Everything about Dayton Ohio totally explained
Dayton is a city in southwestern
Ohio,
United States. It is the county seat and largest city of
Montgomery County. As of the
2006 census estimate, the population of Dayton was 156,771. The Dayton
Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Montgomery, Miami, Greene, and Preble counties, had a population of 835,537 as of
2007. Dayton is situated within the
Miami Valley region of Ohio, just north of the
Cincinnati metropolitan area. Dayton is expected to merge with the Cincinnati Metropolitan area due to Cincinnati's growth northward into the Miami Valley. This will form the Cincinnati-Dayton Metroplex. The estimated 2010 population will exceed 3 million and will rank as the 15th most populated
combined statistical area in the U.S.
Dayton plays host to significant
industrial,
aerospace, and technological/engineering
research activity and is known for the many technical innovations and inventions developed there. The city was the home of the signing of the
Dayton Peace Accords, which brought an end to the war in Bosnia. The
Wright brothers, poet
Paul Laurence Dunbar, and entrepreneur
John H. Patterson were born in Dayton. The Dayton area is home to several major international, national, and regional corporations, including
NCR,
Reynolds & Reynolds, ChemStation International, Liberty Bank,
NewPage Corporation, Standard Register, WorkflowOne (formerly Relizon),
Huffy Bicycles,
LexisNexis, and Mead prior to becoming
MeadWestvaco. It was formerly home of
Speedwell Motor Car Company.
History
Dayton was founded on
April 1,
1796 by a small group of
US settlers seven years before the admission of Ohio to the
Union in 1803. The town was incorporated in 1805 and given its name after
Jonathan Dayton, a captain in the
American Revolutionary War and signatory of the
U.S. Constitution.
In 1797,
Daniel C. Cooper laid out the
Mad River Road, the first overland connection between
Cincinnati, Ohio and Dayton. This opened up the "Mad River Country" at Dayton and the upper Miami Valley to settlement.
The
Miami and Erie Canal, built in the 1830s, connected the Dayton commerce from
Lake Erie via the Great Miami River and served as the principal route of transportation for western Ohio until the 1850s.
The catastrophic
Great Dayton Flood of March 1913 severely affected much of the city, stimulated the growth of suburban communities outside central Dayton in areas lying further from the Miami River and on higher ground, and led to the establishment of the
Miami Conservancy District in 1914. The flood remains an event of note in popular memory and local histories. The high waters damaged some of the Wright Brothers' glass plate photographic negatives of their glider flights at Kitty Hawk and power flights over
Huffman Prairie near Dayton.
Involvement in World War II
During
World War II Dayton, like many other American cities, was heavily involved in the war effort. Residential neighborhoods in Dayton and in nearby Oakwood hosted the
Dayton Project, in which the
Monsanto Chemical Company developed methods to industrially produce
polonium for use in the triggers of early atomic bombs, including those dropped by the United States on
Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, Japan.
Dayton was also home to the
National Cash Register Company whose employees built airplane engines, bomb sights and code-breaking machines, including the American
bombe designed by
Joseph Desch which helped crack the
Enigma machine.
Dayton Peace Accords
The
Dayton Agreement, a peace accord between the parties to the hostilities of the
conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the former Yugoslavia, was negotiated in the Dayton area. Negotiations took place from
November 1,
1995 to
November 21,
1995 at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton.
Nicknames
Dayton's primary nickname is the "Gem City". The origin of the name is no longer clear; it appears to stem either from a well-known
racehorse named "Gem" that hailed from Dayton, or from descriptions of the city likening it to a
gem. The most likely origin appears to be an 1845 article in the
Cincinnati Daily Chronicle newspaper, by an author writing with the byline "T", which reads
» In a small bend of the Great Miami River, with canals on the east and south, it can be fairly said, without infringing on the rights of others, that Dayton is the gem of all our interior towns. It possesses wealth, refinement, enterprise, and a beautiful country, beautifully developed.
Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906) later acknowledged the nickname in his poem, "Toast to Dayton", which contains this stanza:
» She shall ever claim our duty,
For she shines—the brightest gem » That has ever decked with beauty
Dear Ohio's diadem.
Another explanation for the nickname "Gem", is from Dayton's sister city to the south, Cincinnati. Cincinnati is known as the "Queen City", and Dayton would be the "Gem" in the queen's crown.
The city was advertised as "The Gem City, the Cleanest City in America" in the 1950s, 60s and into the 70s. The phrase was often seen on public trash cans, and other places throughout the city during this time period. Additionally, Dayton has one of the most consistent street cleaning schedules. Every morning, street cleaners sweep downtown Dayton of any trash from the previous day.
Ohio's nickname "Birthplace of Aviation" is also frequently seen due to Dayton being the hometown of the Wright Brothers. In their bicycle shop in Dayton, the Wrights developed the principles of aerodynamics, and designed and constructed a number of gliders and portions of their first airplane. After their first manned flights in
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wrights continued testing at nearby
Huffman Prairie.
Geography
Dayton is located at (39.762708, -84.196665). The city sits in the
Miami River Valley, north of
Cincinnati, well south of
Toledo, south-west of
Columbus, and east of
Richmond,
Indiana, in the southwest quadrant of the state. Most official and government designations place it in
west-central Ohio (a term which colloquially often refers to
Lima, Ohio). It is at the confluence of the
Great Miami River, the
Stillwater and
Mad rivers, and
Wolf Creek. Greater Dayton is generally referred to by locals as the Miami Valley, which is understood to mean the area south of
Sidney and north of
Middletown, and west of
Springfield to the
Indiana border
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 56.6
square miles (146.7
km²), of which, 55.8 square miles (144.5 km²) of it's land and 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²) of it (1.55%) is water.
Climate
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Rec High °F | 71 |
73 |
82 |
89 |
93 |
102 |
102 |
102 |
101 |
89 |
79 |
72
|
| Norm High °F | 33.7 |
38.2 |
49.3 |
60.7 |
71.2 |
80.1 |
84.2 |
82.3 |
75.6 |
63.5 |
50.1 |
38.5
|
| Norm Low °F | 19 |
22.4 |
31.2 |
40.4 |
51.1 |
60.2 |
64.4 |
62.2 |
54.6 |
43.5 |
34.3 |
24.4
|
| Rec Low °F | -25 |
-16 |
-7 |
15 |
27 |
40 |
44 |
39 |
32 |
21 |
-2 |
-20
|
| Precip (in) | 2.6 |
2.29 |
3.29 |
4.03 |
4.17 |
4.21 |
3.75 |
3.49 |
2.65 |
2.72 |
3.3 |
3.08
|
Source: USTravelWeather.com |
The region is dominated by a
humid continental climate, characterized by hot, muggy summers and cold, dry winters. The highest temperature ever recorded in Dayton was 105 °F in July 1934, and the coldest was -21 °F in January 1985.
Dayton is subject to
severe weather typical to the Midwestern United States.
Tornadoes are possible from the spring to the fall.
Floods,
blizzards, and
severe thunderstorms can also occur from time to time.
Demographics
» Note: the following demographic information applies only to the city of Dayton proper. For other Dayton-area communities, see their respective articles.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 166,179 people, 67,409 households, and 37,614 families residing in the city. The
population density was 2,979.3 people per square mile (1,150.3/km²). There were 77,321 housing units at an average density of 1,386.3/sq mi (535.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.40%
White, 43.10%
Black, 0.30%
Native American, 0.65%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 0.70% from
other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. 1.58% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. Dayton remains largely segregated, with African Americans residing on the West and Whites on the East in the City Proper.
Households
There were 67,409 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.2% were
married couples living together, 20.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.2% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.04.
Age structure and gender ratio
The age structure of Dayton's population is:
- under 18 years: 25.1%
- 18 to 24 years: 14.2%
- 25 to 44 year: 29.0%
- 45 to 64 years: 19.6%
- 65 years of age or older: 12.0%
The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males, while for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
Income
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 $15,547. 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.
Metropolitan Statistical Area
The former Dayton-Springfield
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) included
Montgomery,
Miami,
Clark, and
Greene counties and had a population of 950,558 in 2000. In 2003, the MSA was split into the Springfield MSA, which includes only Clark County, and the Dayton MSA, which includes Montgomery, Miami, Greene, and
Preble counties.
Political structure
In 1913, Dayton became the first large city in the United States to adopt the
council-manager system of city government. In this system, the mayor is merely the chairperson of the city commission and has one vote on the commission just like the other commissioners. The commission chooses a city manager, who holds administrative authority over the city government.
The city also encourages participation by residents through the use of
neighborhood associations and
priority boards. A total of 65 neighborhoods comprise seven priority board districts.
» See also:
Crime
Like many midwestern cities suffering from a declining manufacturing base, the city has seen a high poverty rate, although that rate declined during the 1990s.
GM and its spinoff
Delphi's factories, just to name a few, make up much of the city's employment.
While the past five years have shown a general decrease in crime, Dayton has historically had high crime rates. According to FBI
Uniform Crime Reports, in 2005 the crime rate per capita was more than twice the national average in the areas of murder,
robbery,
motor vehicle theft,
rape, and
burglary. Dayton also had a the 3rd highest crime rate per capita in the State, putting Cleveland 1st, Cincinnati in 2nd and Toledo in 4th. Dayton was also ranked as the 19th most dangerous city in the country by CQ Press in 2007.
Mayor
Rhine McLin is a member of the
Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a
bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by
Boston, Massachusetts Mayor
Thomas Menino and
New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg.
Dayton also has a high number of abandoned buildings and structures (more than 3000 according to a Greater Ohio press release), although the city has increased funding for demolition in recent years. Residents of Dayton believe that the abandoned buildings and structures are the beds for crime and drugs in the neighborhoods. One can compare the abandonment of buildings in Dayton to cities such as
Detroit, Michigan,
Gary, Indiana, and
Flint, Michigan.
Urban design and architecture
Unlike many
midwestern cities of its age, Dayton has very broad and straight downtown streets (generally two full lanes in each direction), facilitating 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. In addition, some of today's streets were once barge canals flanked by draw-paths.
A courthouse building was constructed 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.
Dayton's nine historic neighborhoods —
Oregon District,
Wright Dunbar,
Dayton View,
Grafton Hill,
McPherson Town,
Webster Station,
Huffman,
St. Anne's Hill, and
South Park — feature mostly single-family houses and mansions in the Neoclassical,
Jacobethan,
Tudor Revival,
English Gothic,
Chateauesque,
Craftsman,
Queen Anne,
Georgian Revival,
Colonial Revival, Renaissance Revival Architecture, Shingle Style Architecture,
Prairie,
Mission Revival,
Eastlake/Italianate,
American Foursquare, and
Federal styles of architecture.
The two tallest buildings of the Dayton skyline are the Kettering Tower at 408 ft (124 m) and the
MeadWestvaco Tower at 385 ft (117 m). Kettering Tower was originally Winters Tower, the headquarters of Winters Bank. The building was renamed after Virginia Kettering when Winters was merged into
BankOne.
Culture and recreation
Dayton is home to the
Dayton Art Institute, a museum of fine arts. The
National Museum of the United States Air Force is at nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
The
Dayton Metro Library is a library system consisting of 23 locations across the metropolitan area, with the Main Library located in downtown Dayton.
The
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park commemorates the lives and achievements of Dayton natives Orville and Wilbur Wright and Paul Laurence Dunbar.
SunWatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park is located on the south end of Dayton. SunWatch is the location of a 12th century American Indian village that has been partially reconstructed and includes a museum where visitors can learn about the Indian history of the Miami Valley.
Dayton is also home to a variety of performing arts venues. The
Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center at the corner of Second and Main, is the home performance venue of the
Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and the
Dayton Opera. In addition to Philharmonic and Opera performances, the Schuster Center hosts concerts, lectures, traveling Broadway shows, and is a popular spot for weddings and other events. The historic
Victoria Theatre, located at the corner of First and Main, hosts concerts, traveling
Broadway shows,
ballet, a summertime classic film series, and much more. The Loft Theatre, also on Main Street, is the home of the Human Race Theatre Company.
Dayton is also the home to the Gem City Ballet and Progressive Dance Theater, companies in residence at the Pontecorvo Ballet Studio.
South of Dayton in
Kettering is the
Fraze Pavilion which hosts many nationally and internationally known musicians for concerts. Also south of downtown, on the banks of the
Great Miami River, is the
University of Dayton Arena, home venue for the
University of Dayton Flyers basketball teams and the location of various other events and concerts. North of Dayton is the
Hara Arena and the
Nutter Center, venues that frequently host sporting events and concerts. The Nutter Center is the home arena for athletics of
Wright State University and the
Dayton Bombers.
From 1996 to 1998, Dayton hosted the
National Folk Festival.
The Dayton Amateur Radio Association annually hosts North America's largest
hamfest at
Hara Arena in
Trotwood, a neighboring suburb.
Amateur radio operators are commonly referred to as "hams" with as many as 25,000 traveling from around the world to attend this convention.
The
Dayton Canoe Club is a private club located on four rivers where canoeing is enjoyed by many enthusiasts. The Dayton Canoe Club was organized in 1912 and has an active membership today. They host events yearlong and members can also use the main hall for private events.
Sports
Media
Newspapers
The principal general-circulation daily newspaper in the region is the
Dayton Daily News, which is owned by
Cox Enterprises.
Christian Citizen USA (currently doing business as
Citizen USA), which claims to uphold "traditional values" and distances itself from secular media, is a newspaper with circulation in greater Dayton and its surrounding suburban communities. The
Dayton City Paper is a free weekly circulation newspaper formerly known as the
Impact Weekly. The
Kettering-Oakwood Times, part of the Brown Publishing family, is a weekly with circulation primarily in the south suburban communities. Brown weeklies have a circulation of over 100,000 in the Metro-Dayton area.
Flyer News is the semiweekly student newspaper at the
University of Dayton and serves the campus community. The
Guardian is the weekly student newspaper at
Wright State University. And, the Clarion is the student newspaper of Sinclair Community College.
Television
The Dayton metro area's broadcast television stations are as follows:
WDTN, Channel 2 – NBC, operated by LIN TV
WHIO-TV, Channel 7 – CBS, operated by Cox Communications
WPTD, Channel 16 – PBS, operated by ThinkTV (formerly known as Greater Dayton Public Television), which also operates WPTO, assigned to Oxford, Ohio
WKEF, Channel 22 – ABC, operated by Sinclair Broadcasting
WBDT, Channel 26 – The CW/i, operated by Acme Television
WRGT-TV, Channel 45 – Fox/My Network TV, operated under a local marketing agreement by Sinclair Broadcasting
The Dayton television market is ranked the #62 Nielsen DMA in the United States.
Nationally syndicated morning talk show The Daily Buzz originated from WBDT-TV, the Acme property in Miamisburg, Ohio before moving to its current home in Florida.
Radio
AM format
WLW 700 - News/Talk (based in Cincinnati)
WPFB 910 - Classic Country (based in Middletown)
WONE 980 – sports (Fox Sports)
WGNZ 1110 - gospel hit radio (based in Fairborn)
WDAO 1210 – black contemporary / soul music
WHIO 1290 – news and talk (Cox Communications-owned, Fox News Radio Affiliate)
WIZE 1340 - repeater for WONE 980 (based in Springfield)
WING 1410 – sports (ESPN Radio)
WBZI 1500 - country (based in Xenia) plus repeaters WEDI 1130 in Eaton and WKFI 1090 in Wilmington
WPTW 1570 - high school sports (based in Piqua)
WULM 1600 - Christian oriented news/talk affiliated with USA Radio Network (based in Springfield)
1610 - Informational Radio (Based in Kettering)
FM format
WDPR 88.1 – Dayton Public Radio, classical
WCSU 88.9 – Urban jazz and gospel
WQRP 89.5 – Praise 89.5, Christian Praise and Worship
WCDR 90.3 – Christian (based in nearby Cedarville, Ohio)
WYSO 91.3 – National Public Radio (based in nearby Yellow Springs, Ohio)
WROU 92.1 – Urban adult contemporary
WGTZ 92.9 – Jack Format 50's-90's "We Play Anything" (Fly 92.9)
WFCJ 93.7 – Christian (WFCJ Inspiration!)
WDKF 94.5 – Top 40 rhythmic pop (Channel 945)
WSWD 94.9 - Adult alternative (94.9 The Sound - based in Fairfield, Ohio)
WZLR 95.3 – Classic hits (95.3 The Eagle)
WHIO 95.7 – News and talk (WHIO FM) (Simulcasts with WHIO 1290AM)
WFTK 96.5 - Rock (96Rock - based in Lebanon, Ohio)
WOKL 96.9 - Contemporary Christian (based in Troy, repeater of K-LOVE 89.3 FM in Winchester, Oregon)
WSWO 97.7/101.5 - Ultimate Oldies (based in Huber Heights)
WUDR 98.1/99.5 - Flyer Radio (University of Dayton)
WKET 98.3 - "The Bird" Student run station out of Fairmont High School (Impact 98.3) (Based in Kettering)
WHKO 99.1 – Country (K99.1FM)
WLQT 99.9 – Soft adult contemporary (Lite 99.9)
WEEC 100.7 - Christian
WCWT 101.5 - Student run station out of Centerville High School (Based in Centerville)
WDHT 102.9 – Urban (Hot 102.9)
WGRR 103.5 - Oldies (Based in Cincinnati, Ohio)
WXEG 103.9 – Modern rock (The X)
WTUE 104.7 – Classic rock
WPFB 105.9 - Country (The Rebel 105.9)
WDSJ 106.5 – Smooth jazz (Smooth Jazz 106.5)
WWSU 106.9 – College radio (Wright State University)
WMMX 107.7 – Hot adult contemporary (Mix 107.7)
Some Cincinnati and other southwest Ohio radio and television stations can be received in parts of Dayton, as well.
Transportation
The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (RTA) operates public bus routes in the Dayton metro area. In addition to routes covered by traditional diesel-powered buses, RTA has a number of electric trolley bus routes. In continuous operation since 1888, Dayton's is the longest-running of the five remaining trolley bus systems in the U.S. There is currently no RTA bus route serving the Dayton International Airport.
Air transportation is available via the James M. Cox Dayton International Airport, located in nearby Vandalia, just north of Dayton proper. People from nearby cities such as Cincinnati, Columbus, and Indianapolis travel and fly out of Dayton due to lower costs.
Liberty Cab (in operation since 1929), Checker Cab and Airport Checker Cab all provide taxicab service throughout the Dayton metro area.
Dayton is located on Interstate 75, which intersects Interstate 70 just north of the city. This intersection is also known as "Freedom Veterans Crossroads."
The intersection of Route 4 and Interstate 75 is also known to locals as Malfunction Junction, because of the sharp turn in the Northbound lanes of I-75 that causes heavy traffic delays during Rush Hour. That section of interstate is also known for traffic accidents.
Starting in October 2007, a multi-year project to upgrade Interstate 75 through downtown gets under way. There will be three continuous through lanes on Interstate 75, when the project is two-thirds complete in 2011.
US 35 is also a major east-west highway passing through downtown Dayton, carrying commuters east to Xenia, Ohio or west to the Ohio-Indiana border. The stretch of US 35 through downtown is currently wrapping up major reconstruction.
Education
Dayton is home to two major universities: the University of Dayton, a private, Catholic institution founded in 1850 by the Marianist order, and the public Wright State University, which became a state university in 1967. Wright State University has the only medical school in the Dayton area. The University of Dayton has the only American Bar Association (ABA) approved law school in the Dayton area. The Kettering College of Medical Arts offers two-year and four-year degrees in several disciplines including nursing. The Ohio Institute of Photography and Technology is a career-focused college also located in Dayton.
Dayton is also home to one of the country's leading community colleges, Sinclair Community College (founded as a YMCA college in 1887).
Dayton Public High Schools are: Paul Laurence Dunbar High, Thurgood Marshall High, Meadowdale High, Patterson Career Center, Belmont High, and Stivers School for the Arts. Paul Laurence Dunbar High has won the Ohio Division II state men's basketball title in the past two years, in 2006 and 2007. Private high schools include Chaminade-Julienne Catholic High School.
During the 1990s, The Dayton Public School System was the lowest performing school district in the state of Ohio. After a dramatic reconstructioning of the schools in the mid 2000s, the school system had a new superintendent, Dr. Percy Mack. The district moved up from "academic emergency" to "continuous improvement", building new schools and the first all girls school in the City. The school districts motto states that "A New Day is Dawning" for Dayton Public Schools. On May 8, 2007, taxpayers voted against a school levy. As a result, approximately 250 teaching jobs were cut in a Reduction in Force, class sizes were increased, transportation services were reduced and some athletic programs were cut as well.
Points of interest
Cox Arboretum and Gardens MetroPark
Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum
Museums
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
Carillon Historical Park
Dayton Art Institute
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
Dayton International Peace Museum
Montgomery County Historical Society
National Museum of the United States Air Force
SunWatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park
Americas Packard Museum
Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm
Trivia
The city has a rich heritage of inventions and innovations, with more patents per capita than any other city in the nation. Some of these inventions include the powered airplane, cash register, the stepladder, microfiche, waterproof cellophane, pop top beverage cans, the movie projector, space food, parking meters, the aircraft supercharger, the automobile self starter, gas masks, leaded gasoline, CFCs, the portable crib], the ice cube tray, Cheez-It, and the parachute.
The first American Professional Football Association (precursor to the NFL) game was played in Triangle Park between the Dayton Triangles and the Columbus Panhandles on October 3, 1920.
The first All-American Soap Box Derby was held in Dayton on August 19, 1934.
Sister Cities
Dayton has five sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
Augsburg, Germany
Holon, Israel
Monrovia, Liberia
Oiso, Japan
Sarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaFurther Information
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