Great Miami River

Great Miami River
The Great Miami River near Vandalia
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOhio, Indiana
CountiesLogan, Shelby, Miami, Montgomery, Warren, Butler, Hamilton in Ohio; Dearborn in Indiana
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationIndian Lake, Russells Point, Logan County, Ohio
  coordinates40°28′04″N 83°52′33″W / 40.46778°N 83.87583°W / 40.46778; -83.87583 (Great Miami River source)
  elevation998 ft (304 m)
Mouth 
  location
Ohio River, Miami Township, Hamilton County, Ohio
  coordinates
39°06′31″N 84°48′52″W / 39.10861°N 84.81444°W / 39.10861; -84.81444 (Great Miami River mouth)
  elevation
449 feet (137 m)
Length170 mi (270 km)
Basin size5,373 sq mi (13,920 km2)
Discharge 
  average5,368 cu ft/s (152.0 m3/s)

The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee: Msimiyamithiipi) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 160 miles (260 km) long, in southwestern Ohio and Indiana in the United States. The Great Miami originates at the man-made Indian Lake and flows south through the cities of Sidney, Piqua, Troy, Dayton, Middletown and Hamilton.

The river is named for the Miami, an Algonquian-speaking Native American people who lived in the region during the early days of European settlement. They were forced to relocate to the west to escape pressure from European-American settlers.

The region surrounding the Great Miami River is known as the Miami Valley. This term is used in the upper portions of the valley as a moniker for the economic-cultural region centered primarily on the Greater Dayton area. As the lower portions of the Miami Valley fall under the influence of Cincinnati and the Ohio River Valley, residents of the lower area do not identify with the Miami in the same way.