Can “branding” a city through a snappy slogan and slick marketing campaign work?
A lot of cities apparently think so, including Dayton and Cleveland, as outlined in this USA Today story.
They point to successful and memorable slogans, like “I love New York,” and “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.” It’s also interesting to read the comments under the story- on mentions great success North Dakota has had marketing itself as a “Wild West” destination for bicyclists.
The story doesn’t mention less-successful campaigns. (I’m thinking of the Michael Moore movie Roger & …

The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that the Obama administration has earmarked $400 million for Ohio’s plan to link Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Cleveland via high-speed rail.
From The Dispatch:
Ohio officials are banking on federal stimulus money for most or all of the estimated $517.6 million they say they need to improve existing freight rail to passenger standards and to buy trains.

“This is some of the best news we have had in a long time,” Senator Sherrod Brown said. “If I put my ear down to the rail I think I hear …

This past week, The New York Times highlighted Sinclair Community College, a school in Dayton helping to retrain workers for the “new” economy.
This glowing piece highlights the school’s low tuition, well-respected programs, aid for displaced G.M. and Delphi workers, and growing enrollment.
“We help people go from $8-an-hour jobs to $18-an-hour jobs,”the school’s president told The Times.
It’s also good to see a Dayton institution get good press after all the negative “dying cities” stuff.
Tweet

Rust Wire readers know this blog frequently rants about how Forbes magazine mischaracterizes our cities with its silly and bogus lists – America’s Downsized Cities, Hardest Places to Get By, Dying Cities, and even Best Place for Singles.
(Somehow, Cleveland is ranked as a “dying city,” and a “most miserable city,” yet it is also one of the best places for singles, according to the magazine. Go figure.)
Well, I’m glad to see the folks in Dayton, Ohio, are doing more than just ranting. Upset with their inclusion on the “Dying Cities” …

Boy, this is so depressing, I can hardly bring myself to write it. Dayton’s sole remaining Fortune 500 company, which has been headquartered in the city for 125 years, is moving operations to Atlanta.
NCR, a manufacturer of ATM machines and cash registers, will bring some 2,000 jobs to Atlanta. The company was offered $60 million in tax breaks by the state of Georgia, The Dayton Daily News reports. Ohio attempted a counter offer of $31 million, to which CEO Bill Nuti responded “It pales in comparison to what Georgia is …

The Federal Government will steer $50 million in assistance to communities with auto plants that have experienced significant layoffs, The Associated Press reports.
The money will come from federal stimulus funds and be used for job training and placement.
Tweet

Upset with being named to Forbes’ “10 Fastest Dying Cities” list, Daytonians are taking action, The Dayton Daily News reports.
Tweet

Upset with being named to Forbes’ “10 Fastest Dying Cities” list, Daytonians are taking action, The Dayton Daily News reports.
Tweet