Forbes.com seems to think that the state of Ohio is not only in a current state of decline, but is actually slowly falling right off the face of the earth. According to their study, which ranks America?s top 10 fastest dying cities, Youngstown, Canton, Dayton and Cleveland all, ??face fleeing populations, painful waves of unemployment and barely growing economies.? The only other state with multiple cities that made the list was Michigan, which had Flint and Detroit.

Even worse, the study goes on to state that the future will not see things get any better in these areas, as there have been no signs in recent years of things turning around. This is somewhat disconcerting, as many of us on campus call these areas home, and we all go to school in one of these so called ?dying? cities.

It can certainly be conceded that Dayton may not be the most bustling metropolitan area in the world. The streets downtown are generally empty during the day and except for a few areas, there is not much flair to the area as a whole. It is clear that Dayton is a town that had long been dependent on manufacturing to succeed, and in recent years this has become a dying industry in the region. As a result, Forbes.com has found it necessary to completely write off the city, basically saying that coming out of this slump will be impossible.

This however, does not tell the whole story of the city of Dayton. Sure, there are areas that need some work, but that can be said of all cities. Pittsburgh is a city that formerly relied heavily upon industry before going through some rough times, but look now. Pittsburgh has reinvented itself, much in the way Dayton has begun to do with its strong promotion of the arts and its wealthy suburban areas such as Kettering, Miamisburg, and Oakwood. In addition, Dayton is home to NCR and Wright Patterson Air Force Base, neither of which seem to be going anywhere in the near future.

Then there is UD, which can be argued is the centerpiece of the city. It?s been said before but is worth mentioning again ? this is a university on the rise. As it gets better, the city will only continue to reap the benefits, thus helping to guide the city of Dayton back onto the correct path.

So don?t think of Dayton as a dying city. Instead, think of it as one with endless potential and opportunity to reinvent itself. How can you be a part of it?