Dayton, Ohio has long been known as the “Gem City,” but historians are still baffled by the nickname’s origin. But whether it derives from a well-known local racehorse named Gem or a line in Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “Toast to Dayton,” the city has shined for centuries as a state treasure.
Home to famous inventors like the Wright Brothers and Charles F. Kettering, Dayton boasts great minds and has played host to numerous historic events. The Dayton Agreement, a 1995 peace accord ending the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Yugoslavia, was negotiated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. In 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered an address on the University of Dayton campus – a recording of which was just discovered in January of this year.
With so many notable residents, visitors and sites, Dayton has today become a city that celebrates both history and the future. While dozens of museums embrace the evolution of science and transportation, nearby laboratories, patent offices and test tracks explore the possibilities of tomorrow. Eye opening and inspirational, a trip to the Gem City will make your imagination soar.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force (which also houses the Aviation Hall of Fame) is the largest and oldest military aviation museum in the world and one of the most-visited attractions in Ohio. Located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base just outside Dayton’s city limits, the NMUSAF gives visitors a closeup look at over 400 aerospace vehicles, and offers exhibits featuring weapons, uniforms, art and even Bob Hope, among others. Check out the World War II B-29 Superfortress, or Air Force One’s SAM 26000 – the plane that served JFK and Nixon, and upon which Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president after Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas.
Take a trip back in time to Dayton’s Oregon Historic District, where original commercial and residential buildings from 1830 to 1910 are still intact and as magnificent as ever. Within the 40-block area (which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places), you’ll see Federal, Queen Anne, Italianate, Greek Revival and late-Victorian architecture, all beautifully preserved. On East Fifth Street, check out some famous landmarks such as The Trolley Stop jazz club and the Neon Movies Theater, which shows independent and foreign films.
If you’ve worked up an appetite, Dayton’s local restaurants will have you drooling. Cassano’s, a pizza chain founded in 1953 by “Vic” Cassano, is a Dayton staple, although Marion’s Pizza serves up some stiff competition as the 23-year winner of the “Best Pizza” award from Dayton residents. In the mood for Mexican? Try Hot Head Burritos – a local favorite that was named one of America’s “next big chains” in 2009 by AOL.com.
Dayton plays host to many festive events throughout the year. The annual Vectren Dayton Air Show is one of the largest air shows in North America, while the Winter Guard International features some of the best percussionists from around the world. The Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center also features performances by the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Dayton Ballet and Dayton Opera throughout the year.
In 1845, the Cincinnati Daily Chronicle featured a review of Dayton, writing that the city “is the gem of all our interior towns. It possesses wealth, refinement, enterprise and a beautiful country, beautifully developed.” Fortunately, not much has changed in 2009, and Dayton remains a bright jewel even among Ohio’s bigger cities. Home to some of America’s most defining moments, Dayton welcomes visitors to experience both the past, present and future of groundbreaking new technologies and trends.
For more information, visit www.daytoncvb.com.
