Miamisburg/Moraine Miamisburg, OH

The first settlers arrived in Miamisburg in the late 1700s when Zechariah Hole built a stockade on the bank of the Miami River. By the 1820s the unincorporated community became a village, and it achieved city status in 1920. West Carrollton and Moraine were both mostly farmland until after World War II when Dayton residents began moving to the suburbs. Industrial plants in the area attracted those looking for work, and with jobs readily available, it wasn’t long before families began to move into the area turning it into a thriving middle-class community.

The local arts scene consists of few art galleries in Downtown Miamisburg and regular performances at the Baum Opera House, which also hosts Miamisburg’s Annual Community Holiday Celebration. The Miamisburg and West Carrollton Historical Societies provide residents with information about local history, and the Mound Association Museum features a detailed history of Miamisburg Mound.

Moraine, West Carrollton, and Miamisburg all have central restaurant areas filled with a mixture of fast-food establishments and popular chain restaurants. Most of the restaurants in Miamisburg center on the Dayton Mall, and serve everything from Italian and Mexican cuisine to fine-dining establishments and classic American fare. West Carrollton and Moraine feature popular chain restaurants such as Applebee's and Bob Evans, many of which sit near the Alex-Bell Road and Springboro Pike intersection in West Carrollton and the Dorothy Lane and Kettering Boulevard intersection in Moraine.

An iconic symbol of Downtown Miamisburg, the Hamburger Wagon attracts people from all over the Dayton area. The food cart serves the best sliders in the area, but don't expect to order a loaded burger here. The Hamburger Wagon keeps things simple -- typical burger toppings such as cheese, lettuce, mustard, and ketchup aren't available. The cook uses salt and pepper to season the fried patties to perfection before he tops them with onions and pickles. Locals love the small, crispy burgers so much that stopping by the Hamburger Wagon has become a Miamisburg tradition.

Sunday mornings in Moraine wouldn't be complete without buttermilk pancakes and potato wedges from the Golden Nugget Pancake House on South Dixie Drive, but arrive early to avoid a wait. There's typically a line out the door. Regulars insist that you can't order a bad meal at the Golden Nugget. The restaurant's huge, fluffy omelets, eggs benedict smothered in Hollandaise sauce, and bacon waffles all come highly recommended. For a laid-back Sunday breakfast, visit the Koffee Kup on South First Street in Miamisburg. Like the Golden Nugget, the greasy-spoon-style restaurant serves hearty, down-home breakfast dishes cooked to order. The Koffee Kup doesn't get as crowded as the Golden Nugget, but the food is just as good, and the regulars are friendly.

The nightlife in West Carrollton and Moraine consists mostly of neighborhood dive bars, but the mall area in Miamisburg houses several dance clubs, including Julia's Night Club on Kingsridge Drive. Popular options include Bullwinkle's Top Hat Bistro and Doctor Doodles Lounge.

Access to Interstates 75 and 675 make it easy to navigate the Miamisburg/Moraine area via car, and with ample free parking available, most locals prefer to drive to their destinations. Most of the area’s neighborhoods feature sidewalks for those who prefer to walk, but most people consider walking a leisurely activity or a form of exercise, not a mode of transportation. Even though the area features extensive bike trails, cycling isn’t typically used as a mode of transportation either – except in Downtown Miamisburg. Miamisburg’s historic downtown area houses several bike-friendly businesses with bike racks and the lighter amount of traffic in the area makes it safe for cyclists.

Hailing a cab isn’t an option, but several taxi companies and Uber service the area, making it easy to arrange a ride. Dayton’s public buses, the RTA, have routes that extend throughout Moraine, West Carrollton and Miamisburg providing transportation to those who don’t drive.

The Miamisburg/Moraine area features numerous free, public parks. Ora Everetts Park in Moraine, Wilson Park in West Carrollton and Sycamore Trails Park in Miamisburg all have playground equipment for children and picnic shelters. The area doesn’t have any specific dog parks, but residents can take their leashed pooches with them to any of the area’s parks. Miamisburg’s parks all have doggy waste stations to provide dog owners with the plastic bags needed to clean up after their pets. None of the parks in the area have specific exercise programs. Residents use the area’s biking and hiking trails to exercise outdoors.

Each year, Riverfront Park in Miamisburg hosts a summer concert series events and a few local carnivals, which require a small admission fee. Wax Park in Moraine hosts an annual Fourth of July celebration that spans an entire weekend and includes amusement rides, talent shows and a fireworks display.

The cost of living in the Miamisburg/Moraine area varies by city. On average, Moraine’s and West Carrollton’s cost of living remains between 3 percent and 5 percent higher than Dayton, while Miamisburg’s cost of living averages around 9 percent higher. Housing costs alone determine the difference in the percentages, but all three cities have affordable housing options. Expect to pay around $590 per month for a one-bedroom apartment.

All other costs, including groceries, goods and services, healthcare and utilities, are similar to the rest of Dayton and its surrounding areas. Average gas prices sit around 4 percent lower than the nation’s average, a one-way bus ride costs $1.75 and a beer costs between $3 and $5.

You won’t find any upscale stores in the Miamisburg/Moraine area. Shopping options include mixture of chain stores, discount stores and department stores, most of which are located in or around the Dayton Mall, in the strip malls located at the Alex-Bell Road and Springboro Pike intersection and near the Dorothy Lane-Kettering Boulevard intersection in Moraine.

Historic Downtown Miamisburg houses an array family-owned shops and small boutiques. Quilters enjoy perusing The Little Shop of Stitches’ array of fabric and quilting supplies, Luna Blue’s Boutique specializes in hand-crafted jewelry, all-natural soaps and handmade bows and Urban Loft Boutique sells trendy clothes, jewelry, scarves and accessories.

Numerous chain stores in the local area sell groceries, including Kroger, Sam’s Club, Walmart and Meijer. The Downtown Miamisburg Farmers Market opens every Wednesday from July until October allowing residents to purchase fresh produce and baked goods from local vendors and nearby farms.