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Dayton, Tennessee

Dayton is a city in and the county seat of Rhea County, Tennessee, United States.[7] As of the 2020 census, the city population was 7,065.[8] The Dayton Urban Cluster, which includes developed areas adjacent to the city and extends south to Graysville.

Dayton, Tennessee

United States

ca. 1820

1903[1]

8.74 sq mi (22.64 km2)

8.50 sq mi (22.02 km2)

0.24 sq mi (0.61 km2)

696 ft (212 m)

7,065

830.79/sq mi (320.78/km2)

UTC−4 (EDT)

37321

47-19700[5]

1306293[6]

Dayton was the site of the Scopes Trial in 1925 dealing with the creation–evolution controversy.

Economy[edit]

Dayton is a small manufacturing center whose products include furniture, clothing, automobile parts, and recreational vehicle components. La-Z-Boy is the largest manufacturing employer, followed by Suburban Manufacturing, Robinson Manufacturing, and International Automotive Components Group.[19] Finland-based Nokian Tyres plans to employ around 400 at its new Dayton tire manufacturing factory which began initial operations in 2019.[20] The Tennessee Valley Authority's Watts Bar and Sequoyah nuclear power plants are both within 20 miles (32 km) of the city. Since the late 1990s the area has experienced increased residential development particularly along Chickamauga Lake, an impoundment of the Tennessee River. More recently, Dayton has hosted several major bass fishing tournaments at Chickamauga Lake including the 2014 Bassmaster BASSfest, American Bass Anglers Weekend Series, Heartland Anglers Classic, the 2013 Walmart FLW Tour and various senior, collegiate and high school events.[21][22][23]


In 2019, STULZ Air Technology Systems, an HVAC and cooling solutions manufacturer, opened a new facility in Dayton, adding over 250 new jobs.[24][25]

Education[edit]

Dayton is 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.


Chattanooga State Community College operates a site in downtown Dayton with a variety of offerings including General Education core for most majors and selected career courses. A Welding Technology course is also offered as part of the TCAT program.[26]


Dayton City School, a K-8 public school, is free for all residents of Dayton. Dayton residents attend Rhea County High School, operated by Rhea County Schools.[27]


Rhea Central Elementary School, operated by the county school system and serving people not living in the city, is just outside the city limits.[28] It is the largest K-5 public school in the state. Graysville Elementary School in Graysville also has a Dayton postal address.[29]


Omega Graduate School, an institution of Christian postgraduate education, is located in Dayton's Crystal Springs community.

(March 4, 1909 – July 30, 2003) – African American string band (Tennessee Chocolate Drops) and country blues musician

Howard Armstrong

(October 13, 1914 – June 26, 1994) – U.S. Roman Catholic bishop and civil rights advocate

Joseph Aloysius Durick

(April 11, 1903 – February 18, 1994) – Hall of Fame head football coach at Florida A&M University (FAMU) for 25 years; won six black national championships and amassed one of the highest winning percentages in collegiate history

Jake Gaither

(June 18, 1910 – April 19, 1971) – baseball broadcaster for New York and San Francisco Giants; best known for calling Bobby Thomson's famed 1951 Shot Heard 'Round the World

Russ Hodges

(July 25, 1894 – February 2, 1961) – former Major League Baseball first baseman with the Philadelphia Athletics

Red Holt

 – former NFL defensive lineman

Dave Roller

(August 3, 1900 – October 21, 1970) – teacher charged with violating Tennessee's Butler Act and tried in a case popularly known as the Scopes Monkey Trial

John Scopes

(June 8, 1981 – May 4, 2019) – Columnist and New York Times Best Selling Author

Rachel Held Evans

(April 14, 1986 – Present ) – Major League Baseball pitcher, currently a free agent, most recently with the Minnesota Twins

Cory Gearrin

- member of the Tennessee General Assembly[30]

Walter White

Cornwell, Ilene (1988). Biographical Directory of the Tennessee General Assembly Volume III: 1901-1931. . ISBN 0874020085.

Tennessee Historical Commission

Official site

Archived January 31, 2016, at the Wayback Machine

City charter

Tennessee Strawberry Festival

Bryan College

Annual re-enactment of the Scopes Trial, holden (as Mencken would have said) in Dayton.