Question of the Week: How far do you live from where you work or play? Why?
Posted on June 2nd, 2008 - 10:30 AMEach week we ask a question related to the environment. Please let us know your thoughts as comments. Feel free to respond to earlier comments or post new ideas. Previous questions.
Location, location, location: A few weeks ago, we asked Why are you or aren’t you biking to work? We got hundreds of comments and many of you answered that it depends on where you live. We wanted to follow up on this point because where you live affects how you get around - to work, to school, to anyplace - and this affects the environment.
How far do you live from where you work or play? Why?
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En español: Cada semana hacemos una pregunta relacionada al medio ambiente. Por favor comparta con nosotros sus pensamientos y comentarios. Siéntase en libertad de responder a comentarios anteriores o plantear nuevas ideas. Preguntas previas.
Todo depende del lugar: Hace un par de semanas preguntamos el por qué viaja al trabajo en bicicleta. Recibimos cientos de comentarios y muchos de ustedes contestaron que dependía del lugar en que vivían. Estamos interesados en dar seguimiento a esta pregunta porque el sitio donde vive influye en cómo usted se transporta - al trabajo, la escuela, a cualquier sitio – y esto influye en el medio ambiente.
¿Cuán lejos vive de su trabajo o del lugar para recrearse? ¿Por qué?
Tags: Question of the Week, where you live
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Question of the Week
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 am
I live 77 miles from work because I can’t afford to live in King County.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:05 am
one mile from work and 0.25 miles from play
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:05 am
I work approximately 45 minutes from where I live - unfortunately I’m unable to bike to work, but I play close to home.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:05 am
I’m lucky to live about 1.5 miles from where I work. When I began searching for a new job almost a year ago, working close to home was an important factor so I specifically targeted employers who were near my home.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:06 am
I live about 3 blocks from where I work, as the crow flies its less then 1/4 mile (maybe less then an 1/8 mile). I walk every morning; no beeb, no creep, just a pleasent walk.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:08 am
I live 55 miles from work because it was the only work I could find. In this job and housing market, the costs of relocating exceed the cost of travel - so far.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:08 am
I live 22 miles from work. I live there because the area were a work is not that nice of an area.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:08 am
I live 20 miles from where I work and 20 miles from where I play. Unfortunately they are more or less in opposite directions so this often necessitates a trip home and then out to play thus using more gas than I would like. I’ve been living there for over 20 years so moving is not an option. I’ve been working there for 15 years and have no desire to switch jobs to closer to home and there is no reasonable public transport which wouldn’t consume less than 40 minutes each way which is about what my drive is. I’d take it if there was and use it as “found time” to read or whatever but I won’t commute more than 40 minutes if I don’t have to.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:08 am
I live 25 miles from my office. I used to live only a few blocks away, but my ex-husband got a job about 50 miles away, so we moved to a town mid-way between our jobs. Now that we’re divorced, I’ve thought about moving, but I want my kids to stay in their home and near their friends (not to mention I probably couldn’t sell my house in this market…).
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 am
I live about 10 miles from where I work. Housing is quieter and safer further from the city. Also, we live in a HOA community with many bike paths and parks for exercise.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
I live 13 miles from work.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
Live in Raleigh, NC: I drive 3 miles to work. Wife drives 17 miles to work. Son & daughter each drive 7 miles to work.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
27 miles to work as office is 1/2 way between me and the other owner of the company and on a major east west route for servicing our clients.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
I live a little less than two miles from the office. I was living further away, and the 1-hr bus commute encouraged me to move a little closer–now i can walk, bus or bike to work in under 30 mins.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
I live about 25 miles from work 1 way.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
I live 10 miles from where I work. I live there primarily for these reasons: 1) our house is between where my husband works and where I work - he is about 18-20 miles south of Baton Rouge and I work downtown Baton Rouge. We both have about a 25 minute commute; 2) Our house is located within the district where our children attended grade school (not high school), but the youngest graduated this year; 3) we have a great yard - lots of trees & birds - we’re big on birdwatching; 4) my husband rides a bike for exercise/serious hobby (he is on a road racing team) - and we are located such that he can ride after work and on weekends from our house to the River Road, where he does the majority of his riding. We wish that there were more bike lanes in Baton Rouge (almost none exist), so that we could go to the grocery store and mall from our house (both are close, but very busy roads make biking unsafe).
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
We live about 30 minutes from work, so the kids can go to far better public schools.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
43 miles from home to work; needed to travel this far to find the kind of job I was looking for (though I admit I have not looked much since finding this one).
From home to play: could be a much a 2 miles to a day’s ride, depending on the kind of play — biking with my family, mountainbiking, hiking, skiiing, swimming. More and more, we try to stay local, with the price of gas being so high.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
I live 10 miles away from my work. I choose to live where I do because my neighborhood is an older one and is very walkable, while the area around my work is a newer suburban area that is very pedestrian unfriendly. Within 1 mile of my apartment, I have the convenience of a number of grocery stores, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, banks, barber shops, drug stores, dry cleaners, and auto mechanics just to name a few. Other than commuting to work, I leave my car parked most of the time.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
25 miles - 15 miles interstate, then state and local roads
I have worked for this company for 23 years, and stay for the flexibility.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:14 am
South Jersey: I commute 42 miles each way (South Jersey to Trenton). There is no real mass transit other than NJ Transit’s light rail “River Line” which takes 1hr 10 minutes to traverse from Camden to Trenton. Put that together with a morning commute to Camden (to catch the train) and I need 2hrs door to door. I can drive it in 45 minutes (am) 1hr (pm). The sad part is we all sit on Interstate 295 or the NJ Turnpike staring at each other in bumper to bumper traffic. Would have been nice to see some high speed rail run N/S up and down the 295/Turnpike corridor. Instead we all ride the breaks and idle to and fro. Not to mention the rising cost of fuel, but I’m still not willing to sacrafice 4hrs commute time using the light “slow” rail.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 am
2.7 miles
It’s just close enough to walk in good weather. Otherwise, I take the bus.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 am
I used to live in Falls Curch VA and biked to work in DC at EPA Headquarters at Waterside Mall. I moved to Tallahassee where I biked 30 miles round trip. I currently live on the east side of Columbus, Ohio, and my commute would be 15 to 20 miles each way. There is a lack of good bike routes or trails into the city, especially from that side of town.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 am
I have a 10 mile roaming radius that I try to stick to. I’m sure I deviate from that quite often as people tend to under estimate their habits, but work is within 10 miles of home and shopping is even closer. I’m also trying to walk to the store more often and will make the choice not to drive on the weekends in lieu of doing things around the house.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:16 am
I live about 25 miles from where I work.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:16 am
I travel 120 miles each way (240 miles RT) to my office. Needless to say, no way I could bike to work.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:16 am
My wife and I live on Kent Island in Queen Annes County Maryland
We both commute together each day to Baltimore to work. 47 miles one way. I am an Operational Environmental Analyst, she is a Legal Secratary. When we bought the house I was working in the area and my wife was planning on getting a job locally. Needless to say things did not work out, but we love where we live and hate City Life. That is why we commute each day.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:16 am
I live 12.5 miles from work. I live where I live because we like the area we choose to live in due to the community there, the school system, the security / safety of the area, the shopping (food, clothing, misc supplies), the cultural offerings of the area, accessibility to Minnneapolis, cost of housing.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:17 am
I live a mile from work so that I can walk to work. My choice of a place to live was driven by my desire to be able to walk to work. I also am able to walk to shops, restaurants, and movie theaters.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:17 am
Google Maps says I live 13.3 miles from where I work. It’s a quiet, multi-cultural neighborhood convenient to amenities which are important to my wife and myself, and convenient to Metro. I walk to Metro and take Metro to work.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:17 am
I live less than 10 miles from work down the back roads. This was not an accident, when I got my job I purchased a house close to work in order to avoid a long transet. Now it is also saving me money in fuel cost.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:18 am
We live 18 miles outside the city and drive in to shop, eat and play. Our other play activities are at the lake, coast and mountains. Cost of housing is the main reason along with distance from the airport.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:19 am
I live 2 miles from work. It takes 10 minutes to drive and 1 hour to take the bus.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:19 am
I live on the other side of Annapolis and work in Washington, DC. I believe that is about 35 miles.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:19 am
Here in Las Vegas they have the worst drivers in the US, although some who read this will claim that honor for their city. Just this morning a LARGE delivery truck ran the red light at Nellis and Desert Inn going very fast. The light had changed to green in my direction of travel for several seconds. This is common behavior here so I only think of green lights as a suggestion. I’ve counted as many as six cars running the red light at one time.
I drive 15 miles one-way to work. The area surrounding my office is high crime. I would not choose to live nearby. Distance, summer heat, and drivers make it unlikely that I will ever bike to work. Bus system is not optimal either. Organized on a grid system that necessitates two bus transfers to ride to work from home. Total time is over 2 hours to go 15 miles plus a .8 mile walk from the bus stop to get to my office. Tried bussing it but was nearly run over crossing the street in the crosswalk twice. Once was so close my clothes were brushed. You can sign me stuck in my car in Vegas.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 am
I live 24 miles from my job. I live in a rural community and the only jobs in my community are minimum wage.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 am
I have a 30 mile commute each way to work. As far as play and shopping, there is a huge amount within minutes of my house, so that is much more managable. With the increase in gas prices, I’m combining all of my trips/errands and do as much as possible on the way back and forth to work.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 am
I just moved 3 weeks ago from 45 miles from the office to 3 miles from the office. I love it! Weekly commute down from 450 miles to 30.
Sometimes ride my bike, sometimes drive, depending on many factors, but biking is primary
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:21 am
I live approximately 36 miles away from work. I am able to use public transportation to get to and from work via the bus.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:21 am
15 miles. My family and I enjoy the luxuries of country living in MANY ways. We recognize the impact and try to minimize trips as much as possible as well as offset the impact with other things we do. For example, we take our lunch to work instead of going home or going out to eat, which also reduces waste.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:22 am
En mi caso no puedo utilizar el medio de la bicicleta ya que mi oficina queda muy lejos de donde vivo para ir en ella. Ademas tengo que transportar a mis dos hijos y la ruta donde estudian no es facil la transportacion publica. Por esto es que utilizo mi automovil.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:22 am
I’m sorry I didn’t respond to the last question…because I do bike or walk to work almost every day. I live in Michigan, and my wife and I moved very close to our work on purpose…so that I could bike or walk. I usually bike until the snow gets really heavy, when it becomes unsafe, and then I walk…with exceptions for days when it is REALLY cold (like 30-below).
This is possible in East Lansing because it is relatively inexpensive. Economics would have kept us from this in an urban environment, but then we would have had public transportation options. We are pursuing PhDs right now, but when we are finished, it will again be a requirement for us to find housing near our respective employment. Regardless of environmental concerns, “alternative commuting” is great for your health, and I love arriving on foot or on pedal.
Living close to where you work can require some “sacrifice,” but only in the form of being willing to move, and in some cases economic sacrifice. BUT, if you consider that living close to work may only require you to own one car per family (as we do), and it saves considerably on gas costs, I believe that the economics can easily make sense.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:24 am
43 miles from home to work; I need to travel this far to find the kind of job I was looking for (though I admit I have not looked much since finding this one).
From home to play: could be a much a 2 miles to a day’s ride, depending on the kind of play — biking with my family, mountainbiking, hiking, skiiing, swimming. More and more, we try to stay local, with the price of gas being so high.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:24 am
I live about an hour’s drive from where I work. (Keep in mind as well - $4.25/gal for fuel!) Why? When I was layed off last summer, this was the only place that would hire me. Maybe if the economy picks back up my situation will change but for now I am happy where I am at. Another positive is that it’s nice going to get groceries and not have to “talk shop”. As far as the environment, I do drive a low emission vehicle.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:24 am
18 miles from home to work. Several reasons: better schools, safer city, lower taxes, lower housing prices, larger yards, reasonable commuting distance, don’t want to live in million-plus metro area, would have to drive to work anyway.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:25 am
PLEEZZE!I live in Texas. Even if the weather cooperated — a bike ride would require a shower, blow-dry and complete change of clothes (where would I schleep all that on a bike?) — I’d be taking my life in my hands. Since I work downtown, I’d be crazy to brave those streets on a bike!
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:25 am
I live about 5 miles from work. I drive because I have to drop my son off at daycare and pick him up at the end of the day. When he starts Kindergarten next year I plan to bike!
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:25 am
I live approximately 25 miles but it takes an hour and 1/2 or more to work and from work due to traffic. Housing prices are way out of my price range near the office. I alleviate some of this coummute by teleworking at least 3 days a week.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:26 am
I commute from Findlay to Lima, about 35 miles each way. I spend about $500 on gas a month. I would not want to live in Lima due to the crime and the fact there is nothing in Lima. Also my friends and family live in Findlay, so I would be driving back on the weekends.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:26 am
I live 36 miles from my office, why? because that’s where they moved my office to.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:27 am
Currently, I live about two miles from my office in a VERY small apartment. It’s affordable because it’s so small, and I like the convenience of being able to walk home from work, walk to the park, etc. But the apt. is actually so small that soon we need to move to a larger place, and to do that in our city means moving VERY far from the center. Once we move, walking will be totally out of the question. Thankfully, we have the subway.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:28 am
I live 32 miles from work each way. I would live closer but work is in a location with poor schools and I have children. Also, employers tend to relocate employees and only reimburse for relocation if the difference in commute is more than 45 or 50 miles. So, I am between two major offices for my company and can report to either one.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:29 am
I live 69 miles 1-way from work via shortest route if I drive myself. If I am able to carpool with one of two coworkers who live within 12 miles of me then my drive is 74 miles 1-way (part the wrong direction) when I drive and 14 miles 1-way when the other carpoolers drive. It takes me approximately 1 1/2 hours to drive to work if I get on the road by 5:30am and approximately 2 hours+ to drive home due to traffic.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:29 am
The power plant that I work at is approximately 60 miles from my house, one way. If my work was closer to the city I would commute by bike. I could live closer to the power plant, but I would still end up commuting for groceries and other essential items.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
I live 32 miles from where I work. I live 0 miles from where I play. I live in vacation land so there’s no place to go. Everyone visits us. Our county has on 17% tax paying property. The rest is owned by the federal gov. Somebody has to stay here and make the wheels turn.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:32 am
I work from home several days per month, however the remainder of the days might be from Springfield (42miles one way) or to St. Louis (150 miles - I live out of a hotel when working in St. Louis). I am take the train to St. Louis and bike from the hotel to the office, which is approximately 1 mile.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:32 am
16 miles one way to work; my wife and I each drive Prius
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:33 am
about 45 miles one way. I work in a large metropolitan city, but prefer to live away from crowded urban areas, partially due to the air quality. Yes I do realize the irony to driving 90+ miles a day for cleaner air, but it is the state of things currently and with out a real viable alternative I can’t see changing my ways. I do drive a fuel efficient compact car, I get between 30 and 33 MPG, and have concidered switching to a hybrid, but I’d like to see a clean vehicle as an alternative rather than eliminating my commute. I feel electric cars don’t provide a real solution for people with a long commute, a zero emmision vehical that won’t get me home won’t be on my shopping list, Bio fuels while they may be sustainable won’t drastically improve air quality, hybrids represent an atractive option, however their cost, cost of batteries, and the marginal improvment to fuel economy coupled with waste from manufacture of the batteries and disposal of the cells renders them less attractive. The biggest motivator to go to my compact car was cost savings. If it cost less up front or about the same, and the fuel savings are substantial, then it’s a good investment. I went from a fuel sipping 17MPG pick up to a compact car. The fuel savings are my monthly payment some months. With fuel prices approching the $4 mark, the idea of a Diesel-electric hybrid becomes very attractive and VW has certainly caught my attention with a stated 60MPG on the new Golf. I hate to buy forign with a bad economy, but if the big three can’t compete it’s their own fault.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:35 am
I brought a house just 7 miles from job in 1996. But that was 4 jobs ago. The kids were in school and I didn’t want to have to move them each time. Now I have a frustrating commute of 20 miles that takes 45 min. to an hour each morning. If there’s an accident it can take even longer. The tolls cost $1 each way.
There isn’t any direct public transportation because I live in one surburban county and work in another. I could drive to the nearest train station to take a train into the city and then another train back out of the city but that would take a couple of hours and cost over $25/day. Besides, a single working parent does not have any extra hours for a commute.
When my youngest one graduates from high school I will be looking into moving closer to work.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:36 am
I only live 2 miles from work, and I do bike during the summer about 2-3 days a week. But I play in the mountains and desert surrounding Reno, NV. The mountain bike is great for that, but I can’t get there on it in a timely manner or with all my equipment.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:37 am
Prior to December, I lived about 50 miles from work - many NM State employees cannot afford to live in Santa Fe, where most of the jobs are. My position was moved to Albuquerque in December, so my commute has been shortened to 20 miles, but I’d rather not ride a bike on the dangerous I-25 to get there, though. We do have a train but the stations aren’t close enough to my work to be useful.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:37 am
Hello
I live 28 miles from home in rural Michigan village to urban city. I drive on highways and there is not a safe path that I could take to work. If we had a safe path to ride my bike on, I would love to ride a least a couple times per week. My husband and I carpool together. Our state and country need to recognize the impotance of decreasing our dependence on fuel and provide safe alternatives for transportation.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:37 am
I intentionally chose a job within a half hour walk of my home. The improvement over 45 minutes of rush hour traffic every morning and evening is incredible, just for my own peace of mind, never mind the environmental benefits. How are we going to get to a situation where our streets are full of pedestrians and bikes? There’s only so much room at the moment for choices like mine; encouragement of more walking/biking friendly cities is needed. Does EPA have any ideas?
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:40 am
1 km from work so I am not totally dependent on the car.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:42 am
17 miles!
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:51 am
I live 14 miles from work and ride a bike several days a week. If time contrains my ride I make it a ‘hybrid’ commute and drive to a water park within 5 miles of work and ride the rest.
I live there for the yard and schools not available in the city.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:52 am
I live 2 miles from work. I own my business and chose the location of my office to be close to home and my children’s school. I plan to bike to work this summer. I have not been able to since I have to drop my children off at school. I have also investigated the use of the local bus system. It is very limited in our town but I can get from my office to the courthouse and library by bus. I frequent these locations often for work and th bus is a good idea both environmentally and health wise. I would have to walk several blocks from the bus station but I really need the exercise!
My husband is about 4 miles from work and is considering biking to work this summer also. Our home is adjacent to a metro park so our play is bike riding and walking. We are planning to vacation is southern Ohio this year because of the price of fuel. We can get there and back on one tank of gas in a Dodge minivan. Not only are we conserving on gas but helping Ohio’s economy by staying in state.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:56 am
I work for a large community college district that has campuses spread out all over the county. I live midway between three campuses that I do most business with. Minimum miles is 15 miles one way. I would love to move closer to my home office and be able to walk or ride a bike to work if I can ever save enough for a down payment. Of course that is assuming I will have anything left over after paying for gas, utilities, food, rent, insurance, etc… There should be more emphasis on making safe routes for pedestrians, bicycle riders and crosstown alternative transit such as light rail and bus in between cities.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:58 am
I am 45 miles away and it’s taking a toll on my wallet.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:58 am
Roughly 35 feet, vertically. I use the stairs.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:58 am
I used to live about 50 miles from work. The main reason was that houses and apartment complexes make it too hard to move into them. Most places require at the LEAST $1200 down, and usually it starts more aound $1800 and $2400. Plus, besides the leasing authorities, then there is the electric companies, utilities, phone companies, and of course the expense of moving everything all together. A person coul be looking at close to $5000 just to move in a lot of instances. Government programs make it hard for citizens to get assistance for moving unless they are below the average poverty level. A lot of citizens are considered middle class that work to pay their bills with hardly any money to spare for anything else, and no ability to get assistance becuase even though they suffer a lack of ability to live a fulfilling life, they make too much money for assistance. For me, those prices made it hard for me to break out of where I was living to move.
Where I was living was not a nice place, although the rent was so extremely high, becuase the landowners took advantage of the poverty rate of their residents and did not care for the property, suggesting that the residents fix up the property themselves (it was a single story apartment complex). I absolutely had no choice but to move becuase I couldn’t handle that place any longer. So, when I found an article in the newspaper for my current residence, that I could get in without having to pay anything except a $200 deposit (or actually $400) and that I could actually pay that plus the deoposit on my bills in place of my rent at the old place nad some other bills at the old place, I jumped at the chance. I was on a golf course, in a preserve/conserve that was also a state bird sanctuary. I was helping to fund the place for goodness sakes. I don’t have to travel far for fun, all the things I enjoy are either write in my own yard or not more than 10 to 15 minutes away.
There was another opportunity for me to move closer to my work with a similar rent deal, but at the time that deal would not have worked. Another barrier for entry for moving is that of changing schools for child family members and, in my instance, before and after school care programs. The other choice would have entailed moving her from an A school to a C or B school that had never been anything else (showing no intentions of improving and no ability to gain extra monetary assistance for improving) that did not have a befor ena dafter school program, which would leave me high and dry in regards to actually finding hildcare for her to keep a work schedule at all.
In the county I live in, I not only get school preference but I also get automatic transfer if in good standing with the county run PLACE (before and after school) program. I was pretty much stuck to the decision I had to face. The other chioce was another loose apartment complex, anyone could move in just about, where as the one I picked won’t allow criminal backgrounds, etc.
There are many factors, the environment is important to me, but sometimes what seems like a bad environmental decision isn’t always so bad. These wildlife conservation areas cannot stay open and protected without people supplying funds to keep them that way, I believe that offsets my carbon emmissions.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:01 pm
74 miles from primary office site and 91 miles from secondary site. Owner/operator of an agricultural enterprise plus full time employment as well. “Farmer with a day job.”
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Live in Lesburg, VA, drive to Vienna, VA - 26 miles one way. Just got back from a camping trip to the Shennandoah Big Meadows Campground - 146 miles each way. Biking is not an option - no trails.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Sort of a strange question, don’t you think? “Why?” Well…because one has to get to work–and it’s not that practically possible to bike or walk 15 or so miles each morning and each evening. We have a culture that puts job with very set/rigid parameters first and foremost. (This could be a very long answer….) I’ll give you this example: When my children were young, I was the top-producer in my piece rate-paid job. Another worker and I went to our direct supervisor, to ask if we could job-share our job, as both of us could no longer work full-time/wished to be home with our children–and wished to not commute as much. She said: Don’t mention this to anyone else. You’ve got to be here during the set hours–and that “job share” stuff, well that’s something for the future; we don’t have that here. And that my friend is the bottom line in this. Perhaps, perhaps when we’re out of oil (as they say) we’ll be forced to change our ways. We haven’t it seems the desire to do it for any other reason….
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I live 15 miles from work. When we looked for our first house to purchase, we looked in two different areas, both in established neighborhoods with trees. Trees are a number one priority for us in a neighborhood. Since the topography and geomorphology determine where the trees grow, we had to look in the uplands north of the Missouri River. Also the suburban lifestyle is predominant in Kansas City so the majority of neighborhoods with established trees are in the suburbs.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I work 23 miles from home and play anywhere from my backyard up to 60 miles away on average.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I live less than 7 miles from the industrial corridor on the Mississippi River in Ascension Parish. My company is located on the river. Its a short drive, but sometimes it may take 25-30 minutes when there is a wreck, or one of the plants is having a turnaround maintenance event (more cars on the road), or during the school time of year.
Unfortunately the local government refuses to improve the roads in our area, so we have 1950 style two-lane roadways. Althought the companies and their employees pay the bulk of the taxes, the taxes are being used in other areas of the parish government that have vote control of the parish. In other words is politics as usual. Hopefully within several years we can vote out the local chronies and get roadway improvements so that we can bike or drive more effiiciently to work. But, at least for the time being, there is not a chance of it.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I work in the county seat and recreate on or around the lake. Everything, except for hills, is about 10 miles by bike or car.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I live 16 miles from work; right now that is my only employer choice and it is located in an industial area. I do not ride a bicycle because of the distance and the danger of riding among vehicles traveling 5-10 mph over the limit and driven by so many who are discourteous, rude and sometimes threatening for whatever reasons.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Do the math on the Hybrid. You would have to own it almost 10 years to get back the savings in gas versus the addtional sticker price. Unless gas goes up considerably more or the cost of a Hybrid moves down, they are not a cost saving vehicle. They cost you more. Do the Math.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
I live 6.5 miles from work. I chose this location because of the apartment quality and amenities, it is a safe neighborhood, and it is close to shops and restaurants. I also have quick access to the freeway system.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
I live approx. 30 minutes from work and shopping, some state highway some local roads. It is a relatively rural area so public transportation isn’t available, and moving isn’t an option given our local economy. Several of the larger companies in my area have moved their business elsewhere.
Fortuately, live only 1 block from play and there is a convenience store nearby which we bike to during the summer- difficult to bike to the store during the winter.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:20 pm
About 5 miles (10 minutes) but all on heavy trafficked roads.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:20 pm
10 miles from work one-way. The house is paid off so why sell to move closer? Shopping is within a three mile radius, the kids school is walking distance, doctor and dentist too.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
I live 9 blocks from work. My housing choice (made before my hire at my present position) was based in part on being able to function without a car–just in case.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Whats really funny about the company I used to work for, to expound upon teh previous comment, is that I worked for an environmental services corp, and in my office alone we had at least two employees that lived about 50 miles from the office, two that lived about 120 miles from the office, and one that lived about 300 miles from the office. Another lived far but she didn’t come in often.
Plus, several employees that owned SUV’s and other less ECOnomical vehicles (high emissions vehicles) due to the way that they looked rather than there usability. One employee claimed her vehicle was for useability becuase she actually had installed a police baracade in her vehicle with a spray bottle pointing from the front seat to the back for her dogs to spray them if they came up to the barricade I guess.
I have studied tons of social sciences and psychology and ethics concepts and each one attests those kinds of behaviors to a need to dominate animals over fear of them, highly destructive to the environment.
LOL! I loved my van becuase it had little railing along the side that my fickle male dog Benny could foot his feet on before stepping into the van. Plus, it fit my daughter, my daughter’s friends, our two dogs, and any of their children without being over populated too aweful much. we could take all fo that plus our rafts to the dog beach and have a good time
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I live 25 miles from where I work. It wouldn’t matter if I moved closer to my work, the roads are not bicycle- or pedestrian-friendly.
My husband and I are considering moving closer to work, but we like the convience of our current home (walking distance to restaurants, bars, hardware store, convenience store).
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I have a 20 mile round trip commute. There is a real need in our country for better land use planning. In central Ohio we have over 600 different political jurisdictions and no cooperation on land use, energy, and transportation issues. We need leadership at the federal level to require more mixed-use, high density development.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I live about a mile from work…and about half an hour to go play. And, no, I don’t ride a bike…there is a major highway but it is not biker or walker friendly (in rural area). We’re trying to get some trails in…but it is difficult.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I live 11 miles one way from work (22 miles round trip).
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I live 12 miles from where I work and go to work at 7 so there’s only afternoon rush hour traffic to contend with. I play about 10 miles away except for when I’m playing in Gallup, NM, that’s a bit further.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
15 miles one way! There road to travel is an Interstate of feeder road. I have health and time issues with a bike ride. For one thing, it is way too hot in Texas to travel to work via a bike. There are no showers at the end of the ride. Also, there are no mass transportation modes available. Try another question that will have a possible solution to it. Thanks
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:38 pm
A follow up to my earlier comment on how far I live from work and play, I have no time for play!
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I live 4.9 miles from work. No rail or bus system, so I drive.
“Play” is hard to limit. As little as 5 miles to as much as 50 miles away. 90% is < 10 miles away.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I live 5 minutes from work. I moved to the area after I got the job because I couldn’t stand the 1 hour commute I had when I first started.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
My office is 20 miles from my home. Most of my “play” is in my town and we walk quite a bit. My husband drives about 45 minutes to work. I used to live closer to my office but we moved when he got his job so we could “split the difference” in our commutes. If I lived in the same town as my office I would probably ride the bus, although that might be complicated now that I have a toddler who needs day care drop offs and pick ups.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I live about 45 miles from work. My husband has a 3 mile commute, which I gave up to work at EPA HQ. I vanpool to work and fully appreciate my compressed workschedule which gives me a day ‘off’ every second week. I also take the opportunity to work from home (flexiplace) when I have special projects to work on or when I know that bad weather/weekend traffic will adversely impact my commute. My worst commute day was a friday when it took us 3 hours to get home due to a bad accident which closed the highway! This has happened more than once. I live in a small city surrounded by cornfields and hills which I love to go home too. I feel very lucky that I can work in Washington DC and enjoy all that it has to offer, but be able to go home to a quiet place. My husband and I work and play where we live (both in DC and Maryland)- but in time, I do hope to get my 3 mile commute back - although the walk to my home office is shorter than that - and much more enjoyable!
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I live in the Shenandoah Valley 82 miles from work in Georgetown. Why? Because it’s a gorgeous small town in the Shenandoah Valley. Duh. However, I can’t afford to live anywhere close to where I work. And I can’t find work where I live that will allow me to afford to live there (most workers in my town come from further west in West Virginia).
So I drive a lot.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Boise: I live 500 steps from my office. It takes me about six minutes to walk to work depending on the crossing light. I purposely live near my office because I dislike getting into my car and Boise has a terrible public transportation system. I live near downtown (10 blocks) and only about .25 miles from the river and the greenbelt system of trails. Biking is a huge deal in this town, but the streets do not really accomodate them. Forbes magazine said Boise is number 4 of the ten best places to live. Apparently transportation in thier matrix. Air pollution caused by emmissions is a problem in this metro area . Not only because people depend on thier cars, but also because of the geography. Gettion folks out of thier SUV’s is a challenging need.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Live approx. 15 miles from work - walk to Metro (30 min. ride) & then to office downtown - total 45-50 min. Greatest commute of my career!
Don’t do much driving during week for errands, but end up running errands jointly with husband on weekend/nights. Because it is convenient, we do tend to use Metro in several cases to visit family, go to restaurants/movies. Not for shopping - as we generally need/use the car.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
I work about 30 miles from where I live. In my field, jobs are hard to find, and this one was the closest. I have made the commute for 5 years, though I would like to live closer to work, I need to be near my family for daycare. Sometimes I work crazy hours, I need someone nearby to pickup and drop my son off at day care and watch him when I’m away.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:55 pm
I live 37 miles from work but ride a vanpool that originates 1.5 miles from my home.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I live about 16 miles from work, driving in each day. Bus transportation is available, but my work schedule varies which makes a rigid transportation timeline often impractical. I’ve looked at car pooling, but had the same schedule issues. I am looking at riding a bike part way into work, parking about 8 miles out. The topography the outside 8 miles is too much up and down hills and traffic issues.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Work about 30 miles away from our house (takes an hour to get there however). Husband has the short commute (4 miles).
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:05 pm
10 miles of rolling hills. Time needed to bicycle is roughly the same as driving an automobile (30 minutes), as long as the time to cool down, shower, and change aren’t included.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I live 9-12 miles from work (depending on the route I take in the morning). I live in the country, my job is in the city. I live in the country because I hate city living. I would love to take a train or bus to work (the weather makes it impossible to rely on a bike for most of the year), but not being in a major metropolitan area, and being a “forgetten” part of the state, we do not receive funding for good public transportation. I could take the bus, but the schedule does not afford the flexibility I need. Rails could be used here, but again, incentives are needed for rail companies to invest and maintain the lines.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I live about 30min drive from work because that’s where the house I am able to afford is. Too far to bike in good weather, and in Chicago winters, forget it. Play ranges from 5min drive to 15min drive, but is with my child and all on busy highways without bike paths. I am not willing to have either myself or my 11 year old riding his bike on the narrow shoulder of a busy state route.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I live 0.8 of a mile from work and walk or bike along the Truckee River to get there. Anticipating the increase in fuel and energy cost, I downsized over a year ago from a 2300 square foot house to a very affordable new 600 square foot condo (for the location) with no regrets. A large park, flyfishing and rafting are just across the street!!!
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I live 47 miles from work. My husband and I moved to VA for his new job. I transferred with my job. So we tried to find somewhere to live in between our two jobs. I ride a commuter van every day that my job pays for. I wish I worked closer to home, but it works.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I live 24 miles from work. I would love to bike to work (in fact bought a bike to do so), but there are no safe routes or bike paths. I do carpool almost daily.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I work from home, and play in town because I live in such a nice city with lots of outdoor activities.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I live 2 miles from work.
I don’t typically ride a bike because of the traffic laws in my area (and the motorists seem to target people on bikes).
I use around 1/2 a tank of gas every 3 weeks from driving. I only use my vehicle to drive to work. For any other driving we use my wife’s car.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Work 13 miles away, but go to church 30 miles away. Play 8 miles away.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I live 80 miles (both ways) from work because it was the only work I could find two years ago. In this job and housing market, the costs of relocating exceed the cost of travel - so far. I am looking for a closer job since there is no good public transportation system close by and I work 50-75% of my time traveling in car.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I have worked out of my home office for nearly 12 years, and so have had much time to contemplate my environmental footprint. Previously, I commuted 40 miles roundtrip to work and always by public transportation. Essentially then, my transportation was environmentally neutral, as it is today. But running a home office requires energy that in sum exceeds what I was personally responsible for consuming in a large Manhattan office building, particularly in terms of heating and air conditioning. Over time, I’ve switched to Energy Star equipment and compact fluorescent light bulbs so the home impact has gone down. But looking at all the factors, I believe my footprint was smaller when I was commuting.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:29 pm
I live about 11 miles from work, mainly because I had a horrible real estate agent when I moved to Cedar Rapids - not really her fault, though, she just didn’t have much experience and didn’t know the area as well as she should have. I’d like to move closer to work, but it’s a tough sell on the family and we like our house. So there ya go!
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I work 10 miles from home which I drive. I do not bike to work I have three children that need picked up from day care on my way home. As far as play, ususlly we travel into town 10 miles for time spent at the river greenway and Oabache state park. We like to camp and will often travel to the different state parks in Ohio and Indiana to do so.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I live 5 miles from work but the local transportation system is not really reliable and it is too far away to bike there because I live in a rural area with hills and highways nearby. So what takes me 15 minutes in car, would take me an hour and half by bike or 40 to 50 minutes if using public transportation (including waitng time for the bus to arrive and walk to my job place). I also live very far from the nearest bus stop.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I live about 30 minutes from work & also 30 minutes from my child’s school. It is a small, rural place that I love and the school is great and exceeds my expectations. I do not like suburbs. If I lived in the city, I’d likely have to pay for school as the public ones are not adequate or safe. So, I made this choice that forces me to drive.
I am trying to rethink this, but for the next few years, I do not see any alternative at the present time.
I did get a new car, Honda Civic 2005. It helps and gets about 8 miles more than the 91 Accord.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I live 2 miles from work and most of the areas where I play are less than 5 miles away. When I was ready to buy a house, I specifically looked within a 3 miles radius of work and downsized to 900 sq ft. Unfortunately the city where I live is not bike friendly so I have to rely on my car, scooter, or the bus. I only fill up my car once or twice a month.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I live 1.4 miles from work. Because of my age of 70, I drive to work. We bought this home about 15 years ago, and we looked for housing close to both our jobs. This house was the best location for both my wife and I. Previously, I had commuted about 50 miles to work one way, and I was very tired of “losing” the time involved in the two-way drive. Today, I’m glad to use much less fuel.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I used to bike to work for years, up to 12 miles one way but had to take a job 45 miles from home. We were thinking of moving closer to where I work but the housing prices where I live have dropped to much so I can’t afford to sell at this time. In addition my wife travels for work and where we live is more centrally located for her work. I also live in a northern climate so you could only bike part of the year but what better way to get your exercise in time wise. I wish I could, if I were within 20 miles I would.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I live about 20 miles from work. I sometimes play near work during lunch, but mostly close to home. I would like to live closer to work, but housing close to downtown has such a premium attached, it’s priced me out of the market.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I live in a rural area 27 miles from work. My home is 9 miles from the nearest town and “formal recreation activities.” My recreation consists of mowing five acres of grass and all the chores associated with owning a home and pets. No bike paths around here; only deer trails. Wouldn’t want it any other way.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I live 22 miles one way,from work, not my idea. It was only 15 miles but when we consolidated, new building, new location. My play is only 8 miles and I can hit it on the way home.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:57 pm
When I bought a home, I moved @10 miles from work. With traffic it’s a 15 minute drive. When it came right down to buying a house, it really was location, location, location. After years of carpooling for an hour each way, I didn’t want spend the extra time in a car.
My husband changed jobs and now commutes 35 miles one way. We are planning for a Prius for our next car.
Play? That’s mostly in a 15 minute radius. I grew up in the country and the nearest grocery store was 30 minutes away. I never want to have to drive 30 minutes to get groceries or see a movie.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I live 20 miles from where I work, 5 miles from the bus stop and reside in the community where I grew up and am raising my family. This is where I have choosen to raise my family. My next jop may be next door or 50 miles from my residence. It is more important for me to maintain family stability than to make my commute shorter. I shop and play locally and use mass transit 90 % of the time to get to work. The other 10% is when I have night meetings or afterwork appointments and transit is not a viable option.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I live 68 miles from work. I just had to buy a Ford Expedition to accommodate my large family, I let my wife drive it to work she only has to drive 17 miles to work. Thats a relief.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
42 miles from work (1 hour in the morning, 1 hour 15 minutes in the afternoon, typical). I drive because the fastest public transport to work takes 2 an 1/2 hours one way, if the connections are good. Also, we split the commute when we bought our house, my wife worked in New York City and took the train in, timewise we had about the same commute. Now she works from home. Why stay? We are commited to our school system, if we could find an equivalent one, closer to my work, that we could afford we’d move.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I live 6 miles from work and ride my bicycle usually 4 days a week, as the weather allows. We have decent trails, but I wish gov’t would invest more in bicycle infrastructure. I moved into the city limits specifically so I didn’t have to drive to get anywhere. Goverments should spend a little less money building roads and bridges to the far suburbs - why encourage sprawl while urban cores decay?
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I live about four miles from the office, but the house is 8 blocks from my wife’s office so she is the lucky one! I think it is important to live in a place where you can easily reach work (and play) without having to drive. Of course this is easier in a larger city, we have more options to lower our carbon footprint such as public transportation, but too often we as Americans allow excuses to get in the way of making the right environmental choices. Hopefully living this close cancels out some excuses…
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
I live about 50 miles from work. I bought my house when I was at a different employer and was only about 8 or 9 miles from work. But when I changed jobs, the housing market had already taken a significant downturn. So I’m waiting before I relocate.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I live 8 short miles from the office. No bikes for me - traffic is too scary.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I live 8 miles from work, but cant bike because there are no bike paths on the Highway and its to dangerous to bike the back roads.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:16 pm
As a freelance journalist, I work from home. I always thought this was a good deal but with the high gas prices, it’s even better.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Nearly 28 years ago, when I got my job in Downtown Cincinnati, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a home (in N. KY) about 7 miles away. Sure it cost more, but I had better schools, and it was on the bus route. I’ve ridded the bus (TANK) to and from work ever since. It is FASTER than driving, and WAY cheaper (fuel, insurance, parking, tires, etc.) And, when we sit in traffic stopped, I’m not burning my fuel, and I can read or nap. Added benefit I walk about 0.6 miles each way to and from the bus each day. I’d be a LOT fatter than I am if I didn’t do these walks each day!! Gas is still to cheap, because my bus is not yet full….
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I live approx. 15 miles from work and I take public transit to and from work as much as possible. I would live closer but home prices (and parking prices) are much more expensive the closer you are to downtown. In addition, I really enjoy hearing the owls at night and watching the wild turkey in my backyard.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:35 pm
10 miles to school, 8 miles to play, 10 miles to most retail. Restrictions for bike travel might not be distance, but HEAT. We are in the Mohave Desert, tempuratures can reach up to 130 degrees in the summer. Bike travel is dangerous, as any other physical activity. Automobile or recreational vehicle travel (carts, quads, ect) in this region will always be necessary.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Blacksburg, VA: I live 3.5 miles from work and my back yard borders the National Forest where I play. My family really got lucky when my wife landed a professional job within walking distance of my own office. I don’t ride my bike because the road to work is narrow and winding and dangerous, but I do walk whenever I can… if I have time I can even take a Foest Service and local park trail about 2/3 of the way to work, but it adds 30 minutes or so to my walk. Oh yeah, and there are bears. Shuttling the kids to their school/activities is the single item that keeps me from walking as often as I would like.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I live in SE AZ in a small city, so everything is close. My office is in my living room. Had a commercial space 4 minutes away, but the housing down turn and missing the dogs caused me to move me and my employees into my home. I run the dogs on the bike, but on windy days, the dog park is only 10 blocks away. The horses are 18 miles away, but that is the only facility that focuses on Eventing. I WAS having to drive 90 miles to Tucson or 180 to Phoenix for sustainability workshops/education. Got tired of that so I worked w/ a friend to start Green Mixers here. Now I have the speakers drive to us.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 2:41 pm
I live 25 miles from my office, because it’s more affordable, still, than living closer. Out where I live, we have a cistern and septic tank (no water or sewer bill) and the county has a different system than mandatory trash pickup (no garbage bill). I’m on the rural electric co-op, which is cheaper than Vectren, which serves the area where my office is, and I can grow food and have chickens for eggs. Also, I have managed to get a great deal on rent. I drive to work and back. This area is very rural, so there aren’t a lot of options for jobs close to the house.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 3:00 pm
I live 16 miles from where I work. I used to live 3 miles from work. Our new home location is a compromise point for my husband and I (married 11 months). He has to drive 25 miles south. I have to drive 16 miles north. And now the GAS is really making a negative impact on our budget. We MUST start using our own natural resources, in a caring way, in the US and quit being at the mercy of the Middle East.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I live approx. 30 miles from work. I worked at a different (closer) location when we bought the house and it hasn’t been cost-effective to relocate since I got the new job. My company pays for my mass transit pass, so I drive about 8 miles each way to the light rail station each day. I shop and play very close to my home - in fact, there are three grocery stores, a movie theater and a shopping center within 3 miles of home.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I live 33 miles from work. I carpool with another company employee when possible. This varies between 3 and 5 times per week.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 3:27 pm
24 miles. I use public transport to go to work. The small town where we live is close to everything, we can walk to grocery stores, ride our bikes, play tennis. My husband rides his bicycle to work 5 miles each way when the weather is nice, or takes the bus. One of us can be close to work, while the other is using public transport. I think it is a fine sustainable arrangement,. I can also have a back yard and a vegetable garden, without living in a McMansion on a huge property of land.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I drive 9 miles one way and my play areaa is anywhere in between and the surrounding National Forest
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June 2nd, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I live 45 miles from work. I chose to live in a small town so that my children could grow up in a small town atmosphere and because we couldn’t afford an equal house in the city. I have to drive that far to work because there are no jobs with livable wages at home — I can only find work in the City. The gas prices are really starting to hurt us because they are driving the cost of everything else up with them.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I live 7 miles from work. The commute time is the same whether I ride metro, bike, or drive (which I no longer do). I endure the high cost of living and cramped conditions in the District because I like easy access to all the cool stuff to do here (museums, monuments, parks, embassies, restaurants, free concerts, etc.) I would go insane with the long commutes around the beltway and beyond. The trade off for cost of living and sitting in traffic is a no brainer for me… and it’s better for the environment!
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June 2nd, 2008 at 4:10 pm
I commute 25 miles each way. Don’t like the area I work in due to crime and safety. Would take rail if they had it and a reasonable time frame. Wouldn’t it be nice if they could make light rail with cardio or workout facilities? beat two birds with one stone.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 4:26 pm
I live 15 miles from work and the closest play area is at least 30 miles away. For good Rock climbing in AR from LR is at 2.5 hours away in Newton county
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June 2nd, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I live ~5.5 miles one-way from my office, while my wife works in a surgery clinic ~4 miles in the opposite direction. At this point our home is conveniently located in-between, however, moving closer is not likely whereas housing options are limited to either the larger, and more expensive up-scale neighborhoods or older deteriorating homes to choose from. Unfortunately there are no options for public transportation, and the workplace is not equipped with showers and changing areas for those that might otherwise choose to ride bicycles.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I live 94 miles from my job. I’ve been with my company for 21 years. I used to live closer but chose to live on a farm away from the city. My play place is my home and land. My plan is to have retirement income from my farm. Lucky for me is my company is now moving towards ‘green certification’ and is considering telecommuting as one way of reducing our carbon footprint.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I live 21 miles away from work. There are no busses, trains in my area to service me for mass transit. I work crazy hours also and nobody lives close to me to car pool. Also the crazy hours are long ones.I live in the Greensboro NC area
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June 2nd, 2008 at 5:50 pm
I live 8 miles from work and I play where I live! Taking the bus to work is super easy– Biking, not so much.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 6:13 pm
I live 2 miles from work and most of my play is with in 10 miles. I use my car to go into Houston-30 miles occasionaly. I live here because they have awsome bike trails and everything from grocery, hospitals and entertainment are close.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I live 30 miles from work, but play where I live. I had to go this far to find a home in a rural setting that I could afford. Houses on large lots closer to town are much more expensive. Public transportation is not available from my location to work. Since I and my neighbors live in the mountains without any nearby services, most people do their errands and shopping after work, so don’t want to car or van pool. My agency allows me to telecommute one day per week.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I live 16 miles from work, but it takes me an hour to get to work each day. I drive to the Park and Ride, take the bus downtown (Portland), and then have to walk 15 minutes further. If I time it correctly, there’s a streetcar I can take. I’ve only managed that once in the month since I’ve started.
I live so far away because I’m living with my parents. As a student, and with the salary I make, it wouldn’t make any sense to live in downtown.
Ironically, it’s cheaper for me to pay fare each way 4x a week than buy a monthly bus pass. I’m not sure how the economics work out there.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Work is 14 miles from home, approximately a 25 minute drive, using the highways. I picked where to live, so that i could de-compress in the car for a few minutes, before i get home in the evening.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 8:02 pm
I live 31 miles from work. I bought my home when in a previous vocation at a different employer that was only 5 miles away. I prefer the location of my home in a small town and community and have ties there. I used to communte in a vehicle that got 15 mpg but in 2001 purchased a Toyota Prius, which I have commuted in for last few years. The cost of fuel is still relatively reasonalbe compared to housing relocation. As I am nearing retirement there is currently no economically feasible incentive to relocate now. My daily communte fuel costs are approximately $7 per day at $4 per gallon for 8 days every two weeks or ~$150 per month. Mass transit is available but adds about 2 hours per day to already 12 hour-days and does not take me within reasonable walking distance of bus stops. A plug-in hybrid would be a good thing but will be too late for me to take advantage of before retirement. I plan to look very hard at this option or another alternantive powered vehicle in retirement.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:27 pm
I live 4 miles from work and my child’s school is on the way. Since I can’t ride a bike and drop her off in the morning, I must drive. We play in our neighborhood and immediate surrounding area. I would not ride a bike to work anyway, because the roads here are just not bike friendly and the traffic is crazy!
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June 3rd, 2008 at 12:13 am
Just a mile.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 7:54 am
I work 45 miles away from where I live because I’m a single parent and travel for business on occasion and my child can stay with my parents and attend school with very little disruption to his life. There is no mass transit available.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 8:46 am
I live about 8 miles from work; used to be about 3 miles from work but my employer relocated to a downtown building, and we already had our house. There is not a convenient or close bus route to me, and it is unsafe to bike to work; it would be even less safe to move to a closer location to the office due to crime.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 8:49 am
Live 25 miles from work and live in a different state because I want my kids to go to a better school than the area my job is in.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 9:12 am
I live in Battery Park City in New York City, 1/2 mile from my office. My rent is split with two other roommates, so it isn’t very high. I save a lot by not paying for car insurance and gasoline (or even a car). The walk to and from work is relaxing.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 9:35 am
EN ESPAÑOL: Cuando mi esposo y yo compramos la casa que tenemos, escogimos el lugar basado en la proximidad a su trabajo (sólo cinco minutos en automóvil) y el vecindario. Tenemos acceso a una piscina para las nenas y muchos lugares verdes. Yo siempre he tenido que recorrer una distancia aproximada de 20 millas para llegar al trabajo. Aunque no puedo usar bicicleta, sí tengo acceso a buen transporte público que utilizo con regularidad.
IN ENGLISH: When my husband and I bought our current home, we chose the plase based on the close proximity to his workplace (only 5 minutes by car) and the neighborhood. We have access to the community pool for the kids and many green places. I’ve always had a 20 mile commute. Although I cannot bike to work, I have access to good public transportaion which I use regularly.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 9:38 am
I live 2 miles from work. When we bought our house, I wanted to be able to walk to work, so we really didn’t look beyond that 2-mile radius.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 9:42 am
I drive 7 miles to work. Husband walks down 13 stairs to go to work in his home office. I cross two US Highways on my way to work where semis think red lights are optional. I don’t really want to get killed by riding my bike to work.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 9:47 am
I live, work, and often play all in the same place. In the warm weather, I try to ride my bike to local meetings and phone in to distant meetings. I am trying to have environmental groups who run these meetings offer video conferencing so we can all see who is “attending” these meetings.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 9:56 am
I live about 1/2 mile from work. I wish I could say I planned it this way, but it just kind of happened. I work at Jackson State which is an urban college in a mostly no-so-desirable community which makes the rent cheap, which is good. I’ve had jobs in other locations that were not affordable. I’ve walked to work a quite a few times, but not as much as I probably should. I just bought a bike yesterday and I am excited about biking to work at least twice a week when the weather cools. It gets hot in Mississippi ya’ll, and my office doesn’t have showers.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 10:35 am
I live apprx 27 mi from work and a big portion of the drive is interstate. I actually did not plan on living this far from work, however I changed employers apprx 1 yr ago. I guess the better opportunity equates to less now than it was then because of the rise in transportation costs. I have considered moving but the housing market in Florida is very challenging right now.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 10:42 am
I live almost 7 miles from work. It was the closest house to downtown, where I work and sometimes play, that I could afford. I prefer to be close to downtown for the community and for a biking commute. I think it would have been smarter, for the lifestyle that I enjoy, to have rented downtown instead. The house isn’t working out like the good investment that would have made it feel worth the compromise of living further away. I think I go furthest away for play - to other towns, out camping, to visit other parts of town. Commuting to work is so regular that it is easier than with play to schedule with mass transit or plan my bike trip.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 10:45 am
I live approx. 55 miles from my EPA job. I would like to use other modes of transportation, but none exits, such as a bus system, rail system. etc. and the price of gas is killing me.
I would like to ask if EPA is considering mandating a 4 day work week to conserve energy, and gas? I know EPA has flex time and compressed time, however, outside of those flexible hours could a regular 4 day work week be feasible? Please ask this for your next question to get feel of all employees reactions. Thanks
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June 3rd, 2008 at 11:10 am
My 15 acre “farm” is between 11 and 13 miles from my EPA job, and about 15 miles from town. I bought as much land as I could afford about 35 years ago, because I love/need space, peace and quiet; I had 2 horses and found boarding them inconvenient and unsafe for them; and I knew that when gas hit $5-6 a gallon (as it has been in Germany since the 1960’s), I would need a santuary where I could relax without having to pay to escape/go anywhere. It is not a safe or healthy idea to bicycle to work, but I ride my motorcycle when weather and errands permit and I am considering buying a smart car.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 12:00 pm
We are looking for a spreadsheet to calculate how long it takes to reach break even if we purchase a higher mileage auto to replace the paid for lower mileage auto we have now. It owuld calculate when the actual savings trigger point would begin. Can the EPA design one for us?
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June 3rd, 2008 at 12:24 pm
I live 20 miles from work, and 12-15 miles from play. To live closer in to work would mean moving far away from my friends and family (and would mean living in Research Triangle Park, which I’m pretty sure has no soul and is designed so that nothing is walkable). I probably should live closer to the places I play, but the rent was cheap at my current house. Now that gas prices are rising, though, I find my transportation costs shooting up, and there is no bus service from my town (Hillsborough NC) into work.
In short, the places that I live, work and play are all designed around car travel. Towns are spread out throughout the Triangle area, making it difficult/time consuming to bike or walk to friends’ houses, and the public transportation system is spotty at best.
I would love to see a better public transportation system that addressed the actual transportation needs of people in my area.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I have no commute at all — I work from home. I did have to move 1500 miles to get this job, though.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
We are currently moving to a central suburb that will put us each within 10 minutes of work. (Right now each commute ~35 mins to get to work) … this will also put the babysitter, grandparents, and “play” within a couple of miles. Can’t wait to save the gas $$!
I think most people probably will choose to live further from work in order to provide better schooling and community for their children. Children come first!!
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June 3rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I live about 3 miles from work with a halfway decent bike path going most of the way. That is a six mile round trip which is great. Shopping and fun is mostly within a 2 mile radius which is a quick bike ride or a longish weekend walk. I try to get people to go with me walking on errands and get some social time in that way.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I live just over one mile from where I work, go to school and play. The only reasoon I haven’t taken a bike yet (which I have purchase with good intentions of using it) is because I don’t live in the best neighborhood. I can only bike in the day light and if it’s not raining outside.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I live about 20 miles from work. I live in a rural area and don’t want to live in the concrete jungle. It is about quality of life. It is great to wake up to bird singing and not police sirens blaring.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I live about 4.5 miles from work - this was the closest place where it would be affordable and safe for me to buy a house in the district.
I walk to metro and take the train in (about 45 minutes from door to desk) or I ride my bike (about 30-35 minutes).
Public transportation was a HUGE criteria in my home-buying decision.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I live 25 miles from work. Fortunately, my husband only works 1 mile away from where I work so we commute most days. This has helped quite a bit with the increase in the price of gas. I think that it saves us about $7.00 a day.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I live less than a mile from where I work and mostly where I play. But the downside is I live in a remote area and have to go over 40 miles to the nearest town of significance.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 4:40 pm
I live 9 miles from work if I take the streets or 7 miles from work if I take the freeway because I hate commuting for a long time. I also recreate in town most of the time but during the summer we all go to the beach which is about 40 miles from home. I also like that my son’s school is en route to work, and that his sport related activities are within a 5 mile radius. I would not trade this for any super job or super home further away. I used to live inland adn work on the coast but that took me 2 hours each way commuting and I hated it!
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June 3rd, 2008 at 4:50 pm
We live 24 miles from work, and 0 miles from play. Our homestead is our playground. We chose this house because of the acreage, outbuildings, and the condition of the home for the price. Best home of many we looked at for far higher prices–came with lots of land for produce gardens, fruit trees, berry bushes; outbuildings and pastures for livestock for milk and eggs; room for children and parents to play; good school district; low county tax rate. We left the city due to the rising crime in that neighborhood, homeowners associations, high city/county tax rate, too close of neighbors, iffy schools, etc. We only venture off of the homestead to go to work most of the time. We hardly go anywhere else, as we have plenty to keep ourselves entertained right here. We are more self-sufficient with the land we now have. We pay more for gas, but we spend less on food, and find that not being right next to stores all of the time, spend less on almost everything else, too.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I live about 15 miles from work, but only 5 miles from the train that takes me to work in downtown Atlanta. I recently got a small scooter (50 cc) that gets me to the train as quickly as driving my car. With the price of gas climbing steadily, I see more scooters and motorcycles on the road. I know it is not a viable alternative for everybody, but you might want to look into this option.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I live approx. 5 miles from my job and use a motorcycle (over 50 miles/gallon) most of the time. I also just moved a small business I am operating with my wife from Honolulu (approx. 30 miles roundtrip) to my house, eliminating the daily commute. Total fuel savings at now over $ 4.00/gallon are approx. $ 400 per month! The only comment I have as far as riding a motorcycle is concerned, is that car drivers should be more attentive and courteous to motorcycle riders.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I live 13 miles from work in Riverside, CA. My husband is 8.5 miles from his work. He bikes; I drive. My parents live nearby (about 1.5 miles) and help take care of the kids after school. There’s a park, theatre, daycare, and gym about a mile away. We bike or drive (mostly drive) to these locations. Good restaurants and day-to-day shopping are less than 4 miles away. We chose the location because of proximity to the parents, nice neighborhood, and reasonable distance from work. Work locations are not very nice neighborhoods. We used to range far and wide to play at the beach, shop, and visit relatives in San Diego; our world has gotten smaller with the price of gas though. Gas makes day-to-day trips seem sprawled out; but there’s few compact neighborhoods in the Inland Empire. (Forbes named the Riverside/San Bernardino area the 7th or so fattest metropolitan area in the US last year and among the most costly to drive around this year. Yeah IE! Go Lakers!).
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June 3rd, 2008 at 8:33 pm
I live 5 miles from my work place. But I decided last year to take the bus every day to work. I save gas, wear and tear on my car, and my employer pays for my bus card. I’m very lucky to be able to commute this way, I wish everyone could.
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June 4th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I live in Boston, work and play in Cambridge, also work in Newton and Duxbury. With the high prices of everything outside of gas, I need more than one job, and so happens that the available jobs in my field of work are spread that far and wide. I am lucky because I live with my family and am only required to pay several of the bills. If I moved closer to one workplace, it would be impossible for me to keep my car which would make me more financially unstable because I wouldn’t be able to commute to the other workplaces. Ah yes, I blame the economy for my inability to be better to the environment.
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June 4th, 2008 at 11:59 am
I live 45 minutes from work, bike is not possible. With the high price of gas, we are looking into carpooling as an alternative.
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June 4th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
I live about 10 miles from work and play. I recently moved out of the city, wish I could have stayed but bad environment and bad schools are bad for my son. High blood lead counts would make any mommy moved (sif he had the option). Never did find out where the lead was coming from- none in the home- must have been the soil he played in.
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June 4th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
And yes we do bike.
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June 4th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
750 miles per week. I work in one state and live in another. Keep an apartment thru the week and drive home on weekends. Apartment is still 68 miles round trip daily because no other living options are available closer to the facility. I am carpooling a couple of days a week with a coworker as our schedules allow.
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June 4th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I found my job first, then moved 1.5 bikable miles away. My husband is a mile from his job, as well, so we hardly use the car.
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June 4th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
I don’t live that far from where I work — my little town is about 5-1/2 miles from my work — and I would happily ride a bicycle if I could. The problem is S.R. 14. While it is a scenic highway for a reason and would be a delightful ride, it is exceedingly dangerous and there is no alternate route using back roads. S.R. 14 is a two-lane used heavily by trucks and there are places with no shoulder, blind curves, major drop-offs and hills with little sight distance.
I gave away my bicycle a couple of years ago, but would love to have it back. I will start looking for a three-speed English nanny’s bike with baskets on the back. I had one when I lived in Portland many years ago, and used it to go grocery shopping, to the library, etc. At least I could tootle around my neck of the woods while avoiding S.R. 14. I have thought about moving to the town where I work, but housing is more expensive there and my current neighborhood is quiet.
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June 5th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
It takes half hr drive each way (25miles) from Sugarland, TX to downtown workplace. Spent $40-50 on gas and probably contributed some pollution to Houston air. Living in suburb is because of better quality of life and a bit more affordable. Closer to work is either more expensive or cheaper but insecured neighborhood for children/ family life. Future needs: a leadership effort from governments, companies and private parties to solve issue: To have better public transit system, beautify inner city (lower crime rate, better schools), higher MPG/ greener vehicles, fewer work days per week,… In the meantime, slow down vehicle to run the engine more efficient and consolidate trips as much as I can.
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June 5th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I live about 2 miles from my office. I have bicycled in the past, but at age 67 and a bad knee (just had another steriod injection in the knee last week) so I have to drive 6 minutes. My home is my recreational area. My garden, watching the deer, the turkey chicks, the red tail hawks, and other wildlife is part of my recreation. I feel for families that have moved far from the cities where they can afford homes and better schools and now the cost of fuel is squeezing them. We pay for the many priviledges that we have.
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June 5th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I live about 5 miles from work, but its all interstate driving. Using the back roads would take me far to long to get to work by bike. I think most people don’t bike because it’s an inconvenience. We are all creatures of habit, if we have driven to work for 20 years, thats what we will continue to do. The concept of biking to get to our destination is a fairly new idea, and many people aren’t even concerned about the effects of global warming. I am concerned, and do make a conscious effort to minimize my waste. However, I am guilty of driving to work because it is convenient.
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June 8th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I live 3.2 miles from where I work, making a daily bicycle commute easy and far preferable, if done properly. Aside from the money I save on transportation, it’s the fastest way to get around. If anything, impatience motivates me enough for even sub-zero winter riding.
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June 8th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Five miles from work. Just changed jobs; used to commute 18 miles (one way). Play? No time…
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June 9th, 2008 at 7:57 am
I live less than 2 miles from work, but I live in a small town. I use to live between Milwaukee and Chicago. I had a 45 minute drive one way, and when we had kids it became to much.
We never even considered buying bikes since we live so close to where we work. It would also mean that we would have to walk our bikes up a steep hill, since we live in a river town. We may consider changing things, but we still have issues to deal with with the kids and daycare.
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June 9th, 2008 at 8:46 am
I work for the at Fort Hood Tx, It is only (2) miles from where I work, with the gas prices as high as they are I am better off than many that have a long distant to drive to and from work, If I had to I could walk to work. a bicycle would not be good for me with my bad knees.
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June 9th, 2008 at 8:51 am
I live in Webster, TX, 25 miles from where I work just west of dowtntown Houston. The reason I live there is because we originally moved there for my husband’s job (he’s got ~5 mile commute) and because the University of Houston-Clear Lake campus was there and when I first moved here, I was a graduate student. Then I got my job…first job was 40 miles away, my current one at 25 miles away. There don’t seem to be any companies in my field (environmental management/planning/analysis) that are any closer.
Distance from “play” depends on what it is…to go to Galveston or to the museum district is ~25 miles; other things like our park are within ~5 miles.
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June 9th, 2008 at 9:49 am
I live 3.5 miles from work. I wish I could ride a bike to work, but a number of factors prevent that. (1) My office has no facilities in which to shower. (2) I have children who need to be dropped off and picked up from their schools. (3) Biking in this area is rather hazardous- not many trails or marked routes. (4) As a single mom who gets to spend little time with her children, driving is a faster mode of transportation.
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June 9th, 2008 at 10:11 am
5 miles from downtown Charlotte. I was fortunate enough to purchase a home in my neighborhood before housing priced tripled. Otherwise, I would be forced to sprawl like the rest of ‘em. My friends have said they would like to live closer to center city, but housing prices are well above their means.
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June 9th, 2008 at 10:19 am
I live 8 miles from work because I hate commuting. The roads to work are shoulderless and winding, and drivers don’t ’share’ the road well. I do not ride a bike to work because I fear I’ll be struck by a hasty commuter!
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June 9th, 2008 at 10:30 am
When gasoline was 2.25 a gallon, I lived 1.2 miles from work. At 25 miles per gallon with an 18 gallon tank, it took 13 days or so to burn one gallon of gas, and about 200 days to use up a whole tank. What would have been the point of walking or cycling?
Now, in my new employment, I live 30 miles away and still drive it in my 25 miles per gallon vehicle. (I am considering an SUV that gets about 7 miles per gallon).
You want to know what’s green? Our legislators’ pocketbooks and bank accounts get greener and greener everytime gasoline goes up a penny. Want to know what’s green? Middle Eastern OPEC owners, China and Venezuela war chests party chests. Those get greener and greener too.
Start drilling in the U.S. and I will consider opening an ear to your “green” rhetoric.
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June 9th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I work from home sometimes. I do have to travel from place to place, however my typical commute is less than 10 miles a day. My wife and I chose to live in a smaller place to limit our driving. Many people in the Southern California area have chosen to buy a bigger house at a lower cost increasing their commute time. Obviously looking at today’s gas prices ($4.50+ per gallon) I think the time on the road plus the cost of fuel out weighs any savings in purchasing a home for a lower price out in the boonies.
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June 9th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
I drive alot for my job, but usually not more than 30 miles from home, and am reimbursed $.50/mile. Not too bad, but I’d rather not have to support the price-gouging oil cartel.
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June 10th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
I am self employed and drive 0ver 100 miles a day. No reimbursement. In rural Oklahoma, this is common, if one wishes not to be on the goverments hand out list.
Bicycle, any thoughts to rainey days, snow days, Ice storms, and thunder storms?? not good two wheeler times, plus, those 100 degree days would be rough in a suit.
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June 13th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
I live 30 miles away from work and I am up to $500+ per month on gas alone. Just gave up my place to move within a 10 mile radius.
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June 16th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
When we bought our house we couldn’t afford to buy inside the beltway but we do live near a metro station with parking so we usually take the metro to work - if we do drive to work it’s only 12 miles so not too terrible compared to some in this area.
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June 22nd, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I live 50 miles away from where I work. My wife works only 7 miles away. We love where we live. My job is not the most secure. I want to keep my options open.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 10:12 am
I live a 2 minute drive, a 20 minute walk away from work. I just moved there and have walked a few times when it is nice out. Right now it is blazing hot and I would be drenched by the time I got to work. Plus the traffic is a bit crazy when you are on foot or bike during the day hours. Since I play in the same area, I bike everywhere else.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 am
Many people would love to bike to work if they had safe bike lanes, showering facilities at work and a safe place to park their bikes. Everytime I hop on a bike I am aware of how unsafe I would be if I had to bike to most places. A truly livable society would build bike lanes that have a true separation between bikes and cars. Many “bike lanes” are simply a painted line on the side of the road - yep, that’s gonna prevent a distracted driver from mowing down a cyclist. I don’t follow the laws when I’m on a bike. I bike on the sidewalk if there aren’t pedestrians there. I’d much rather get a ticket than be on the losing end of a bike/car accident.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 7:25 pm
We are “green” architects and design builders. Our house is next door to our office in the 1st ENERGYSTAR 3 flat in Chicago which we built in our vacant lot. We typically take public transit downtown and are able to walk to many restaurants and stores. We ride one speed bikes around the city. We are very lucky!
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July 3rd, 2008 at 10:37 am
I live about 35 miles from work, and probably play in that same range. I hate to limit where I go for fun, but in these days of higher gas prices we are sticking a bit closer to home. We originally moved there since we could not afford to buy a house closer to where I work and it was half way between my husband’s job and mine. He has changed jobs so he is less than 10 miles away now though. I can’t really change where I am though. I have looked for greener options. Ihere’s a new bus route but it would take me 2-3 hours to go that distance one way.
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July 26th, 2008 at 9:12 am
I currently live 16 miles from work, but next week am moving 31 miles from work. Right now I live about 30 miles from play and when i move, i will be within walking distance of most things i would want to do. Friends and Family will live withing 6 miles.
To save some wear and tear on my car (it doesnt really save much gas money), when i move, i will drive 15 miles and take the bus the rest of the way to work about two weeks out of the month.
i wish the bus stop was a lot closer to my home and the times were easier to catch the connecting buses. My work is in Denton County and they are working on making the public transit system easier and more accessible i believe. I also hope my work switches to the 4-day work week flex plan to help save on gas money and wear and tear.
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July 29th, 2008 at 8:23 am
My wife and I live on Kent Island and I commute to DC every day. We love the laid back atmosphere of KI and the fact that there is water everywhere. It is a different world than DC and worth the hour commute each way.
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