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I’m not much of a greeny weeny, but I really don’t get why people tolerate such long commutes. Most of the people I work with drive over 25 miles, which can take an hour in traffic. I’ve had long commutes, and I guess you do what you have to, but less than 10 miles was a major factor in taking the last three jobs. I almost get a chuckle at the lemmings driving out to their brand new clear cut nazi association run McNeighborhoods, 30 miles out of town, fighting 5 o’clock traffic. I like my old neighborhood, with sidewalks and trees, where you don’t have to get in the car to go get ice cream or find a park or playground.

>> I really don’t get why people tolerate such long commutes. Most of the people I work with drive over 25 miles, which can take an hour in traffic.

I cannot speak for most people ... but I’ll gladly let you know why I am fine with my hour-long commute.

I live in Houston, TX.

First, I don’t like urban-style living. I don’t want to live in a high-rise, a condominium, or an apartment ... and I like having as much space between houses as possible. I like for my family and I to be as secluded as possible when I get home.

To me, suburban life is the American dream. White-picket fence, two car garage, large lawn, reasonable property values, friendly neighbors of similar incomes and values. The suburbs offer small-town living within driving distance of large-city life.

Urban homes are more expensive, smaller, closer together, in higher-traffic areas, and tend to be higher in crime, and overtaxed.

Schools. At least in Houston, the best public schools are in the wealthier suburban neighborhoods ... where the median income is high, the crime and drug rate is low, and there’s not much gang activity. Anytime someone tries to create a nice lifestyle in urban Houston, they get accused of “gentrification” and putting in non-affordable housing. Well ... I don’t want to live in “affordable housing”. So, inner-city neighborhoods have become high in crime, low in small-town values ... and simply lousy places to live.

As for the commute itself ... I don’t mind it. I drive about an hour one-way, and it gives me time to decompress before spending time with my wife and daughter in the evening ... and, it allows my lovely wife to make dinner before I get home.

I simply pop open a Coke, turn on sports-talk or music radio ... and relax.

I work in Pikesville, MD, an inner suburb of Baltimore. We will opt to buy closer to Baltimore than DC (where my wife works) since she’ll likely stay home with the kids once kids are in the picture.

One main reason my wife and I may well opt to live 20 miles out is to get far enough out to be away from the McNeighborhoods.

Sure as hell aren’t living in the city of Baltimore with children, (which we plan to have) that’s like living in Darfur or Baghdad. So that leaves the suburbs. The inner ‘burbs are as bad as the city. And the Baltimore County schools are mediocre at best. We may homeschool but that’s another topic. So then you’re looking at the “newer” suburbs, which are all McMansionville. So you’re left with going out yet further into Howard, Carroll, or Anne Arundel counties.

If cities weren’t an odd concoction of crime ridden, crowded welfare cesspools and elitist, childless-yuppie highrise havens, we might be more likely to live in them. Admittedly, there are nice neighborhoods in the city of Baltimore, but I still don’t know about the long-term viability.

My commute in San Diego was 7 miles one way. It took 90 minutes each way. If I waited until 10 PM, I could make the trip in about 12 minutes. That commute was a big factor in my decision to leave San Diego for Idaho. My firearms collection was another issue. Crowded stores and restaurants were yet another issue. Moving to Idaho fixed all of those problems. I even escaped the humidity and many allergens that were causing me persistent health problems. The snow in Idaho means I get a break from the weekend lawn mowing tasks.

I'm 25 miles from work, I relocated to a rural part of the state where my children can play in a yard with 8x the amount of area as our previous home.

It's a trade off I'm willing to accept even though it's costing me dearly on fuel consumption.

Guess I'll have to find another way to offset the increased cost.

Cheers!

“I’m not much of a greeny weeny, but I really don’t get why people tolerate such long commutes.”

I used to drive 1 hour and 15 minutes to work. By interstate, I could make it in 40 minutes. I took the long way down the Natchez Trace. Scenic beauty. No commercial traffic allowed. I saw turkey, deer, foxes, etc. every day. My state of mind was much better if I took that way.

Before that, I commuted and hour to Memphis every day.

Why didn’t I live closer? One word: crime. I’ll never live in a city again. I’ll just commute.

“I like my old neighborhood, with sidewalks and trees, where you don’t have to get in the car to go get ice cream or find a park or playground.”

I keep ice cream in the freezer and my backyard is my park. ;) Seriously though, I like a more rural atmosphere. That’s just my preferred place to live and I will gladly commute everyday to have it.