Oakwood, Montgomery County, Ohio (a suburb of Dayton, Ohio) is the largest of three small towns named Oakwood in Ohio. Its 9,215 people (according to the 2000 US Census) beats out Oakwood, Paulding County's 607 people and Oakwood, Cuyahoga County's 3,667. Oakwood has a 'rich' history and a strong community feel. The city is famous for its educational system, having one of the best school systems in the state. It is also one of the richest suburbs of Dayton¹, thus earning it the nickname 'The Dome'.

The tree-filled community that covers 2.97 square miles has a reputation of providing its citizens with a number of services. It has high taxes and a couple of busy parks to facilitate this. Many wealthy, influential Dayton residents can afford to live in the town, making it an important suburb to Dayton.

History

The original reason for Oakwood to be referred to as 'The Dome' was in the Fifties, when Oakwood's first, last, and only murder took place. The newspaper headline reported that 'There's a Crack In the Dome', and the nickname slowly caught on.

The town was founded on July 15, 1907. Before that, it was generally farmland with few homes. However, when downtown Dayton flooded at the turn of the century, Oakwood real estate investors marketed the land as being '275 feet higher than the intersection of Third and Main Streets'. By 1930, the town had reached a population of 6,000 people.

The city's only real historical place is the Wright Brothers mansion on Hawthorn Hill on the corner of Harman and Park. It was the home of Orville Wright, who, with his brother Wilbur, made the first controlled powered flight in 1903. Wilbur died shortly before construction ended on the house (probably from stress of the Brother's patent wars), but Orville lived there in the last years of his life. He died in his home in 1948 fixing its doorbell. Today, the house is uninhabited and is a landmark of Oakwood. Being atop of the only uncultivated hills in the town, it is a popular place for sledding in the winter.

The other historic resident of the town was John Patterson. He went on to found NCR (National Cash Register) which went on to employ many Dayton area residents.

Government

In 1930, Oakwood adopted a Council/Manager form of government. It has a city council of five nonpartisan elected members that select one of themselves as the city's Mayor and Vice Mayor. Council members are elected on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November every odd numbered year. The council adopts legislation and enacts ordinances. It appoints a city manager that ensures that the city's many services are done. About 150 members of the community work with the government, advising the council as a part of several commitees, including a budget commitee, planning commission, enviromental commitee etc.