Moraine is a city in
Montgomery County, Ohio
Montgomery County is in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. At the 2020 census, the population was 537,309, making it the fifth-most populous county in Ohio. The county seat is Dayton. The county was named in honor of Richard Mo ...
, United States. Situated on the banks of the
Great Miami River
The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee language, Shawnee: ''Msimiyamithiipi'') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Nat ...
, Moraine is an
inner suburb
An inner suburb is a suburban community central to a large city, or at the inner city and central business district. The urban density is usually lower than the inner city or central business district, but higher than that of the city's rural� ...
of
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
and a part of the
Dayton metropolitan area
Metro Dayton or the Miami Valley, or more formally the Dayton–Kettering–Beavercreek, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in the Miami Valley region of Ohio a ...
. The population was 6,393 at the
2020 census.
History
What is now the city of Moraine was once a part of Van Buren Township followed by a brief period as a part of
Kettering
Kettering is a market town, market and industrial town, industrial town in the North Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England, west of Cambridge, England, Cambridge, southwest of Peterborough, southeast of Leicester and north- ...
. Much of Kettering's portion seceded in 1953 and formed the new Moraine Township. The township incorporated as a village in 1957. After annexing portions of
Miami Township, Moraine incorporated as a city in 1965. Moraine later annexed parts of
Jefferson Township.
Manufacturing
Moraine is known for its manufacturing history. From 1917 to 1923 the Dayton Wright Airplane company operated an aircraft manufacturing plant on the current site of the Moraine Assembly. During its years of operation over 4000 aircraft were built including the DeHavilland observer/bomber plane (a First World War British design).
Dayton-Wright was sold to
General Motors
General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
in 1919 and GM exited the aircraft business in 1923. In 1926, General Motors enlarged and upgraded the plant and used it to build refrigerators.
Frigidaire
Frigidaire Appliance Company is the American consumer and Commercial area, commercial home appliances brand subsidiary of multinational company Electrolux, a Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm.
History ...
continued to manufacture appliances on the site until 1979 when GM sold Frigidaire.
However, General Motors decided to keep the plant and retool it to produce vehicles. In 1981 the plant reopened and manufactured the
Chevrolet S-10 Blazer and
GMC S-15 Jimmy
GMC may refer to:
Government India
* Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation, in Gujarat
* Gobichettipalayam Municipal Corporation, in Tamil Nadu
* Guntur Municipal Corporation, in Andhra Pradesh
* Guwahati Municipal Corporation, in Assam
* Gwalior ...
. In the 1990s a paint shop, and the
DMAX engine plant was added to the site as a joint venture with
Isuzu
, commonly known as Isuzu (, ), is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Its principal activity is the production, marketing and sale of Isuzu commercial vehicles and diesel engines ...
. The plant continued to manufacture SUVs from the General Motors product line (
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...
,
GMC,
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile (formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors) was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produc ...
,
Buick
Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...
) until 2008 when the plant closed. The DMAX engine plant still remains open as a separate facility, and has received a $60 million upgrade in 2014. Through 2008, the total history of the plant included 86 years of manufacturing.
In 2014, GM Moraine Assembly was purchased from IRG by China-based
Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co. Ltd. Fuyao manufactures automotive glass for GM and other automakers. They began operations in late 2015, with plans to employ 800 people at the plant.
The operations were the subject of the documentary ''
American Factory''.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 6,307 people, 2,613 households, and 1,625 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 2,918 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.1%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 12.4%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 1.3%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 2.4% from
other races, and 2.5% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 3.6% of the population.
There were 2,613 households, of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.8% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96.
The median age in the city was 37 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 12.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 6,897 people, 2,855 households, and 1,818 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,127 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.53%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 6.23%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.43%
Native American, 2.00%
Asian, 0.51% from
other races, and 1.29% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population.
There were 2,855 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,341, and the median income for a family was $41,792. Males had a median income of $35,133 versus $23,994 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $16,880. About 6.8% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Economy

The GM Moraine Assembly auto plant closed on December 23, 2008, and 2,400 workers lost their jobs. In October 2015, Fuyao Glass America began producing automobile glass in the 1.4 million square foot facility of the former GM Moraine plant. The site now employs more than 2,000 workers. It was purchased from IRG by China-based
Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co. Ltd. and began operations in late 2015. Fuyao manufactures automotive glass for GM and other automakers. By the time the plant entered full-scale production in October 2016, the company had invested $1 billion in the U.S. subsidiary, with long-term plans to grow to 5,000 employees in the United States.
By the end of 2016, the plant had brought an estimated $280 million to the Ohio economy and employed 2,000 people in Moraine.
The
Moraine Airpark is located in the city.
Parks and recreation
Moraine has a parks department that includes an indoor recreational center (Payne Recreation Center), a civic center (Gerhardt), bike trails and system of small neighborhood parks. The Deer Meadow Park has a skate park and pond. The park entrance connects to the city's three-mile bike trail that follows Pinnacle Road to Main Street, then connects to the Great Miami Recreational Trail.
The city offers free garden plots to its residents on 12 acres located in a rural section of the city. Moraine also operates a boat ramp on East River Road to allow access to the Great Miami River, which passes through the center of the city.
Government
Moraine is served by a
council–manager form of government, where a seven-member
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
appoints a professional
city manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...
, who serves as the administrative head of the city.
The
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
of Moraine, Ohio, consists of 7 members. A
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
and two council members-at-large are elected by the entire city, while four additional members of council are elected to represent each of four wards. The mayor presides over meetings of the council as
chairman
The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
, and may vote as a member of council, but has no
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...
. In recent years, several mayors have been recalled and removed from office.
Moraine has a municipal
income tax
An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
of 2%.
Infrastructure
The
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...
interchange allows motorists to enter I-75 North. The entrances include southbound Dixie Drive access to I-75N, northbound Central Avenue access to I-75S, I-75N access to southbound Dixie Drive and I-75S to access South Dixie Drive. The exit was originally built in the early 1960s and never completed into a traditional highway exit until 2012.
References
External links
City website
{{authority control
Cities in Montgomery County, Ohio
Populated places established in 1957
Cities in Ohio