So you’re looking into moving to a beautiful area like Dayton? Well, this is a great choice and one that you will definitely not regret. There is so much that Dayton has to offer to those who live there. We will give you a few highlights of the area! Prepare to see some amazing spots!

Here’s what you should know when moving to Dayton:

• History of Dayton 
• Facts and figures about Dayton
• Local favorite things to do around Dayton
• And more!

History of Dayton

The area of Dayton was founded on April 1, in 1796-- settled in by what was once called the Thompson. They had traveled from Cincinnati by the Great Miami River and landed on what is currently named St. Clair Street in Dayton. 

The town got its name from the politician and war veteran, Jonathan Dayton. It became the seat of Montgomery County after the state of Ohio was made official in 1803. During the War of 1812, Dayton was a mobilization spot for the American attacks upon Canada and the British. 

Both during and at the end of the war, different businesses were built such as tobacco factories, banks, textile mills, and others. The Miami and Erie canal created a link between Cincinnati, and Dayton and that is why the area became successful. 

Dayton was one of the biggest and most wealthy parts of Ohio by the 1840s. In fact, it was majorly a reason why Ohio’s early industrialization thrived. They even had a successful publishing industry which helped the growth of newspapers. 

More to add on about interesting history, Dayton is where the Wright brothers had created their first successful flight in an aircraft. 

Because the city was built on a flood plain, flooding was an issue in the area, the most significant being the flood of 1913. After recovery though, the Miami Conservancy District was created to diminish flooding in the area. 

Dayton by the numbers

Learn about Dayton’s Economy, Demographics, and What it’s Really Like to Live Here

Here is where we will give you some specified information about the place that you may be considering moving to! This will help to see if you think you or your family may be a good fit in a place like this. So let us get into the details.

Economy 

The current population of Dayton is 140,343 citizens. The median household income in the area is 32,540.

The most common jobs you will see citizens having in the area are health care and social assistance, manufacturing, and accomodation and food services. The highest paying jobs in the area are management of companies and enterprises, utilities, and public administration. 

Demographics

The racial demographics that make up the area of Dayton are, 55.74% White, 37.88% Black or African American, 3.69% two or more races, 1.21% other race, 1.09% Asian, 0.34% Native American, and 0.05% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. 

The average household size is 2.26, and the average age is 34.4.

48.7% of the population is male and 51.3% is female. 

People

The amount of land in Dayton is 36,190 acres; so we have plenty of room to spread out in this area. 

The local government that impacts your everyday life is the mayor of Dayton, Nan Whaley. She was the youngest woman that was ever chosen for a commission seat. 

Your senate representation of the state of Ohio is Sherrod Brown (Democrat) and Rob Portman (Republican).

Weather

Truly such an important part of choosing where you will reside is the climate that you can be expecting to live in. Luckily since you are in Ohio you get a fun mixture of each season. 

Best places weather index rates Dayton a 7.1/10 which is nicely above average. 

You can expect around 40 inches of rain and 17 inches of snow. The pattern of the weather also reports that you can expect 176 out of the 365 days of the year will be sunny. 

May, June, and September are the most pleasant months to experience out of the year in Dayton. December and January are the least pleasant, which makes sense considering that's when you will experience the most cold. 

Get to know Dayton like a local

This is the fun part of the blog where we get to show you all of the tasty places and fun attractions that you will no doubt have to visit when staying in Dayton. So get ready to take some notes of these names!

Roost Modern Italian

524 E 5th St. | Dayton | roostitalian.com

Located in the Oregon District in Dayton, Roost Italian opened in 2011. They specialize in Italian cuisine but put a modern twist on it. Traditions are partially used but change is a good thing and they know this!

Looking at their menu they have some great starters such as Meatball Al Forno, which is baked meatballs in Italian. 

They have a “Land, Sea, and Pasta,” “Garden,” and “To end” menu to look at as well. Most notably we saw the “Line caught swordfish puttanesca fresca” which is fresh tomatoes, capers, mediterranen olives, calabrian chilis, and Capellini D’angelo.

Finish your meal with a Spumoni Bomba, it is strawberry/chocolate pistachio gelato wrapped in chocolate ganache. 

“Get the butter filet. Just get it. It is life changing. Their drinks are also so delicious! We tried their seasonal peach caprese which was so fresh and delicious! I only come here for special occasions but I always have such a great time with fantastic service and food. It's is beautiful on the inside and we were lucky enough to come while 5th was shut down and ate on the street.” -Yelp review. 

Melt Bar and Grilled

2733 Fairfield Commons Unit C. | Beavercreek | meltedbarandgrilled.com

What do you get when you mix a musician and a chef? Well you get a restaurant called Melt Bar and Grilled! That is of course the back story of how this place was created. Craft beer and grilled cheese brought the two together and their story began. 

They have a brunch menu, kids menu, and full melt menu. They also have specials and a dietary concerns section for those who cannot eat certain things. 

This place has wings, grilled cheese, boxed meals and more. Looking at their menu the most intriguing meal we had seen was chicken bacon ranch mac n cheese from the maniacal mac n cheese menu. Each portion feeds about ten to twelve people. 

Their classic grilled cheese was full of different sandwiches to try. The Monte Cristo especially, which is honey ham, smoked turkey, swiss, american, crispy battered and deep fried powdered sugar with berry preserves for dipping. Sounds appetizing right?

“Our first time at Melt won't be our last. The menu was a little overwhelming, but our server was happy to answer questions. Great drink options. Try the Jelly Donut cocktail! My husband and I ordered a specialty grilled cheese and the hamburger Mac and cheese to share. While the sandwich was good, I felt the bread needed to be buttered and browned better. The mac and cheese was AMAZING!!” -Yelp review.

Coco’s Bistro

250 Warren St. | Dayton | 228coco.com

Since 2005, Coco’s Bistro was born and has been running in Dayton ever since. The goal of the restaurant was to make the food “approachable and delightful” in an elegant atmosphere. 

Ordering their food from local vendors, the menu’s “Spring and Summer Lunch” available from 11:30AM to 2PM, and their “Spring and Summer Dinner” served from 5PM to close. 

Observing the lunch menu, the shrimp and linguini lunch which is zesty scampi butter, parmigiano-reggiano, lemon, and parsley. Maybe try Coco’s honey lemonade on the side for $8.

The dinner menu has a lot to offer as well. Start off with an appetizer like fried brie which is panko crusted, tomato bruschetta, basil pesto, balsamic reduction. Then try their chicken, Ed Hill’s half chicken, lemon herb butter, roasted seasonal vegetable, and carrot romesco. 

Enjoy a cocktail like their “Hot Girl Summer,” which is El Jimador Silver Tequila, Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, Ancho Reyes Pineapple, Mango, and Lime.

And if you don’t want a cocktail they have plenty of wines, and a bottle list. 

“great food and amazing atmosphere! the owner and staff were extremely kind and we loved the support they showed on their menu for human rights organizations (specifically in support of Palestine and the illegal occupation of their homeland).” -Yelp review. 

Slyders Tavern 

836 Watervliet Ave. | Dayton | slyderstavern.com

Tradition since 1948? Look into Slyders Tavern for some great food today! Every day of the week Slyders have daily specials for example, Monday is BBQ bacon cheeseburger and fries. 

Their menu includes appetizers, “lighter fares,” wings, burgers, and sandwiches. The “Hot Ham Stack” is a sandwich that we took a look at. It is grilled ham with the choice of American, Swiss, or Cheddar Cheese served on a toasted Kaiser and then garnished with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion. 

Get that with a side of mozzarella sticks and call it a great meal! 

“There's a reason why this place has 5 stars! They work hard to keep it 5 star. Nothing fancy, but everything was tasty And you never have that moment trying to get their attention, they work as a team and you will never need to ask they are good at reading your mind..Service rocked    Food was delish.  Well be back!” -Yelp review.

Now the Attractions 

Now that we have talked about food it is time to look at some tourist attractions, or maybe your new favorite spot to go to if you move!

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park

16 S Williams St. | Dayton | nps.gov

Have you ever been on a plane? Are you interested in aviation? Well if you want to learn about some notable names and aircrafts take a stop down at Dayton Aviation Heritage Historical park. 

Learn about the Wright, Dunbar family, and other aviation pioneers. 

In the museum is even a replica of the 1902 Wright glider! Museums always give us chills. It's wild to think about how much history can be behind one thing.

Take a walk through the prairie of wildflowers at the Huffman Prairie flying field. Imagine all of the aircrafts that went through fields just like these!

“Since it is a historical site and natural park, they do have tour guides that are part of the museum. Next to the information center, they have the actual bike shop where Henry and Orville first started their business. This was a workshop for them to use when creating bicycles and then also used this shop to help them get started with working with planes. Lots of history here. If you can take a tour, do it!” -Yelp review. 

Dayton Art Institute 

456 Belmonte Park N. | Dayton | daytonartinstitute.org

For all of those who appreciate art, this is the spot for you! 

Check out special exhibits, and collection highlights. Take a look online as well and check out the events they hold for kids and adults! 

Let out your inner Picasso or maybe a critique and enjoy some inspiration. 

“We spent an afternoon at this gallery. It's a wonderful collection of art from a wide variety of artist.” -Yelp review. 

Enjoy your stay!

We hope that this has convinced you how great of a place Dayton is!