Dayton, Tennessee
Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, Tennessee
Location of Dayton, Tennessee
Coordinates: 35°29′34″N 85°0′47″W / 35.49278, -85.01306
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Rhea
Area
- Total	6.4 sq mi (16.5 km²)
- Land	6.1 sq mi (15.9 km²)
- Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
Elevation	696 ft (212 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	6,180
- Density	1,007.9/sq mi (389.2/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	37321
Area code(s)	423
FIPS code	47-19700[1]
GNIS feature ID	1306293[2]

Dayton is a city in Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,180 at the 2000 census. The Dayton, TN, Urban Cluster, which includes developed areas adjacent to the city and extends south to Graysville, Tennessee, had 9,050 people in 2000. Dayton is the county seat of Rhea County^[3].

Dayton was the site of the Scopes Trial in 1925. Bishop Joseph Aloysius Durick was born in Dayton on Oct. 13, 1914.

Geography

Dayton is located at 35°29′34″N, 85°0′47″W (35.492840, -85.013000)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.5 km²), of which, 6.1 square miles (15.9 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (3.62%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 6,180 people, 2,323 households, and 1,558 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,007.9 people per square mile (389.3/km²). There were 2,492 housing units at an average density of 406.4/sq mi (157.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.70% White, 5.26% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.75% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.12% of the population.

There were 2,323 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 16.0% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,542, and the median income for a family was $33,149. Males had a median income of $30,521 versus $22,144 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,946. About 13.4% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.0% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.

History

The community was originally settled around 1820 as Smith's Crossroads and was renamed Dayton in 1877. Early industry included manufacture of pig iron. The town was incorporated in 1895.

Scopes trial

In 1925 the famous Scopes Monkey Trial was held in Dayton (some believe the trial was arranged by the town's leaders as a publicity stunt), and for a period of time, filled the town with hucksters of every description and journalists from around the world. The trial participants included William Jennings Bryan in the role of prosecutor and Clarence Darrow as John T. Scopes' defense counsel. Although this trial is often represented as being pivotal in the movement to allow evolution to be taught in US schools, it actually marked the beginning of a major decline in the teaching of evolution which didn't start to recover until the early 1960s. (Likewise the Butler Act, which Scopes was supposed to have violated, though it was never invoked again, remained on the statute books until the late 1960s.)

Economy

Today the city is a small manufacturing center whose products include furniture, clothing, automobile parts, and air conditioners and heating units. La-Z-Boy is the largest manufacturing employer, and the Tennessee Valley Authority's Watts Bar and Sequoyah nuclear power plants are both within 20 miles of the city.

Since the late 1990s the area has experienced increased residential development particularly along Chickamauga Lake, an impoundment of the Tennessee River, partly due to an influx of retirees.

Education

Dayton is also home to Bryan College, a four-year Christian liberal arts school named in honor of William Jennings Bryan, who died in Dayton five days after the Scopes Trial ended. Dayton City School, a K-8 public school, is free for all residents of Dayton. Oxford Graduate School, an institution of Christian postgraduate education, is located in Dayton's Crystal Springs community. Crystal Springs also is the site of a golf driving range, bowling alley, and skating rink.

References

External links

• Official site
• Tennessee Strawberry Festival
• Bryan College

• Dayton, Tennessee is at coordinates 35°29′34″N 85°00′47″W / 35.49284, -85.013 (Dayton, Tennessee)Coordinates: 35°29′34″N 85°00′47″W / 35.49284, -85.013 (Dayton, Tennessee)

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