Dayton

North Carolina may call itself the birthplace of aviation, but Dayton -- as the birthplace of Orville and Wilbur Wright -- is the real McCoy. Now home to Wright Patterson Air Force Base -- with some 22,000 employees, it's one of the state's largest employers -- Dayton continues to be first in flight while also emerging as a leader in Ohio's new economy. A rising tide of high-tech firms and world-class partnerships between business, government and academia (University of Dayton, Wright State University, Sinclair Community College and others) have the Dayton region positioned for a surge.

Tired of working? Choose from a culturally rich smogasbord of museums and arts options such as the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, United States Air Force Museum,The Dayton Art Institute and the new Schuster Performing Arts Center. And Dayton's system of metro parks offers everything from backpacking to a public market right downtown.