Dayton, Ohio

Dayton is a city in <a href="/facts/Montgomery_County%2c_Ohio/1Y1LmTYb">Montgomery County, Ohio</a>, United States, and its <a href="/facts/County_seat/ItAWPoWw">county seat</a>. It is the <a href="/facts/List_of_cities_in_Ohio/d9hGxANN">sixth-most populous city</a> in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the <a href="/facts/2020_United_States_census/dTEm5TRr">2020 census</a>. The <a href="/facts/Dayton_metropolitan_area/xcQaUJ6U">Dayton metropolitan area</a> has an estimated 822,000 residents and is the state's fourth-largest metropolitan area. Dayton is located within Ohio's <a href="/facts/Miami_Valley/7YgkK3nf">Miami Valley</a> region, 50 miles (80 km) north of <a href="/facts/Cincinnati/PcyTWhS4">Cincinnati</a> and 60 miles (97 km) west-southwest of <a href="/facts/Columbus%2c_Ohio/mREa53Ub">Columbus</a>.
Dayton was founded in 1796 along the <a href="/facts/Great_Miami_River/p6kGF2w9">Great Miami River</a> and named after <a href="/facts/Jonathan_Dayton/uz82W5Yc">Jonathan Dayton</a>, a <a href="/facts/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States/2QxuFllb">Founding Father</a> who owned a significant amount of land in the area. It grew in the 19th century as a <a href="/facts/Canal/pBE8LsJx">canal</a> town and was home to many <a href="/facts/Patent/LjT2bG3A">patents</a> and <a href="/facts/Inventor/P3LdUHBY">inventors</a>, most notably the <a href="/facts/Wright_brothers/byU6xEkD">Wright brothers</a>, who developed the first successful motor-operated <a href="/facts/Airplane/81161IpU">airplane</a>. It later developed an industrialized economy and was home to the <a href="/facts/Dayton_Project/tQYhnqkA">Dayton Project</a>, a branch of the larger <a href="/facts/Manhattan_Project/gtg8yRK2">Manhattan Project</a>, to develop <a href="/facts/Polonium/G4rzsyjP">polonium</a> triggers used in early atomic bombs. With the decline of heavy manufacturing in the late 20th century, Dayton's businesses have diversified into a <a href="/facts/Service_economy/QjJBuCbg">service economy</a>.
Ohio's borders are within 500 miles (800 km) of roughly 60 percent of the country's population and manufacturing infrastructure, making Dayton a <a href="/facts/Logistics/0Hr2w55W">logistics</a> hub. The city is home to <a href="/facts/Wright-Patterson_Air_Force_Base/6EWFomSD">Wright-Patterson Air Force Base</a>, a significant contributor to <a href="/facts/Research_and_development/2h5UddUu">research and development</a> in the industrial, <a href="/facts/Aeronautics/yu2YEPv9">aeronautical</a>, and <a href="/facts/Astronautics/uT1nlI0F">astronautical</a> engineering fields. Along with defense and aerospace, <a href="/facts/Healthcare/LPS1WKbI">healthcare</a> accounts for much of the Dayton area's economy. Significant institutions in Dayton include the <a href="/facts/Air_Force_Institute_of_Technology/8nKNVRug">Air Force Institute of Technology</a>, <a href="/facts/Carillon_Historical_Park/Rf6p9Qkx">Carillon Historical Park</a>, <a href="/facts/Dayton_Art_Institute/QS5P8kdI">Dayton Art Institute</a>, <a href="/facts/Dayton_Performing_Arts_Alliance/gYMK2gmw">Dayton Performing Arts Alliance</a>, <a href="/facts/National_Museum_of_the_United_States_Air_Force/5LPvHCld">National Museum of the United States Air Force</a>, and <a href="/facts/University_of_Dayton/JQAzLRds">University of Dayton</a>.

Dayton, Ohio open-in-new

Dayton, Ohio