Originally Posted By: bob_ninja
Originally Posted By: Benzadmiral
Why the heck are all these people living so far from work and/or school?...
I have to admit 100 mile one way commute is too much. I have abouot 35 miles one way and consider that a lot. I just wanted to point out that jobs move a lot these days. Even if you get a house close to a job, still the job can move away from you.
My entire office was laid off just few weeks ago. Nothing to do with my performance or anything I could do about it. The new job happens to be in the same area, but I did work all over the town.
So often we don't control where our jobs are located. Still, you have a good point. Excessive commutes are not sustainable.
You're right, of course. If you've just bought a house and your job moves 30 miles farther away, you're stuck. But it seems hardly anybody even takes commute distance into consideration! I don't care if gas is .55/gallon or $5.00/gallon, one should factor it in.
Regarding another post asking why Americans emphasize comfort and convenience in their vehicles over cost and efficiency, I think we have an answer right here. If you're spending two hours (or more!) a day driving to and from work, you want to be comfortable and you want certain conveniences. A commute in a snarly econobox over rough streets is one thing at 15 minutes. At an hour it's another animal entirely, especially when you have a long stressful day ahead of you.