Dayton Quality of Life?

OHKID
Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:14:04 +0000

Dayton is actually a large metropolitan area with roughly 1 million residents within its MSA, and 3 million if you count Cincinnati, whose MSA is intertwined with Dayton’s. Also include the fact that Dayton sits with an hour and a half of Columbus and Indianapolis, each of which contain roughly 2 million people apiece and many small surrounding small towns not counted in the MSA statistic that add up to roughly another 1 million people, and you find yourself in the middle of an urban triangle consisting of roughly 8 million people, and consistently growing. However, if you want country, there are still many farms within roughly a 15 minute drive of the university west or 25 minutes to the north.

As for quality of life… I find it to be absolutely superb (we are one of the friendliest, most open and welcoming regions of the country, and it shows), the cost of living here is among the lowest in the nation, and UD itself is consistently ranked as one of the happiest campuses in the nation. Dayton itself has hit a string of bad luck recently because it has close ties to the auto industry, but it still sits in the middle of the urban triangle that I mentioned earlier which contains 3 of the midwest’s fastest growing and most desirable cities. It also has a history that is probably the most extensive of any midwestern city, being the hometown (and laboratory) for the Wright brothers, and also the self-proclained “invention captial of the world”, much of which stems from its days as the center for innovation it was in the early 1900’s. In fact, many refer to the region in that age as the sillicon valley of the era, to give you an idea of what it was like. Daytonians invented everything from the cash register to carbon-copy paper to the self-starting engine and the pop-top can. Personally, as a native Daytonian, I am closely related to the inventors of many essential items, including Teflon. It is impossible to get through a normal day without using a product invented by a Daytonian, trust me.

Generally, students LOVE UD. It is an awesome school, and a frequent topic among my classmates is about how much they would love to go to UD if it wasn’t so close, since it is such an awesome school. Many share a love/hate relationship with the town: they love their friends and jobs, but they hate the fact the town has been crippled by the economy so badly for the last decade or so. However, I do believe, along with many others, that Dayton is due for a rebound anytime now with the great location, assets, and resources it holds.

Also try to PM Erin’s Dad, I noticed that it said on his profile that he was from Dayton. Good Luck!