7 times Dayton was celebrated in national rankings, for everything from basketball to bourbon

Dayton is among the “best” cities on multiple national lists that have been released recently.

Here are seven times the Dayton area made national lists in recent years:

1. Places to be a teacher

Dayton was listed at No. 10 on SmartAsset's "Top 10 Places to be a Teacher" list for 2016. The company ranked 140 of the largest U.S. metro areas across seven metrics: average high school graduation rates, housing costs, crime rates, average math and reading proficiency rates, the amount of money that school districts spend on each student and the strength of each state's teacher union.

2. Cities for basketball fans

Dayton ranks No. 9 on WalletHub.com's "Best Mid-Sized Cities for Basketball Fans" list. The NCAA tournament begins at the University of Dayton with the First Four games, an event that highlights how big of a basketball town this is. Since UD ARena opened in 1969, the Flyers have ranked top 35 in the nation in attendance every year, drawing sold-out crowds of 13,455 to the building on a regular basis.

» READ MORE: 7 reasons UD Arena has been the country’s top NCAA tournament host

3. Places to live

Dayton ranked 75th on U.S. News & World Report's "100 Best Places to Live" list, scoring a 6.3 out of 10 based on various factors important to most residents. Its revamped downtown and "close-knit communities" helped the city earn recognition, as well as the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, 19 different metro parks, 330 miles of paved biking trails and 12 different craft and microbreweries.

Credit: Warped Wing

Credit: Warped Wing

4. Best bourbon bar

The Century Bar, at 10 S. Jefferson St. in downtown Dayton, has been named one of the "10 Best Bourbon Bars in America" by Men's Journal. Among the reasons the bar was chosen, The Century stocks an impressive number of bottles and it also features tables made from Four Roses bourbon barrels with tops stained the color of Makers 46.

5. Places to retire

U.S. News & World Report lists Dayton at No. 56 of the "100 Best Places to Retire." To identify the best places to retire, U.S. News analyzed data for the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. to assess how well they meet Americans' retirement needs and expectations. Top criteria include the happiness of local residents, housing affordability, tax rates and healthcare quality.

6. Lowest cost of living

Niche.com ranks Dayton as the 12th best place to live based on cost of living. Whereas the national median home value is $178,600, Dayton's median home value is just $66,700 and the median rent is $625, compared to the national median of $928. The median household income is $27,683.

7. Best streets in America

A portion of the Oregon District was recognized when the American Planning Association named East Fifth Street as one of five "Great Streets" on the organization's annual Great Places in America list in 2015.

Stretching a quarter mile through the Oregon District, East Fifth Street is lined with century-old buildings, shops, restaurants, taverns and attractions, making it one of the region’s premier destinations. It also hosts several events and nightlife attractions and features bike share stations and a pedestrian-focused design.

» READ MORE: You might not have noticed these 7 gorgeous features of the Oregon District

About the Author