. The city is home to two major universities. The
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...
is a private, Roman Catholic Church, Catholic institution founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Marianist order. It has the only American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law school in the Dayton area. The University of Dayton is Ohio's largest private university and is also home to the
University of Dayton Research Institute
The University of Dayton Research Institute is the professional research arm of the University of Dayton
The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one ...
, which ranks third in the nation for sponsored materials research, and the
Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton
The Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND) is a research center which focuses on tissue regeneration and is partnered with the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, Air Force Research Laboratory, ...
, which focuses on human tissue regeneration.
The public Wright State University became a state university in 1967. Wright State University established the
National Center for Medical Readiness
The National Center for Medical Readiness (NCMR), conceptualized and founded by Mark E. Gebhart, MD provides medically oriented education, training, product testing, and research opportunities for medical, public health, public safety, and civilian ...
, a national training program for disaster preparedness and relief. Wright State's Boonshoft School of Medicine is the Dayton area's only medical school and is a leader in biomedical research.
Dayton is also home to Sinclair Community College, the largest community college at a single location in Ohio and one of the nation's largest community colleges. Sinclair is acclaimed as one of the country's best community colleges. Sinclair was founded as the YMCA college in 1887.
Other schools just outside Dayton that shape the educational landscape are Antioch College and Antioch University, both in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Yellow Springs, Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, Wilberforce, Kettering College of Medical Arts and School of Advertising Art in
Kettering
Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...
, DeVry University in
Beavercreek, Cedarville University, Clark State Community College and Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, Springfield. The Air Force Institute of Technology, which was founded in 1919 and serves as a graduate school for the United States Air Force, is at the nearby
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...
.
Institutions
* Boonshoft School of Medicine
*
Dayton Art Institute
The Dayton Art Institute (DAI) is a museum of fine arts in Dayton, Ohio, United States. The Dayton Art Institute has been rated one of the top 10 best art museums in the United States for children. The museum also ranks in the top 3% of all art mus ...
* Ohio Institute of Photography and Technology
* School of Advertising Art
* Wright State University
Crime
Dayton's crime declined between 2003 and 2008 in key categories according to FBI Uniform Crime Reports and Dayton Police Department data. In 2009, crime continued to fall in the city of Dayton. Crime in the categories of forcible rape, aggravated assault, property crime, motor vehicle theft, robbery, burglary, theft and arson all showed declines for 2009. Overall, crime in Dayton dropped 40% over the previous year. The Dayton Police Department reported a total of 39 murders in 2016, which marked a 39.3% increase in homicides from 2015.
John Dillinger, a bank robber during the early 1930s, was captured and arrested by Dayton city police while visiting his girlfriend at a high-class boarding house in downtown Dayton.
On August 4, 2019, 2019 Dayton shooting, a mass shooting took place in Dayton. Ten people were killed, including the perpetrator; and twenty-seven were injured.
Sister cities
![Holon Twin cities](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Holon_Twin_cities.JPG)
Dayton's Sister city, sisiter cities are:
*Augsburg, Germany
*Holon, Israel
*Monrovia, Liberia
*Ōiso, Japan
*Rushmoor, England
*Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Notable people
See also
* List of mayors of Dayton, Ohio
* List of people from Dayton, Ohio
*
National Aviation Hall of Fame
The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is a museum, annual awards ceremony and learning and research center that was founded in 1962 as an Ohio non-profit corporation in Dayton, Ohio, United States, known as the "Birthplace of Aviation" with it ...
* Politics of Dayton, Ohio
* List of U.S. cities with large Black populations
Explanatory notes
References
Further reading
* Conover, Charlotte Reeve. ''Dayton, Ohio : an intimate history'' (1995
online
* Drury, Augustus Waldo. ''History of the City of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio'' (S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1909)
online* Funk, Nellis R. ''A Pictorial History of the Great Dayton Flood, March 25, 26, 27, 1913'' (1913
online a primary source
* Millsap, Adam. "How the Gem city lost its luster and how it can get it back: A case study of Dayton, Ohio." ''Mercatus Research Paper'' (2017)
online
* Pocock, Emil. "Popular Roots of Jacksonian Democracy: The Case of Dayton, Ohio, 1815-1830." ''Journal of the Early Republic'' 9.4 (1989): 489-515
online
* Sealander, Judith. ''Grand Plans: Business Progressivism and Social Change in Ohio's Miami Valley, 1890-1929'' (1988) on Dayton and surrounding region.
* Sharts, Joseph W. ''Biography Of Dayton - An Economic Interpretation of Local History'' (1922
online* Walker, John T. "Socialism in Dayton, Ohio, 1912 to 1925: Its membership, organization, and demise." ''Labor History'' 26.3 (1985): 384-404.
* Watras, Joseph. "The Racial Desegregation of Dayton, Ohio, Public Schools, 1966–2008." ''Ohio History'' 117.1 (2010): 93-107
online
External links
City websiteDayton Area Chamber of CommerceGreater Dayton CVB
{{Good article
Dayton, Ohio,
1796 establishments in the Northwest Territory
Cities in Greene County, Ohio
Cities in Montgomery County, Ohio
Cities in Ohio
County seats in Ohio
Populated places established in 1796
Wright brothers