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Dayton is a city in Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,180 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Rhea County.
Dayton was the site of the Scopes Trial in 1925.
Geography
Dayton is located at (35.492840, -85.013000).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.5 km² (6.4 mi²). 15.9 km² (6.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (3.62%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,180 people, 2,323 households, and 1,558 families residing in the city. The population density was 389.3/km² (1,007.9/mi²). There were 2,492 housing units at an average density of 157.0/km² (406.4/mi²). 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 after the Ohio city in 1877. Early industry included manufacture of pig iron. The town was incorporated in 1895.
In the year 1925, the famous Scopes Monkey Trial came to Dayton (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. 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.)
Today the city is a small manufacturing center whose products include furniture, clothing, automobile parts, and air conditioners and heating units. It 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.
External links
"Dayton, Tennessee"