CQ Politics

Dayton, once one of the state’s most successful manufacturing centers, has suffered economic setbacks and a torrent of departures that displaced its manufacturing base. The city has struggled to diversify what has become an increasingly service-oriented economy.

Montgomery County, which surrounds Dayton, is the 3rd’s dominant jurisdiction. Midway between Cincinnati and Dayton, fast-growing Warren County (shared with the 2nd) has bedroom communities for both cities, while Clinton and Highland counties to the east are more rural but increasingly developed. Although Warren is booming, Montgomery, which accounts for nearly three-fourths of the district’s residents, has lost population over the past decade.

Despite general economic setbacks, the area’s defense industry has had some success in attracting aerospace, medical research and information technology companies to the area around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (shared with the 7th). A new “Tech Town” district in eastern Dayton (shared with the 8th), envisioned as a robust technology corridor and business center, is under construction on a former industrial site along interstate and rail distribution routes.

The urban vote — driven by Dayton’s ample black population and large blue-collar workforce — makes Montgomery slightly Democratic. Dayton’s southern suburbs include GOP-inclined, white-collar areas such as Kettering and Centerville. The counties outside of Montgomery give the 3rd its GOP lean. Warren County gave George W. Bush 72 percent of its 2004 presidential vote, and he nearly reached that mark in both Clinton and Highland counties.

Major Industry

Manufacturing, defense, service

Military Bases

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, 10,166 military, 10,332 civilian (2005) (shared with the 7th District)

Cities

Dayton (pt.), 137,180; Kettering, 57,502; Trotwood, 27,420

Notable

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (at Wright-Patterson) is the world’s largest and oldest military aviation museum; The Highland County Courthouse in Hillsboro is Ohio’s oldest courthouse still in use.