Dayton

Understand

Dayton is known as the Gem City. It is a city of about 141,000 (2016) in the Miami - Scioto basins in Ohio. It is the center of the Dayton-Springfield-Sidney metro area with a population of 1,075,000 (2016).

Climate

Dayton has a humid continental climate, which means, like the rest of Ohio, that it sees four very distinct seasons.

;Winter : being situated in the Midwest, winters are cold. Snowfall isn't particularly excessive; but it can at times fall at a rate that will cause havoc with traffic. ;Spring : often cool, with cold and mild days sprinkled throughout the period. Storms during this period may produce tornadoes. ;Summer : characteristically hot and humid. While the thermometer may read one number in the summer, it will often feel hotter due to humidity. ;Autumn : Autumn in Dayton and Southwest Ohio is usually cool, but an extension of summer-like days into this season is possible. Storms seem to increase during this season too, which, due to the fluctuation of temperatures can produce extremely dangerous storms with the potential of producing tornadoes late into the year.

Tourist information

Get in

By plane

Go James M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY)

James M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY, KDAY) is in the northern part of the metropolitan area. Nonstop service is available from Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Minneapolis, Newark, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. (IAD and DCA). Dayton is the nation's number one 90-minute air market, meaning the city can be reached in 90 minutes or less by 55 percent of the population. A surprising and very nice feature is free Wi-Fi, which can be accessed under the name of "public" in the airport. Before August 2013, there was no public bus service going to the airport, which made Dayton International Airport the second-busiest airport in the continental United States without a public transportation option. Today, the local busing authority, the RTA, offers service three times daily on Route 43. Cabs from the downtown area to the airport cost at least $30.

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By car

• Interstates 70 and 75, major cross-country routes, meet just north of Dayton near the airport, making Dayton easily accessible by car from almost anywhere in the region.
• I-75 runs from north to south through downtown Dayton. Dayton is less than one hour from Cincinnati and about two and a half hours from Toledo on this road.
• I-70 runs east to west across the northern part of the Dayton area. To the west, Indianapolis is about two hours away; to the east, Columbus is about one hour away.
• I-675 is an eastern interstate by-pass for Dayton that connects with I-70 at the north end and I-75 at the south end.
• U.S. 35 is another important expressway, providing access primarily from places to the east and southeast. The road has been improved to a limited-access freeway as far east as Chillicothe, making Charleston, West Virginia 4 hours away to the south and east.

By bus

Greyhound operates a few long-distance buses to Dayton. The bus station is far out in the suburbs with limited local bus connections.

Get around

Travel in the region is easy by car and you can move from the urban city to the rural county in minutes.

The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority operates bus routes (including electric trolley bus service) within Montgomery County. Getting on the bus is no longer as easy as putting $2 in the slot; before boarding, you must either install their app on your phone or go to a transit center to buy a reusable card.

Learn

Place University of Dayton (UD)

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Go next

• Caesar Creek State Park, northeast corner of Warren County, I-71 exit 45, Route 73 west, southeast of Dayton. 285 campsites, electrical hook-ups. The campground offers showers, flush toilets, pet camping, horseman's camp with 30 sites, two camper cabins, one cedar cabin, 2,830 acres lake, unlimited horsepower, boating, water skiing, five launch ramps, 43 mi of hiking trails, 31 mi of bridle trail, horsemen's camp, 5 mi mountain bike trail, 3.5 mi novice trail, hunting, fishing, picnic areas, tables, grills, drinking water, nine picnic shelters, day lodge, a meeting room, kitchen, outdoor tables, grills, 1,300 ft beach, concession area, changing booths, nature center, naturalist programs year round, pioneer village with 15 historic buildings depicting life in early 1800s. Playground equipment, basketball court, games and sports equipment.
• Cute shops abound within walking distance in historic Centerville, a nearby suburb of Dayton. It also has the largest collection of historic stone houses in the US.
• Visit nearby college town Oxford, home of Public Ivy Miami University, about 45 minutes southwest.
• The nearby community of Yellow Springs is highly recommended, offering a unique and eclectic downtown shopping experience and great outdoor recreation.
• Both Cincinnati and Columbus are roughly an hour from Dayton.
• Approximately 45 minutes south on State Route 48 is Lebanon which is a rich historic town and also home to the Fort Ancient Archaeological dig, one of the largest Native American historical sites in the United States.