Dayton, Ohio

Dayton originally grew as a strategic extension of Cincinnati linked through the Great Miami River. Known as the "Gem City", Dayton has historically been an important hub for transportation and commerce in western Ohio. The addition of a manmade canal in the 1830s established Dayton as the center for trade at the time, bringing in thriving corporations. Today Dayton still acts as the heart of commerce as it is the confluence of two of the country's largest interstate highways (I-70 & I-75). Dayton's suburban areas are densely developed as result of an important ecological occurrence. A massive flood (the "Great Dayton Flood") in 1913 devastated the downtown making the topologically higher suburban areas ideal for development.