Map of Dayton town, Virginia

Dayton is a town in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States. The population is 1,530 as of the 2010 census. It is included in the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Dayton town overview:
Name:	Dayton town
LSAD Code:	43
LSAD Description:	town (suffix)
State:	Virginia
County:	Rockingham County
Incorporated:	1879
Elevation:	1,204 ft (367 m)
Total Area:	1.03 sq mi (2.67 km²)
Land Area:	1.03 sq mi (2.67 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	1,530
Population Density:	1,587.78/sq mi (612.82/km²)
ZIP code:	22821
Area code:	540
FIPS code:	5121648
GNISfeature ID:	1492844
Website:	www.daytonva.us/

Online Interactive Map

Dayton online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Dayton location map. Where is Dayton town?

Dayton location on the U.S. Map. Where is Dayton town. — Dayton location on the U.S. Map.

Dayton location on the Virginia map. Where is Dayton town. — Location of Dayton in Virginia.

History

The town of Dayton is one of the oldest settled communities in Rockingham County, and is the county’s second oldest incorporated town, after Bridgewater. The first settler in Dayton was Daniel Harrison (c. 1702-1770), whose family settled along Cooks Creek, north of downtown. Daniel was the eldest son of Isaiah Harrison and second wife Abigail and was born in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York. Daniel’s brother Thomas Harrison founded Harrisonburg several miles to the northeast. They and their three brothers had migrated from New York to Delaware and then to Orange County Virginia before settling in the Shenandoah Valley.

The family homestead, a two-story stone house, has been owned and maintained since 1977 by a private, non-profit organization, Fort Harrison, Inc. The town was known as Rifeville or Rifetown until 1833.

Shenandoah University has its roots in Dayton, when it was known as the Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music. The college was organized in 1875 under the leadership of Rev. A.P. Funkhouser. This was a major institution in Dayton until 1960, when it moved to Winchester. College Street was named after the school and many of the street’s buildings served as part of the campus.

The Dayton Historic District, Daniel Harrison House, and Peter Paul House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2018, a series of strikes and protests were held at the town’s Cargill plant.

Dayton Road Map

Dayton city Satellite Map

Geography

Dayton is located at 38°24′59″N 78°56′22″W / 38.41639°N 78.93944°W / 38.41639; -78.93944 (38.416323, -78.939440). The town is approximately two miles southwest of Harrisonburg and two miles northeast of Bridgewater.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km), all of it land.