Not too long ago, I ran across the phrase “90-minute market” – maybe it was on the Dayton Daily News website, an ad, or maybe something I was researching, I can’t remember. But I did remember what it meant, and where I’d first seen it: years ago, on a phone book cover. And 90-minute market was in reference to the fact that, whatever you’re looking for as a consumer in the Dayton area, you probably won’t have to drive more than an hour and a half to get there.

It’s true: for example, Dayton doesn’t have a zoo, but we’re within 90 minutes of two cities that do, Cincinnati and Columbus. We have our own art museum, orchestra and performing arts groups that might be smaller than Cincinnati’s or Columbus’s, but they’re often cheaper than those of our neighbors, and easier to get to. Baseball? You can go to Cincy to see the Reds play – or if you’re willing to settle for minor league, go watch the Dayton Dragons. Sure, they don’t have the winning record the Reds currently do, but you’ll spend far less money, get in and out with no hassle, and few sporting events can match a Dragons game for fun for all ages.

I’m sure there’s something I can’t get to within a 90-minute drive… oh yeah, a Space Shuttle. (New York? Really???) Moving on…

I did a little searching, trying to figure out where I saw the term recently, and ran across a snarky blog post by a Dayton Daily News columnist that reminded me of an Andy Rooney segment, only less funny. The main point was  about how the idea never really caught on in the 80s. Maybe so, but the real estate companies, shipping companies, local business groups, and especially the airport are doing their best to revive it. The blog post was in response to a more positive take on the concept from a couple weeks earlier.  What it comes down to is, a business in the Dayton area, has quick, easy access to a big customer base as well as suppliers and business partners. If you’re talking about flying, they say it’s the nations #1 90-minute market. (They leave out the part where you wait for security and such at the airport, but even that’s not so bad in Dayton.)

And if you want to drive across town during rush hour? Thirty minutes, and that’s even with a few orange barrels. 

What do you like about your hometown? What does your hometown lack, that you can still find nearby?

More at the My Town Monday Blog

Dayton Map via city of Dayton website
Photo of Fifth Third Field via Wikimedia Commons