10 Cities That Will Take A Decade To Recover From The Recession - Dayton #9 (Columbus: foreclosed)

[kingrat]

No flame war or rant - just FACTS

> Change in employment 2001-2011: -10.3%
> Population: 841,502
> Unemployment: 9%
> Poverty level: 13.3%
> Median income: $47,145

At the turn of the century, Dayton generated more patents per capita than any other U.S. city. Dayton was a major manufacturing center and was also home to a number of GM plants. Currently, things are not going as well. According to George Zeller, a Cleveland-based economic research analyst, in the Dayton Daily News, "Dayton is in the worst recession that it has ever seen since the Great Depression." As manufacturing continues to decline in the area, health and education services seem to be the only hope for employment.

source: 247wallst.com/2011/06/22/ten-cites-that-will-take-a-decade-to-recover-from-the-recession/

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by kingrat

As manufacturing continues to decline in the area, health and education services seem to be the only hope for employment.

There's also the defense industry. That is a huge economic factor. Also, if I remember correctly, the recent unemployment numbers where lower in Dayton than the nation as a whole. Granted, I will say that number can be flawed.

Dayton's biggest problem is three-fold. It has horrible schools (why go to Dayton Public when there are better schools in the suburbs), horrible marketing (besides trumpeting the historical areas, I see little being done outside of a few key neighborhoods + when the local news talks about the police cuts in Dayton, that has a huge negative impact on people's perceived safety, which is HUGE), and no initiative to attract new businesses (this has changed a little since the new mayor took office with GE coming to town and NOT locating themselves in the suburbs).

Dayton, while not exactly like Detroit, is similar. Both have great, well-educated, well-off, safe suburbs (as well as some more run-down ones). Both have horrible parts of the city itself. Dayton's possible saving grace is it's proximity to Cincy and it's job market. Detroit is the only major market up there. I wonder if we had a commuter train between Dayton and Cincy, how many people would commute down to (or up from?) Cincy for work? I'm not talking high-speed, 3-C stuff, just a simple commuter network. Heck, Columbus is close enough that a commuter network might work for that city too. But I'd start with the more logical choice of Cincy first.

[1+1=5]

I have to tell you, health and education services are better but not by much. I work in both fields simultaneously, and both are not the safe haven that everyone hopes they are. Not that you said that - I'm just commenting that it's getting rough in my fields, also.

[joe from dayton]

Dayton has already been trying to recover for decades, so what's new?

Miami Valley and the Univ. of Dayton are the only thing keeping this town afloat.

[313 TUxedo]

I guess recession is an unending threat in Dayton.

I was born at MVH and my family had a nice tri-level in Kettering (still a nice house and a nice neighborhood today).

My dad lost his job in a 1964 recession that (he said) hit Dayton especially hard. The house was foreclosed on, my grandparents in Detroit took us in, for a year before we could afford a small house in Detroit proper, and I grew up there.

I'd move to Kettering in a minute if there were any jobs there.

[dayton007]

hope things change for the good soon.