Cincinnati-Dayton Merger Could be Boon for Home Prices

The 2010 census may re-classify Cincinnati-Dayton - another tangle of commercial sprawl grown together - as one urban area. Following in the steps of Minneapolis-St.Paul and Dallas-Ft.Worth, Cincinnati-Dayton could function as one cohesive area. Should the area ready itself for increased economic opportunities and prestige?

Aside from debate over what to call the urban merger ("C-D"? "Cinton"? "Daynati"?), it's likely that Interstate 75 would effectively act as its "Main Street." The new classification would combine 19 Cincinnati-Dayton area counties into a combined population of 3 million. It would make Cincinnati-Dayton the 15th highest population center in the country. Currently, Cincinnati-Middleton ranks as 24th and Dayton ranks as 61st most populous.

The hyphenate reclassification could raise the economic profile of southwestern Ohio. This, of course, would also have some spillover consequences for local real estate...