Each month, we feature a different Ohio cityas part of our #GOPCThread Series, Ohio Community Spotlight. This month, we highlight the city of Dayton!

Hello Ohio! Next stop on the #OHCommunitySpotlight is @cityofdayton, home of movers, shakers, and game changers you might know AND some you might not. Either way, stay tuned to learn more.

Dayton was established in 1796, along the Great Miami River, and was incorporated in 1805, only two years after Ohio was made a state!

The city is named after Jonathan Dayton, the youngest Founding Father to sign the constitution.

Prior to that, these lands were inhabited by the Miami and Shawnee Tribes. The area was an optimal place to hunt, as it's nestled between four rivers: the Great Miami, the Mad, the Stillwater, and Wolf Creek.

Now, Dayton is home to 137,305 people!

Dayton has always been a midwestern hub of innovation. In the 1880s John Henry Patterson invented the cash register and formed the first company to manufacture mechanical cash registers: National Cash Register (NCR).

In the 20th century, Dayton also became the home of a General Motors Plant, a Delco plant, which made parts for GM, and countless smaller factories. 

Of course, the city is also known as the Birthplace of Aviation, home to Orville and Wilbur Wright, who you might know as the Wright Brothers. The first to construct a plane. All done in Dayton, at the Huffman Air Field!

Today, the Wright Factory is being redeveloped. @daytonlibrary has partnered with the NAHA, Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, @coopdayton’s Westside Makerspace and Dayton Children’s Hospital to repurpose the factory. The completed site will be an important hub for the  Arlington Heights neighborhood.

The space will be transformed for mixed-use, providing workforce development and educational courses, along with children’s meal programming.

This cooperative makerspace is a microcosm of Dayton’s needs and its innovative spirit.

This isn’t the first cooperative workspace in Dayton either. The formula has already been tested to great success by @TheHubDayton a collaborative effort between @univofdayton and @ECinnovates located at the historic Downtown Dayton Arcade

The Hub works in conjunction with the Greater West Dayton Incubator to provide funding, economic development opportunities, and multiple office spaces to minority students and entrepreneurs in Dayton.

GWDI just received a $225K grant from the PNC Foundation to continue supporting Daytonians for an additional 5 years.

Congratulations! We at GOPC recognize the amazing work GWDI has done in the region and look forward to your continued success.

After the decline of manufacturing in Dayton and the region, Dayton shifted gears and began diversifying its economy. Now hospitals like @daytonchildrens play a key role in Dayton’s economy . 

Another example of Dayton’s solution-oriented mindset is the Gem City Market & the planned Healthy Family Market which offer creative answers to the city’s food desert issue.

@GemCtyMarket is a full-service grocer that keeps ownership of the store within the hands of local community members by operating on a member-owner model.

You can read more about their model here.

Gem City Market is named after the city of Dayton’s second nickname: The Gem City. Though people aren’t sure where it originated, there’s at least one account dated back to 1845 in the Cincinnati Daily Chronicle:

Another upcoming project, the Healthy Family Market, is spearheaded by Sunlight Village along with other community partners, to address food scarcity for low-income women and young children in Dayton’s food deserts.

This pharmacy-style market in West Dayton will allow customers to place orders online to pick up, or have a cashier shop for their items while customers wait, and will primarily provide family-related goods, such as diapers or formula.

These markets are Dayton’s solution to a problem that affects many communities throughout Ohio. Cooperative action that is supported by local visionaries allows people to make change directly in their own neighborhood.

And all of these things are only possible due to the coordinated efforts of leaders on the ground.

Daytonians are always thinking about the future, as best showcased through Dayton Forward, the city’s comprehensive plan that covers the next 15 years.

Dayton Forward covers a number of sectors including: Sustainability, Economic Development, Mobility, Future Land Use and Revitalization, and Housing.

You can explore their full plan here:

Density and Placemaking are two of the principles guiding the vision of Dayton’s future. Together, they help establish the foundation of smart growth in the city; embracing its unique characteristics while also encouraging economic sustainability.

Updates to the city's zoning code have reduced barriers to development in accordance with these principles.

Dayton now allows Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and duplexes, even within single-family districts.

GOPC always encourages communities to engage in comprehensive planning for the sake of their future. Assessing your strengths and opportunities for improvement makes you more adept at adjusting to change.

That completes our little check in with @cityofdayton. What a rich history they have!

Snow or no, we’ll continue to highlight Ohio’s unique cities and their achievements, so make sure to keep an eye out for the next #GOPCThread