Are you a little skeptical right now? Are you wondering how this small, Midwestern city can call itself awesome? We're sounding pretty arrogant, huh? Ok…we'll prove it.

Most people know the Wright Brothers built their first flying machine in Dayton, Ohio, where Charles Kettering also developed the automobile self-starter. The cash register—and later the electric cash register—was invented in Dayton. And Dayton's own Joseph Desch and his team of engineers developed the first U.S. code-breaking computer, helping the Allies avoid German U-boats and shortening World War II.

But that's not all. There are countless other inventions that you probably had no idea came from Dayton. The stepladder. Motor fuel. The collapsible crib. The artificial heart. Parking meters. The pop-top tab. A parachute that could be opened by its operator. The motion picture projector/theater. We could go on and on, but we think you get the point.

And our inventions aren't just a thing of the past. As times and technology have changed, so have our ideas. Advanced sensor technology, radio frequency identification, fuel cell systems, micro air vehicles and visualization/computing technologies are a few of the areas we're currently exploring in the Dayton Region.

So, while we may live in a typical American city in the middle of the country, we are by no means average when it comes to our impact on history. We're innovative, inquisitive and anything but complacent. We've made a name for ourselves by inventing ways to improve the lives of people all over the world. And that's pretty awesome.

Regional high-tech assets in the Dayton Region