Dayton Comparision (Cleveland, Toledo, Xenia: 2013, university, camping)

[ohio_peasant]

Originally Posted by CarpathianPeasant

People worked in the factories and Anglicized their names during the world wars The linguistic churches are a better guide. Three were in North Dayton and two and the start of a third in West Dayton. And, that doesn't include German. There may have been other attempts with which I'm not familiar.

All true, but my expectations - however naive - were to stumble across entire neighborhoods that looked like an immigrant scene from Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle", or at least which resembled the Brooklyn neighborhood where I lived in the early 1980s. The principal languages in my old neighborhood were Yiddish and Italian, with a smattering of Russian, and maybe a few other languages of Eastern and Southern Europe.

Instead, modern Dayton is just another Midwestern burg. I find very little difference, in the grand scheme of things, between Trotwood and Oakwood. Oakwood is whiter and has more money. And probably better schools. But both are Middle America. This is why I keep posting how the distinction between Dayton's core and its periphery, between the city and the suburbs, really isn't all that profound.

[weatherphotographer]

Dayton was comparable to Detroit in the "factory" days, but now it's definitely not. Dayton is actually better than the shell that was formerly Detroit

[Natural510]

Originally Posted by weatherphotographer

Dayton was comparable to Detroit in the "factory" days, but now it's definitely not. Dayton is actually better than the shell that was formerly Detroit

lol...if you say so

[stdatwmu]

Originally Posted by woxyroxme

A smaller version of Rochester NY without Lake Ontario.

Having been to Rochester about 15 times in the past decade, I'd definitely agree with you on this.

In their heydey, both grew on the backs of a few big-name, inventive companies that have since become shells of their former selves - or left town entirely. But they still maintain some of the infrastructure and attractions (e.g. arts and museums) that you'd generally find in much larger cities.

[Waterman71]

Dayton today does not compare to cities like Columbia, Louisville, Rochester or Toledo. One reason is these cities have far more recreation water than Dayton. Rochester ranks number one in the U.S. for navigable recreation freshwater. Dayton is next to last place at least for inland cities with a population of 500,000 or more east of the Rockies. This means Dayton ranks in 53rd place out of 54 cities. Only Harrisburg, PA has less water. Peter1948 maybe right when he says Dayton compares to Allentown, PA because there is little water there also.

Here is another similarity with Allentown: Dayton is located in the middle of a region made up of cities with little navigable recreation water. The other two cities are Indianapolis and Columbus. Likewise, Allentown sits in the middle of a similar region that includes the cities of Scranton, PA and Harrisburg. These are only 5 such regions in the U.S. and I just named two.

Quality of life amenities factor strongly into business location decisions. Outdoor recreation is a top quality of life concern for businesses. See the following website: Quality of Life Factors into Business Location Decision - Area Development. Boating in general has been associated with successful educated people probably due to the expense of owning a boat. I know it was a driver for me because I wanted to own a boat from an early age. Access to outdoor spaces is a top consideration for people looking for a place to live according to the August 26th 2016 edition of Ohio Outdoor News. Gaining and retaining a skilled workforce is important to businesses and good outdoor recreation helps them to accomplish this.

I won’t go into all the other benefits, suffice to say if you want to have a successful community access to outdoor recreation is important. And you can’t have good outdoor recreation without adequate navigable water. So for inland cities water is a key factor.

[hensleya1]

Dayton is a slightly larger version of Scranton. If the base weren't still here, the comparison would fit the city to a T.

[SWOH]

Originally Posted by woxyroxme

A smaller version of Rochester NY without Lake Ontario.

Woxy I'd +1 th assertion of being similar to Rochester but have to disagree with Dayton being smaller. Metro to Metro, Dayton and Rochester are almost identical (same with Grand Rapids). IMO these three cities make good peers for one another, with possibly Akron and a few other places in the mix.

[SWOH]

Originally Posted by Waterman71

Dayton today does not compare to cities like Columbia, Louisville, Rochester or Toledo. One reason is these cities have far more recreation water than Dayton. Rochester ranks number one in the U.S. for navigable recreation freshwater. Dayton is next to last place at least for inland cities with a population of 500,000 or more east of the Rockies. This means Dayton ranks in 53rd place out of 54 cities. Only Harrisburg, PA has less water. Peter1948 maybe right when he says Dayton compares to Allentown, PA because there is little water there also.

Here is another similarity with Allentown: Dayton is located in the middle of a region made up of cities with little navigable recreation water. The other two cities are Indianapolis and Columbus. Likewise, Allentown sits in the middle of a similar region that includes the cities of Scranton, PA and Harrisburg. These are only 5 such regions in the U.S. and I just named two.

Quality of life amenities factor strongly into business location decisions. Outdoor recreation is a top quality of life concern for businesses. See the following website: Quality of Life Factors into Business Location Decision - Area Development. Boating in general has been associated with successful educated people probably due to the expense of owning a boat. I know it was a driver for me because I wanted to own a boat from an early age. Access to outdoor spaces is a top consideration for people looking for a place to live according to the August 26th 2016 edition of Ohio Outdoor News. Gaining and retaining a skilled workforce is important to businesses and good outdoor recreation helps them to accomplish this.

I won’t go into all the other benefits, suffice to say if you want to have a successful community access to outdoor recreation is important. And you can’t have good outdoor recreation without adequate navigable water. So for inland cities water is a key factor.

I'd invite you to come down and go canoeing or kayaking on the Great Miami, Mad, Stillwater, or Little Miami Rivers...

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by MetroDaytonMan

What Cities do you think Dayton is most like. I feel Dayton compares well 1.Louisville 2.Toledo 3.Never Been but Columbia South Carolina.

Tucson, AZ

- Home of a major university(s)
- Large US Air Force presence
- Many large industries have left town
- Underperforming downtown area with significant amount of crime
- Difficulty in attracting new employers outside of the defense industry
- Lagging behind while other cities in the state are growing
- Racially and socioeconomic segregation

[ohio_peasant]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

Tucson, AZ

- Home of a major university(s)
- Large US Air Force presence
- Many large industries have left town
- Underperforming downtown area with significant amount of crime
- Difficulty in attracting new employers outside of the defense industry
- Lagging behind while other cities in the state are growing
- Racially and socioeconomic segregation

Uncannily, I just had a business-trip to Tucson. My impression was favorable. Some points:

- U of Arizona is the state flagship university, with a huge community presence in the city. Neither UD nor WSU are comparable in Dayton. By this metric, Tucson resembles Columbus more than Dayton.

- Tucson has a natural topographical feature to appeal to the more affluent residents: the foothills of the mountains and nation-park north of town. Dayton and the Miami Valley have no natural locale for an enclave of wealth.

- I didn't get the impression that Tucson is regarded as a satellite and poor-cousin to Phoenix, which is the "neighboring" larger city. In contrast, this is evidently Dayton's role in relation to Cincinnati.

- Dayton Airport feels moribund and drab. Tucson's airport, while not particularly larger or busier, feels more prestigious and more welcoming.

- There are no cornfields surrounding Tucson! That, by my reckoning, is a huge advantage.

- Being close to a foreign border, Tucson benefits from an air of exoticism and cosmopolitanism. Dayton meanwhile feels like being in the nondescript middle of the Heartland.