Dayton, Ohio is the closest major city to Wright-Patterson AFB. Dayton has about 142,000 people, and is in Montgomery County, which has a population of about 534,000 people. Wright-Patterson is also in Green County, with a population of about 162,000 people.

Nearby smaller communities include Kettering, Huber Heights, Fairborn, Riverside, Springfield, Beavercreek, Xenia, and Troy, all cities of 25,000 to 60,000 people.

It is about 9 miles from downtown Dayton to Wright-Patterson; this takes about 12 minutes to commute. The other communities listed above are all within 30 minutes (Huber Heights, Fairborn, and Riverside within 15 minutes), but the Dayton area is spread out and somewhat congested, and travel times can vary significantly.

Ohio is unusual among states in that it has several major metro areas; Columbus and Cincinnati are both large cities, each only an hour away.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average apartment rent in the Dayton area ranges from $350 to $600 per month, with a median of about $450 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a house in Dayton is about $110,000, compared to $170,000 for Ohio. The average price for a house in Montgomery County in the last three years was about $118,000.

Short Description of the Area: Dayton and Wright-Patterson are in the Miami River Valley, a low river valley with green surroundings. Dayton is the smallest of the several larger cities of Ohio, but still a busy urban area, and on the eastern side of the state Dayton is unusual as a city of invention, where the Wright Brothers and Charles Kettering both lived and contributed some of the most important inventions for US industry. Dayton is a major center for aerospace development, and also for general shipping, due to its central location.

Climate and Weather: The area has a warm, humid climate in summer and cool, dry climate in winter. Summer temperatures range from the mid-30s to low 20s and winter temperatures range from the mid-80s to the mid-60s. Summers warm to hot with humid, sometimes muggy, air, with regular thunderstorms and occasional tornadoes. Winters are cool to cold, with up to 8 inches of snow.