Dayton

History

Dayton had a ferry crossing, established in this area by the early 19th century, at the foot of what is now Dayton Pike. Two separate cities, Jamestown and Brooklyn, separately incorporated in 1848 and 1849 respectively, were merged and reincorporated in 1867 under the name Dayton in honor of the Ohio town. Jamestown was incorporated March 1, 1848. According to the state charter, the founding fathers were James Berry, James McArthur and Henry Walker. Berry was a nephew of James Taylor, Jr., founder of Newport, Kentucky. Dayton has a large sandbar just offshore. It had a popular beach for many years known as the "Manhattan Bathing Beach", until the US Army Corps of Engineers raised the level of the Ohio River. In 1779, the beach was involved in the Battle of Dayton, KY; the fight involved Simon Girty, Alexander McKee, Col, John Campbell, Col. David Rogers and Capt. Robert Benham. Laws were passed prohibiting nude swimming in the Ohio River during daylight hours and prohibiting dogs from running loose. Violators of the nude swimming law faced a penalty of $1 for the first offense and as much as $5 for subsequent offenses. People also had the right to shoot dogs that were running loose in the city, and bill the owners for carcass removal. In 1919, the private Doyle Country Club was built and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Floods in 1884, 1913, and 1937 – the latter affecting 80 percent of the city and prompting residents to take shelter in the garages of the former Wadsworth Watch Case Co. – caused many of the companies in the once-booming town to move elsewhere. By the 1950s, many residents, weary of constant flooding, moved out of the town as well. A floodwall was finally completed in late 1981. Today, Dayton is working on downtown…

Geography

Dayton is located in the northernmost part of Campbell County on the inside of a bend in the Ohio River. It is the northernmost community in Kentucky as well. Dayton is bordered by Bellevue to the southwest and Fort Thomas to the southeast. To the north, across the Ohio River, is Cincinnati in Hamilton County, Ohio. The closest bridge across the Ohio is the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge on Interstate 471, connecting Newport with Cincinnati. According to the United States Census Bureau, Dayton has a total area of , of which is land and , or 33.61%, is water. Dayton is located within Kentucky's Outer Bluegrass region in the Upper South.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Highlands High School
  High · Fort Thomas · 1,015 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• Highlands Middle School
  Middle · Fort Thomas · 732 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• Crossroads Elementary School
  Elementary · Cold Spring · 613 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Newport High School
  High · Newport · 579 students · 10.5:1 ratio
• Moyer Elementary School
  Elementary · Fort Thomas · 544 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• Lincoln Elementary School
  Elementary · Dayton · 487 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• Johnson Elementary School
  Elementary · Fort Thomas · 425 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Woodfill Elementary School
  Elementary · Fort Thomas · 411 students · 14.2:1 ratio