In some rural places, it still is more expensive. Where located far from refineries, terminals, little traffic and little choices for other stations, it can be quite high. But those tend to extreme places, complete with the “last gas for 100 miles” sign, even if not true.
I haven’t experienced the reversal you speak of.
Yes, there is a station at Ross Lake in Washington state that gouged the heck out of me. We’re tlakin’ over $2 a gallon when the average price was $.89. But like you said, it was REALLY out of the way and it was either there or grab a gas can and walk a long ways.
While were on the subject, I noticed where I now live, KY, the gas prices have a predictable pattern, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. In Seattle (my home for 45 years) gas would go up a penny or two, and go down a penny or two. it was like an undulating ocean surface. If prices were making a big change in one direction or another over a long period, the “ocean surface” would slant up or down, but it was relatively gradual.
Here in KY, It’s a sawtooth. It goes down gradually. A penny here, two cents there. But it goes up like a rocket. I’ve actually seen, with no news whatsoever to justify it, the price go up as much as $.47 in a single day. And it’s not a station here or there. I would drive out of town (Etown at the time) and gas was $3.15 at every single station, regardless of brand. And then go to work the next morning and every single station was at $3.54. All brands.
People tall me it’s always been that way.
And Chicago has always been corrupt. That don’t make it right.