Dayton is Midwestern culture. Despite being in Ohio, Cleveland is *not*. Sometimes it's classified as East Coast, but the most precise is Great Lakes. What it is is a big liberal metropolis with a long cultural history (especially in regards to music, see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) that's become rundown in recent times, while area around Dayton is much more conservative and rural, and it's best known for housing a military base. I grew up in Cleveland and have family who live in Dayton, so I'm well aquatinted with the difference.