The Fairgrounds Neighborhood

The Fairgrounds Neighborhood, directly south of the city center, is tucked between Downtown and the small suburban city of Oakwood. It encompasses the Historic South Park district, Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum, University of Dayton, Miami Valley Hospital, and of course, the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.  Recent development in the area includes the editorial office building for the Dayton Daily News and many additions to the Brown Street retail corridor. Vine Street, where our houses are, has suffered for many years from neglect by slumlords and poorly supervised subsidized housing, conditions which drove many residents away and allowed the drug trade to thrive. For several decades, the neighborhood’s unsavory reputation discouraged redevelopment, despite its prime location and architectural potential. Now a handful of resilient long-time residents have joined with newcomers and various agencies to revitalize the neighborhood. With a new Dayton mayor and city manager, a program to demolish derelict properties is underway. The Gospel Mission, with headquartered on adjacent Burns Street, has undertaken the renovation of several residences between the Mission and the hospital. In addition to regular patrols by City of Dayton police, security units from both the hospital and the Gospel Mission are highly visible on the street. This neighborhood is on it’s way to being better than ever!

The City of Oakwood

Directly south of the Fairgrounds Neighborhood is the tree lined residential community of Oakwood. After a disastrous flood devastated much of Dayton in 1913, Oakwood was established on the higher ground nearby.  Residents take great pride in the distinctive architecture of the homes in this affluent suburb, most of which date from the 1920’s and 30’s.   Oakwood is also renowned for its strong sense of community, the diligence of its traffic patrol officers, and the quality of its schools. You can get a good sense of this community by perusing the pages of its very local paper, The Oakwood Register.