Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Ohio > Dayton
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 04-09-2012, 12:13 PM
 
Location: Cincinnati
4,471 posts, read 6,180,230 times
Reputation: 1303

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohioan58 View Post
I've witnessed first hand that Dayton became a crappy place to live and its economy declined because the area rejects newness and diversity.
I would say that is a small part of it's decimated economy. Manufacturing, and other jobs leaving the city in droves are the biggest lag on the economy.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 04-09-2012, 01:41 PM
 
390 posts, read 1,043,072 times
Reputation: 154
I would like to say that this conversation has been interesting but I feel the conversation has strayed away from the original subject. I was just curious what peoples thoughts were about how this neighborhood is evolving. Could we go back to that?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2012, 01:46 PM
 
390 posts, read 1,043,072 times
Reputation: 154
Also I might say that gays are usually known for gentrifying in dying cities/ areas of cities. The Castro in SF was not exactly a thriving area when Harvey Milk moved there nor was Boystown in Chicago or the Short North in Columbus or Ybor in Tampa or DuPont Circle in D.C. I guess what I'm getting to is that you usually don't imagine gay bars or gay forces existing out in small towns or the country....they usually have to go into the city and take nothing and turn it into something that is comfortable for them. It's kind of like self segregation without a negative connotation.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2012, 02:07 PM
 
Location: Covington, KY
1,898 posts, read 2,735,978 times
Reputation: 607
Quote:
Originally Posted by nickolaseposter View Post
Also I might say that gays are usually known for gentrifying in dying cities/ areas of cities. The Castro in SF was not exactly a thriving area when Harvey Milk moved there nor was Boystown in Chicago or the Short North in Columbus or Ybor in Tampa or DuPont Circle in D.C. I guess what I'm getting to is that you usually don't imagine gay bars or gay forces existing out in small towns or the country....they usually have to go into the city and take nothing and turn it into something that is comfortable for them. It's kind of like self segregation without a negative connotation.

On the other hand, there was Savannah.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2012, 03:01 PM
 
390 posts, read 1,043,072 times
Reputation: 154
Savannah, GA? I am lost.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2012, 03:21 PM
 
Location: Philaburbia
41,737 posts, read 74,692,347 times
Reputation: 66672
Nickolas, I think it's a grand idea. Anything that will improve Dayton's neighborhoods and bring more people into the city is a good idea. It would be great if all Dayton's neighborhoods would improve, but sometimes success is piecemeal.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rathagos View Post
Maybe Dayton isn't the place I want to move to with my family after all. I support different strokes for different folks, but this lifestyle is one I've just never preferred to be around voluntarily.
And you don't have to be, if you don't choose to. But choosing to live in a city that has a gay population is not preferring to be around that population, nor is it an approval of that lifestyle.

Heck, the town I live in has gangs and all kinds of crime. Does that mean I approve of that kind of lifestyle, or that I want to be around it? No. I just avoid it the best I can.

Our gay brothers and sisters are everywhere, even in the smallest of towns. I wish you luck in trying to avoid them.

Quote:
Originally Posted by progmac View Post
Midwest values should and often do include support for the LGBT community.
Absolutely.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohioan58 View Post
The worse problems in Dayton by far are: blight, ignorance, apathy, a violent underclass culture, drugs, prostitution, meth, and joblessness.
And many times when the LGBT community "adopts" a neighborhood, those problems go away. They don't go away completely, and sometimes they just move elsewhere, but their influence on that particular neighborhood is diminished. It's happened in cities all over the country; Philadelphia's Washington Square West neighborhood, formerly one of the cities red light districts, is one example. I'm sure there are many others.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2012, 04:31 PM
 
2,491 posts, read 4,447,400 times
Reputation: 1415
Quote:
Originally Posted by nickolaseposter View Post
I would first like to say I am biased in some ways as a gay person but I hope everyone reading this can understand I'd like to look at this in a professional perspective...

A lot of people that don't come downtown or frequent the nightlife downtown might be unaware that downtown does have a gay district. It's in it's beginning stages but let me give you some back story facts.

In 1892 The Stage Door, a once called "musical" bar that later became an openly gay bar opened above the Victoria Theater. It moved in 1940 to its current location on Jefferson St.

In 1978 The Right Corner opened on the corner of Jefferson and 3rd.

THEN, after many gay bars over the years existed around the city, former 1470s West moved next door to the Stage Door on Jefferson in the 90s and in 2006 was remodeled and revamped into Club Masque which is now the most popular gay bar in Dayton.

In 2007 Aquarius opened on the same block.

In 2007 MJ's Cafe & Dance opened as well.

Recently, other bars that aren't just gay but "LGBT Friendly" or are even gay owned like Vault, Remixx Lounge, and Rocket Lounge have opened on the same block.

On this block are eight nightlife options that are LGBT Friendly/ Gay bars.

Formerly, no one has looked into making this a gayborhood, which is what urban planners and developers like to call an area that is frequented and lived in by an unusual amount of gay people. But in the past year, we've seen some shifts towards this area becoming a neighborhood an not just a rainbow bar crawl.
For example, the St. Clair Lofts now work with the HRC as an equal opportunity housing option (because in the state of Ohio it is still legal to evict someone on the grounds of being gay) in result of how many gay couples they noticed living in their building.
Two clothing stores also have joined the neighborhood including Clash and Hangar18. Having personally chatted with the owners of these stores, they both informed me their main reason in moving by gay bars is because they know the gay identity will lead the neighborhood towards more development around them.
Also, within the past year, an LGBT memorial was placed in Cooper Park which borders the area.
John Morton Studios, a popular local photography company that's known for their unique style with graphics moved its studio and office from Englewood to this neighborhood.
Litehouse Townhomes which are modern row houses along with Patterson Park row houses are being built and sold out as we speak, and by the way, the Litehouse Townhomes are distinctively rainbow themed.
Also the neighborhood is home to The Neon, just bordering the Oregon District. The Neon is gay owned and they recently lit up the bordering parking garage with a cool rainbow light show at night.

SO why are things changing?? This neighborhood is Definitely not pretty...many of the sidewalks are torn up, there are empty buildings, but it seems to be that things are beginning to creep up around the area.
OUT Magazine mentioned he neighborhood in last months edition even saying that it was Dayton's Fruit Loop, a local term the gay community has pegged the district.
If things are beginning to develop, naturally, what are your thoughts about this? Do you think this could work? Do you think people are on to something and want to take advantage of a possible gay district? I'd like to hear opinions!!!!
I think all of the developments you mentioned are awesome and I hope the area can establish itself as a district. That, coupled with the already great Oregon District, will go a long way toward the re-population of, and investment in, downtown Dayton. And that would be a great thing for the Miami Valley and the entire region.

Getting more feet on the streets of downtown Dayton is needed, and the above-mentioned bars do a great job of that. To be known nationally as a gay district would be even more beneficial and would attract new dollars to the city both from people choosing to live there and those visiting.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2012, 04:54 PM
 
Location: Covington, KY
1,898 posts, read 2,735,978 times
Reputation: 607
Quote:
Originally Posted by nickolaseposter View Post
Savannah, GA? I am lost.
Sorry, I thought it was quite well known.

Mercer House.

Main reference:

Book: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Short explanation:

Mercer House (Savannah, Georgia) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Long story:

Haunted Crime Scenes: Mercer House — "Midnight" and Mercer House — Crime Library on truTV.com

Fantastic picture:

The Mercer Williams House
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-10-2012, 01:22 PM
 
Location: Five Oaks
430 posts, read 589,177 times
Reputation: 323
I was wondering what that awesome rainbow building was! I most definitely will have to start checking it out. I for one am very supportive of not only a gay-friendly/gay-owned district, but am excited to see what businesses/individuals the district will attract since gay neighborhoods are often full of artistic/creative types (something I think Dayton will benefit from immensely).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-11-2012, 08:01 PM
 
16,345 posts, read 17,950,202 times
Reputation: 7878
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rathagos View Post
Maybe Dayton isn't the place I want to move to with my family after all. I support different strokes for different folks, but this lifestyle is one I've just never preferred to be around voluntarily. This type of thing is why I moved from my home state of California, joined the Navy at 17, and have never been back in nearly 30 years. I was looking at potentially transferring to a job there, but now will reconsider.

I know that this isn't the type of post you were hoping for, Nickolaseposter, but I'm sure there will be more supportive posts from people around the Dayton area. Best of luck to you!!

~ Rath
I'm sure the folks in Dayton, gay or straight, would prefer not to have people move there who live like it's still 1955 and long for the days when minorities were relegated to their own fountains and their own secret bars.

BTW, there are plenty of gays in Texas. Just because you're not aware of it doesn't mean anything. When you're looking for the stereotype, there are 10 others who don't fit who you encounter each and every day. Enjoy!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Ohio > Dayton

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top