Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2008 > July > 03 > Entry
What’s Best Case for Dayton?
In his Sunday column, Dayton Daily News editor Kevin Riley asks readers for suggestions for selling people on coming to Dayton. The specific context is the effort of the Dayton Development Coalition and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to land new civilians to take advantage of the assignment of new military tasks to the base as a result of the base realignment project.
This is a good place to post ideas. What would you tell people is desirable about Dayton?
Permalink | Comments (56) | Post your comment | Categories: Living in Dayton
Comments
By Emily
July 3, 2008 6:17 PM | Link to this
Speaking only from personal experience, I would say: all of the great restaurants in the Oregon District, Pacchia’s cafe, the art community, the Dayton Art Institute, the amazing parks system, the Neon, the public library system, the many excellent area schools, the local music scene…By TRS
July 4, 2008 12:24 PM | Link to this
In a recent editorial, I noted that Lt Gov Fisher wasn’t aware of the abundance of water this area has nor the fact that we have a great flood control system. I’ve always heard that water was one of the reasons GM located here way back when. While it is true WPAFB is a great focal point, we are still the Crossroads of America (location, location, location), have easy access to interstates in all directions, reasonable traffic levels (folks don’t have to sit in traffic burning fuel), all of which are excellent selling points; but, with the rush toward alternative fuels and in particular hydrogen, we have a huge resource here. The areas where folks and mfgr have been going, specifically south and west - are struggling with how to sustain mfgr and population. Some places have ceased issuing building permits because they can’t handle any further development. Atlanta is having huge issues supplying water. It goes without saying the natural disaster issues we’ve seen in the south along the seaboards, the midwest with flooding and the west with fires + some overly zealous regulations and high cost of living, gives this area some advantage others don’t have. Throw that all together and Dayton Ohio can again become an appealing place to do business. Dayton is also large enough to offer alot; yet, small enough its not a “big city” and is a good place to raise a family. It may be down, but I don’t think its out.By painfultruth
July 5, 2008 10:31 PM | Link to this
We have a great park system, and we’re close to Major League sports in Cincinnati. Great shopping. Downside? City of Dayton proper schools stink, the inner city is bare and too many neighborhoods are simply dangerous. Look to Centerville, Springboro and Bellbrook for good schools and safe living. Sorry, but it is what it is!By Stacy Law
July 5, 2008 10:50 PM | Link to this
I would tell people that we have an embarrassing mayor, a city commission that is disengaged from the larger anchor corporations in the City, a police force that the gangs in north and west Dayton aren’t intimidated by, and rude meter-maids that will make your Dayton business-experience a genuinely memorable event.By karon
July 6, 2008 12:30 AM | Link to this
Job creation comes from having a city.Dayton has become a waste land of urban sprawling. General Motors when it came to Dayton, paid to have the streetcars taken up! When this happened,the city of Dayton greatly declined. Those streetcars must comeback if the city is to make a comeback. General Motors should pay to have the streetcars put back in place.By Dave Digell
July 6, 2008 2:18 AM | Link to this
Real estate, car insurance, and groceries are cheaper here than many areas of the country.By Katmandu
July 6, 2008 3:37 AM | Link to this
Run!! Dayton, Ohtucky is dying!By Tim
July 6, 2008 5:54 AM | Link to this
I can’t believe you opened this up for discussio.By Tom
July 6, 2008 7:31 AM | Link to this
Nothing!By Papa Ubu
July 6, 2008 7:51 AM | Link to this
I would tell them that Dayton is preferable to Detroit.By South Suburbs
July 6, 2008 8:51 AM | Link to this
I would stress to them the high quality of the Centerville School District, the Centerville-Washington Twp Parks and Rec offerings, the Dayton Mall and The Greene retail areas and, of course, Dayton Flyers Basketball.By Rich
July 6, 2008 9:09 AM | Link to this
I think that the Miami Valley is still a good place to raise a family, and costs of living in this region are lower than in other regions of the country. For families, several of our local public schools systems (e.g., Oakwood, Centerville) offer excellent educational opportunities, as do the numerous private and pariochial school systems. We have good, multiple affordable post-secondary school options. The Miami Valley region offers varying housing/community options, ranging from rural, suburban and “city” settings. We are seeing a “rebirth” in South Dayton (due largely to the investment by the University of Dayton and Miami Valley Hospital), and in certain areas neighboring the downtown. For a city the size of Dayton, we have fine artistic programs and resources. Also, the Miami Valley is close to larger cities that offer additional recreational and other opportunities.By bg7667
July 6, 2008 9:44 AM | Link to this
Dayton best and enduring asset is its citizens. You can not talk about just Dayton with out discussing the entire Miami Valley area. Unlike many metro areas every city, township and village in the Miami Valley work together. The goal is always the same to respect our past, make the most of today with new ideas and welcome tomorrow with our hard work fulfilling our dreams. Our most dependable employers are the many small business that chose to make it happen for themselves and the community. The other is the government. The public and private schools in the area are fantastic. The local colleges excel at being the best. There is an abundance of affordable housing and cost of living is low. With every outlying city being connected you usually can get from point A to point B in 30 minutes or less. The only adjustment that may seem strange is when traveling we use our main and back roads and don’t rely heavily on our freeways to get around in this area. The added bonus is there is not a single toll road or toll bridge around here. The entertainment around here is varied. There is the Victoria Theater, Dayton Dragons baseball team, numerous movie theaters and great bars and clubs that suit every taste. We also have great parks full of activities as well as amazing lakes and fantastic hiking trails. Miami Valley is amazing but Utopia it is not. We have endless retail and warehousing space primed and ready for new development. We have been hit hard by astonishing job loss. Today we are in transition again to pay attention to our past by diversifying and celebrating numerous industries. The people here support local businesses. We do this because we believe in helping our neighbors to make life better for us.By bg7667
July 6, 2008 9:44 AM | Link to this
Dayton best and enduring asset is its citizens. You can not talk about just Dayton with out discussing the entire Miami Valley area. Unlike many metro areas every city, township and village in the Miami Valley work together. The goal is always the same to respect our past, make the most of today with new ideas and welcome tomorrow with our hard work fulfilling our dreams. Our most dependable employers are the many small business that chose to make it happen for themselves and the community. The other is the government. The public and private schools in the area are fantastic. The local colleges excel at being the best. There is an abundance of affordable housing and cost of living is low. With every outlying city being connected you usually can get from point A to point B in 30 minutes or less. The only adjustment that may seem strange is when traveling we use our main and back roads and don’t rely heavily on our freeways to get around in this area. The added bonus is there is not a single toll road or toll bridge around here. The entertainment around here is varied. There is the Victoria Theater, Dayton Dragons baseball team, numerous movie theaters and great bars and clubs that suit every taste. We also have great parks full of activities as well as amazing lakes and fantastic hiking trails. Miami Valley is amazing but Utopia it is not. We have endless retail and warehousing space primed and ready for new development. We have been hit hard by astonishing job loss. Today we are in transition again to pay attention to our past by diversifying and celebrating numerous industries. The people here support local businesses. We do this because we believe in helping our neighbors to make life better for us.By Phil Man
July 6, 2008 9:45 AM | Link to this
nothingBy Fredo
July 6, 2008 9:47 AM | Link to this
There is nothing you can say to get anyone to come to Dayton, Ohio. It is a dead & dying city. There is no growth anywhere. It really should just be the northern part of Cincinnati. Just keep building houses along 75 and 48 between Cincy and Dayton, then Dayton can just be the poor northern section of greater Cincinnati. GM is gone, and NCR will soon be gone. Then there is no major corp presence in Dayton. Box it up and put it out of it’s misery …By Rich McKenzie
July 6, 2008 9:49 AM | Link to this
While I do not necessarily mean to “go negative” so quickly…I could not help but notice that convincing San Antonian’s to move to Dayton will have an interesting first hurdle: their state and local tax burden will immediately increase from zero to eight percent! Going more positively, the commute in Dayton is nice.By airfatman
July 6, 2008 10:34 AM | Link to this
Come join in the fun!!…Green community of active caring individuals engaged in an artistry of new thought at the technosocial edge of a transformation befitting Dayton’s inventive and creative renown…in a nutshell.By mtm
July 6, 2008 11:14 AM | Link to this
Dayton has the small city flair. Entertainment is an interesting combination of Community Theatre, Music and Sports. A variety of educational institutions. And, quiet suburbs. Downtown is a nice place to visit but, may not be a suitable place to live if one has a family.By Dave Digell
July 6, 2008 11:31 AM | Link to this
Gonna be a REAL hard sell. Dayton is circling the drain and simply getting worse. Extremely poor if not incompetent “leadership.”By Bill Davis
July 6, 2008 12:24 PM | Link to this
I think we ought to go to the flooded areas in Iowa and Missouri and see who plans on rebuilding. If they’ve had enough, put ‘em on a bus to Dayton and show them our dams.By William Davis
July 6, 2008 12:30 PM | Link to this
We have much of what Columbus and Cincinnati can offer without the traffic. We’re close to a lot of cool places when Dayton isn’t enough, but it is.By dirk sniggler
July 6, 2008 1:03 PM | Link to this
The best thing I believe about Dayton, is that there is nowhere to go, but up.By Paul H
July 6, 2008 2:16 PM | Link to this
Good cost of living, reasonable housing costs. Great weather, not too drastic for more than a couple weeks a year in either direction. No water shortages. Lots to do: Dayton Dragons, Reds, Bengals, more festivals than you can count, Octoberfest, the Schuster Center & Victoria Theatre. Most of the suburban schools are pretty good, all of the universities. I’ve met a lot of people that have been transfered to Dayton and about 90% agree that after they got over their initial apprehension, it’s the best place they’ve ever been. Many of them have retired here after their AF careers were over.By Jim
July 6, 2008 6:51 PM | Link to this
I’ve lived in this area my entire 45 years of life and the only thing I would tell folks planning on coming to this area is to KEEP DRIVING..don’t stop, don’t look back. Seriously, a person would do better living in the Kentucky hills in a trailer and collecting welfare than they would coming to this cesspool. The good jobs have all been NAFTAed away to Mexico and China and India. There is ABSOLUTELY nothing here to attract new people…at least not the smart ones.By Riverdale Ghost
July 6, 2008 7:50 PM | Link to this
The best selling point for any place is the good people who live there. Cincinnati, for example, has some of the most humanitarian people around. What better place can you have than a place where people care about and indeed go out of their way for others? (Sorry you didn’t like it the first time I posted the thought. Be assured, I’ll post it again.)By John S.
July 6, 2008 11:43 PM | Link to this
Well, drugs are cheap and readily available….the city will not enforce the dog laws…the state will continue to sell liquor to drunk drivers…that ought to do it.By Amie Taylor
July 7, 2008 12:58 AM | Link to this
I don’t think there is anything to attract people to the area. Certainly not jobs. If it weren’t for my family being here, I would have relocated long ago.By andy
July 7, 2008 1:26 AM | Link to this
Dayton has a ton to offer…on the cheap! The quality of life here is fantastic. A nice home in the one of the state’s best school districts can be had for under $200,000. Traffic problems and crime are minimal. It is a quick drive across town or into the country. FRESH organic fruits and vegetables can be found in farmers markets everywhere. Recreation? Nice parks can be found in every direction. Just a few miles east of Dayton is Xenia, which hosts one of the main bike path hubs in the state. Hiking and canoeing are easily accessed. Shopping and antiquing opportunities abound. Culture? Dayton is home to an opera company AND a ballet. There are a few great museums in the Dayton area with still more just an hour away in Cincinnati and Columbus. Education? Within 25 miles of downtown Dayton you will find The University of Dayton, Wright State University, Central State University, Wittenberg University, Sinclair Community College, AFIT, and Antioch University (the grad school is still here). There are a number of smaller schools as well. People and Community? The friendliness and kindness that the midwest is famous for is not encumbered by the cultural homogeny that the midwest is infamous for. Dayton is not the most diverse city in the state, but the universities provide enough variety that people are aware and accepting of other cultures. Good neighbors abound and a willingness to offer help is surprisingly common. In many communities, people still leave their doors unlocked when away from home. Dayton is not a utopia. Asthmatics and severe allergy sufferers will find it uncomfortable during the summer months. Those from very large cities (i.e. Houston or San Diego) might wish there were more festivals or closer high end shopping (Nordstrom is an hour’s drive away in Columbus). It IS an easy, comfortable, cheap, and safe place to live. It IS a great place to raise a family. Many of us that live here were drawn here by the base or some other job then choose to stay when the stint was over. It IS that nice.By Jim
July 7, 2008 5:35 AM | Link to this
Think urban core. With rising fuel prices, Americans will repopulate downtowns & inner ring neighborhoods. Dayton’s infrastructure hasn’t crumbled— yet. Lots of first class “vertical” office space, excellent public transportation, and numerous “historic” inner ring neighborhoods—all pretty cheap—make Dayton attractive for young and older professionals and workers who support a professional class. Retail business will follow in due course. We’re going back to the future—bigtime! And locally, all roads lead to Dayton (literally).By Jim
July 7, 2008 6:02 AM | Link to this
Think excellent public transportation. Think first class office space organized vertically. Think thriving arts & entertainment community and outstanding facilities. Think inexpensive residential real estate in “historic” settings. Think educational alternatives at all levels and two outstanding high schools (Stivers & Chaminade) right downtown. Think Dayton!By bldin
July 7, 2008 7:23 AM | Link to this
Lower taxes, better schools would be the first place to start! Ohio has some of the highest taxes in the country… I moved here from Maryland in 2001 and love the area but my taxes are higher than they were in Maryland. The upside is that houses are less expensive. I’ve been trying to move closer to my job but my house has been on the market over a year and I have not been able to sell it. I’m hoping that the new jobs coming to the are will revitalize the housing market and bring the values back to normal.By Tom
July 7, 2008 8:55 AM | Link to this
Are you kidding??By Tom
July 7, 2008 9:00 AM | Link to this
Nothing!!By mg
July 7, 2008 9:32 AM | Link to this
the best advice to give anyone moving to this area is “stay out of the city of dayton”!!!! there are too many murders, someone is shot every day in dayton. the school system is the WORST. and by all means don’t listen to the stats given out by city officials (especially the new police chief).By Joe
July 7, 2008 10:55 AM | Link to this
It’s not Ann Arbor!By Suzanne Smith
July 7, 2008 11:33 AM | Link to this
I have traveled all over the country and visited many places which are wonderful to visit, but Dayton is still a wonderful place to live. It is easy to live here -east to get from one place to another in 30 minutes or less. There are two fine universities - a law school, a medical school: a highly regarded community college and five more universities within an hour’s drive. Beautiful residential areas in suburban locations surrounding the city, and sophisticated loft living and historic homes downtown. Dayton has outstanding arts programs and beautiful facilities; minor league baseball and close-by professional baseball and football. Fine elementary and high school education is available in the area. A comfortable place to live.By someone
July 7, 2008 12:42 PM | Link to this
um…i have lived in dayton all my life and the whole dayton area is a hell hole! i would not suggest anyone move to this piece of crap area. the only cool thing we have, and it’s not even in dayton, is king’s island, and that’s around cincinnati. also, there is cedar point, but that’s all the way at the top of our state in sandusky. so in conclusion, DO NOT MOVE TO DAYTON! if i had the money and i HAD to live somewhere in ohio, i would pick columbus. it’s clean, friendly, and there is stuff to do there.By Bob540
July 7, 2008 12:46 PM | Link to this
Andy said a lot. I would just add that the Greater Dayton area is a good place to raise a family. Actually, there isn’t anything wrong with Dayton that an influx of good-paying jobs wouldn’t fix (and that is true of Ohio and this region, not just Dayton). Having Cincinnati and Columbus an hour or so away helps with our admittedly-meager social activities.By Mark
July 7, 2008 2:26 PM | Link to this
One thing not mentioned yet is the availability of good, clean water in this region. It should become a precious commodity in the upcoming years. Another amenity is the excellent system of bicycle and recreation trails and parks, which are the envy of many larger cities.By Washington Township
July 7, 2008 2:45 PM | Link to this
The suburban areas (most of them) and small town/rural areas surrounding Dayton are excellent places to live and raise a family. Good schools, recreational opportunities, churches and social organizations abound. Cost of living is cheap and traffic is light. However, I wouldn’t recommend this area to younger unmarried singles. This is a better place to live if you are already married. I also wouldn’t recommend this place to people who are gay or lesbian or arab or latino as there is a bit of hostility to these minority groups (yet, these prejudices are probably not that different from elsewhere in the Midwest outside of Chicago). Otherwise this is an excellent place for married couples with kids.By Ed
July 7, 2008 4:28 PM | Link to this
You start to accentuate the positive by eliminating negative aspects of moving to Dayton. The BRAC Commission decision to relocate aerospace medical research activities from San Antonio, Texas was hailed as a victory and one that would help generate new businesses and 10,000 jobs. AFRL faces a two-fold problem. It needs to entice current federal employees with their unique aerospace medical research skills to come to Wright-Patterson AFB. Without this cadre of experienced researchers, many on-going studies will have to be outsourced. AFRL could find itself tied to its contractor base in Texas until it can re-establish its in-house workforce, which would be detrimental to the region. The key to attracting and retaining government contractors is a having a large pool of retired experienced scientists and engineers, as well as other critical skills, readily available to fill these jobs. These same knowledge workers are also a key asset to expanding Ohio’s high-tech research capabilities, and promoting innovation and company formation, that will create high-paying jobs for generations to come envisioned by Ohio’s Third Frontier Project Dayton, in-turn, needs to attract retired military and federal workers currently employed by government contractors in Texas. For retired military, one positive aspect is their retirement is now exempt due a state law passed last year. Unfortunately, Bert Cream will have to explain to retired federal civilian employees that their retirement will be taxed as soon as they cross the Ohio River. Not only that, they will be paying higher taxes on their salary than their military counterparts will, because their retirement is included in the taxable base. This problem could have and should have been avoided if our local Ohio General Assembly leadership and local community leaders had had more foresight. Granting a retirement tax exemption to federal civilian retirees may or may not motivate these workers to relocate, but having to pay income taxes on retirement benefits is a definite DEMOTIVATOR, especially since Texas has no state taxes. Dayton would be far better having Bert Cream extolling to the Texans what Ohio has done alleviate the taxation differentiation.By Linda
July 16, 2008 2:10 AM | Link to this
Check out Jon Talton’s blog Rogue Columnist. Very thoughtful post on Dayton today.By Riverdale Ghost
July 18, 2008 6:20 PM | Link to this
Thanks, Linda. I looked up the blog. Here’s the url if anyone else interested happens along: http://roguecolumnist.typepad.com/By John from Shiloh
July 20, 2008 9:43 AM | Link to this
Dayton’s not really a “city” - it’s more like a really huge “small town”. I like that I have foxes, Great Blue Heron, and deer within a short walk from my house, but that I’m also only @ 10 minutes out of downtown, and I don’t even need to take the highway to get there. As long as you like to sample what life has to offer (theater, parks, sports, etc.) without demanding the best and brightest of everything (Broadway, pro sports, etc.), Dayton has what you’re looking for.By Moe
August 4, 2008 9:50 PM | Link to this
The best way to see Dayton, Ohio……….. in a rear-view mirror!!!!By Tom
August 8, 2008 1:09 AM | Link to this
It’s a good place to live if you’re sick. We have a lot of hospitals.By Stephen Lahanas
August 8, 2008 9:10 AM | Link to this
It is a dangerous thing for us to put all of our eggs in one basket. For Dayton and the region to turn around we need to attract commercial industry, not just Federal work at WPAFB. And for that to happen we need a new, comprehensive vision for our future. Once that occurs it will be easier for us to attract new talent.By enull
August 8, 2008 3:21 PM | Link to this
I agree with Stacy Law. Add to that the jaywalking tickets given to business people who cross a deserted street against the light. And why does the City of Dayton require employees to live in the city of Dayton but they send their water bills to Cincinnati for processing? Seems if they wanted to increase tax revenue in the City they would do their own work. City of Dayton P.O. Box 740575 Cincinnati, OH 45247-0575 per the City of Dayton recording——-937/333-3550By gone!
August 11, 2008 11:41 PM | Link to this
I was in Dayton, Ohio for a government contracting job for a year and a half. I worked at the base. I’ve lived many, many places before then. I’m not military. I did go to college and thought it would be a nice change of pace. Whoa was I wrong. I’ve NEVER encountered the blatant ignorance that I encountered there. So many people are there that just have never left the damn state. Why? Because their family lives there??? Ridiculous. That’s the lamest excuse ever to be miserable for your entire life, not experiencing life to the fullest. It reminded me of Little House on the Prairie with how ignorant everyone was. The sexism was unreal—-even from the women! I was so happy to pack up and leave. Don’t come to Dayton if you’ve lived places where there are interesting things to do. Dayton is just composed of fat people that go to PTA meetings and Boy Scouts. Oh, and it’s the small-town mentality where everyone talks bad about everyone else. It’s ignorance—-pure, plain and simple ignorance.By Philman
August 15, 2008 10:55 AM | Link to this
Throw out the Democrats they run all the major cities,& the Governor Is Democrat look how many jobs have left since they took over, how are they going to fix it, they put forth a bill to pay all ohio workers 7 days sick pay,we have one of the highest tax rates in america,and they can’t figure out how to keep jobs, throw them OUT.By Barry
August 22, 2008 5:26 PM | Link to this
What is Phil Plummer’s opinion? He is on TV giving his opinion on everything else. LOLBy andy
August 24, 2008 9:57 PM | Link to this
There is a lot going on in downtown Dayton all the time. Come out of the suburbs and visit. This upcoming Sunday (8/31) is the Dayton Reggae Fest on the lawn across from the Convention Center. Join us.By Tony Ware
August 25, 2008 2:27 PM | Link to this
What would my selling points be to bring people to Dayton…. well first off I would bring up the fact that if you’ve got money you could purchase the original Gem of Dayton, the Arcade. And with the desersion of Daytonians the housing is very cheap. Dayton has contained gangs, drugs and prostitution activity to certain neighborhoods so you’ll be kinda safe if you stay outta those areas. If you plan on starting a business don’t worry about employee applying for work, because you are blessed if you have a decent job in Dayton. There’s plenty of non resident alians in Dayton to doing menial work for you like yard work or picking fruit. If you’re trying to quit smoking this is the place to be seeing that we have a new no smoking policy in the city. I hope you’re a fan of home schooling your kids because Dayton has quit providing students with transportation to school. I could go on and on with more selling points for coming to live in Dayton but I’m sure you’ve heard enough.By Jim DUNHAM
September 4, 2008 11:02 PM | Link to this
To me when Gov.Palin was not being sarcastic she sounded like a very poor actress.By Log Cabin John
September 5, 2008 7:54 AM | Link to this
Ever notice how folks who like Dayton the most are secure with Wright-Patt jobs, medical jobs, UD/Wright State positions, and are so impressed with the southern suburbs? Oh, and they just adore the ritzy stores, high-end restaurants, golf courses, and all the enriching cultural experiences! Wonder how they’d feel busting their pansy asses off at part-time jobs paying $8 an hour with not a single fringe benefit? For all of you obnoxious, over-educated, self-indulging elitists who have yet to face your first economic challenge, I’d just like you to know that most Daytonians working two or more jobs are fortunate to keep roofs over their heads, food in their bellies, and haven’t been on meaningful vacations since they lost good jobs that no longer exist in this area! Enjoy your lifestyles while you can, because even upper class individuals will soon begin feeling the crunch of an ever-dwindling middle class prosperity. This nation is in far worse shape right this moment than at any time during its entire history, and flowery speeches do not deter the inevitable.