Are these homes worth 65-mile commute?

[alp227]

If you work in San Diego, you can drive home each day to a new house in a planned development for $350,000.

The modern homes are about 2,000 square feet, have four bedrooms, expansive kitchens, oversized closets, walk-in pantries and two-car garages.

So what’s the catch? A 65-mile, each-way commute, which takes you into Riverside County. That’s where state-of-the-art homes are being constructed with creature comforts like central air conditioning, granite countertops, and landscaping included.

“It’s the best feeling in the world to come home to a house like this,” said Jennifer Kelly, 33, a Mission Valley-based health insurance case worker who moved to a new home in Murrieta in June. “I know an hourlong drive seems like a lot, but for me, especially (after fielding health insurance) complaints, by the time I get home I have already let go of work.”

full: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/19/murrieta-temecula-realestate-commute-jobs-homes/all/

Photo of Kelly's home:

[TeeYiYi]

1. Um,...no. ..nt

TYY

[yeoman6987]

5. For 350K in California? That is cheap

You could lower the commute time, but will pay a lot more for the same house.

[TeeYiYi]

8. I wouldn't commute 130 miles...

...to live in one of those houses. The cost in gasoline and wear and tear to the vehicle, not to mention stress and time lost commuting, just wouldn't be worth it.

TYY

[aikoaiko]

20. You can egg a tax credit I think. Around 50 cents per mile.

Use audio books and npr and you can have a good life.

[Tansy_Gold]

93. Commuting costs are not tax deductible unless

You're self-employed.

[Liberal_in_LA]

84. very affordable for Ca

[Coventina]

2. Health insurance case worker? Ick. IOW: her job is to deny people coverage.

I wish we had a spitting smiley, cuz I'd spit on her.

[DesertFlower]

4. your remark had nothing to do with the thread.

it was about the house not what she did for a living.

[Coventina]

6. Sure it did, it referenced the final paragraph of the quoted article in the OP.

[DesertFlower]

12. just what she did for a living, but

you took it further. how do you know she rejects claims? i had UHC for years and never had a claim rejected, but you had to make her a look like a bad person just because of her job.

she said she handled complaints -- maybe she was nice to people whose claims were rejected and let them go through.

[Coventina]

23. Case workers with high approval rates get fired.

It's NOBODY'S job at a health insurance company to be nice to people and let their claims go through.

[trumad]

48. What do you do for a living?

I'm sure I could nitpick your profession.

[Coventina]

61. I'm a college professor.

I'm sure whatever you would have to say I've heard before.

[lunasun]

58. That is correct * Case workers with high approval rates get fired.

Maybe the long gas guzzling trip helps her drive away the guilt

[treestar]

69. It is a question of whether or not a thing is covered by a policy

There can be disagreements about that. But they can't deny a clearly valid, covered claim.

There are insurance bad faith laws in many states.

[Coventina]

70. It may be that under the ACA things are improving.

But I've seen insurance companies act in bad faith and get away with it far too many times to ever trust them.

I look forward to the day when single payer puts them all out of business.

[951-Riverside]

10. +1

Health insurance case workers literally decides who lives and who dies for the benefit of the corporation.

Meanwhile the people who get denied coverage by these case workers can barely pay their rent let alone insurance.

[Oktober]

54. What the hell is wrong with you?

Seriously, who says that?

[Coventina]

62. Someone who has had people in her life that were killed by insurance case workers.

That's who.

[Oktober]

75. It probably wasn't that woman..

... So relax.

Maybe you are just a Mctougherson from behind your keyboard.

[Coventina]

79. My position of contempt is not posturing. I think certain occupations are worthy of contempt.

Hers is one of them.

And, I assure you, I'm perfectly relaxed.

I'm just speaking my mind on a discussion board, as is the purpose of such things.

[Aerows]

134. Or people with relatives

that are familiar with insurance case workers that brag about how many cases they deny and live in McMansions while cheating their own insurance companies.

Don't even ask. I don't mess with that branch of the family.

[Coventina]

139. Oh man, that would be unpleasant in the extreme.

[DesertFlower]

3. very nice, but a drive that long.

[Ron Green]

7. Neither the house nor the drive

is sustainable.

[951-Riverside]

9. I don't get it...

They've already dumped their savings into one of these suburban McMansion prisons where every house looks the same, then they have to spend more money on landscaping, HOA fees, taxes, etc so why are they concerned about the price of the commute?

Why not save the money and stay and San Diego?

[michreject]

19. 2,000 square feet is a McMansion?

Not hardly.

[ileus]

21. it's not a prison either....it's home.

Where they want to be.

[RKP5637]

30. Agree! In fact, 2,000 square feet is pretty modest today. CA is damn expensive, and it

sounds like they are trying to make the best of it without sacrificing everything to be close to work. It is not even remotely a McMansion. In fact, just about any new house today has similar appointments. The house I had at one time is closer to major cities, further north, and it now lists for about $800,000 for 1,400 square feet, basically a track house from the 70's. Outrageous!

[jeff47]

92. Because a similar house in San Diego is >$500k. (nt)

[B2G]

95. DU can be so judgey sometimes

I've had 90 minute commutes within 20 miles at times due to congestion.

Why do you even care? Aren't we all about choice?

[kwassa]

106. Sometimes? This is what we do. An outrage!

[MADem]

11. If they had a train or bus...maybe. But not to spend two hours in a car each day.

You could do work and eat a little breakfast on the way to work, nap on the way home.

[rufus dog]

87. They get a one hour one way commute rarely

I would guess 90 minutes to two hours each way.

[MADem]

122. Too doggone far, IMO...! nt

[itsrobert]

132. Many use Vanpools

Each take a turn at driving. Sometimes the expense is subsidized by the county, feds, and employer to encourage ride sharing. People take naps, check their emails, respond to texts, watch movies/tv, etc along the way.

[MADem]

135. If you're driving in a comfortable vehicle one day out of five or so, it would not be as

horrible...at least you'd get a break from constantly being "the one" behind the wheel. It's still a long time to get there, and get home. A high speed train would be better; get ya there faster!

I will say, after doing "The Long Commute" in many assignments, I really liked the ones where I was a minute or fifteen away, particularly when I had jobs where I'd be required to be at work at a moment's notice, sometimes late at night.

[itsrobert]

136. I commute 60 miles each way

However, I do it 1 to 2 days a week, the rest of the week I Work At Home/Telecommute.

[MADem]

137. That's not so horrible--once a week, probably most people could handle.

The daily grind is what would stink.

[JI7]

13. if there isn't much traffic , maybe

[steve2470]

14. I did a similar commute for a year and...

when that year was over, I was DAMN glad to have a normal commute every day. if they can do it for five years, I'd be very surprised.

[HereSince1628]

18. What is a normal commute? Is it measured in distance, time, money?

Commute is sort of ambiguous, implying having to travel some unstated distance between home and work. But travel takes time and costs money.

At one point in my live I drove ~30 miles to work, a trip with 3 rural stop signs and 2 street lights. I never thought of it in terms of distance as much as I thought about it in terms of time which was about 40 minutes...round trip would probably would be near $7 to do today.

At another point in my life I took a metro bus about 4 1/2 miles. Including the 8 block walk to the bus stop the travel time (not bus waiting time) was about 40 minutes... I could have walked 3 blocks to catch a different bus route but would have had to do an additional transfer including one that involved standing and waiting at a shelterless/benchless bus stop...round trip probably would be about $6 to do today.

The other issue is why live away from work? I suppose it comes down to the attributes a person wants from "home". Some people, including my S.O. like city-things restaurants, live theater/music, specialty schools for kids etc. And really healthcare centers on urban settings so I get that some people need to be closer...

But I like being in pastoral settings... I like seeing birds other than English sparrows and pigeons. My favorite part of city existence is witnessing it as an orange glow low in the sky that says the city is below the horizon 'somewhere over there'.

[steve2470]

77. normal commute for me is under one hour to work

For others, it may be more than that, or less. I simply think 65 miles to work is excessive, but we're all different.

[michreject]

41. I did it for 20 years

It sucked at the end.

[steve2470]

78. that's really amazing you could do it for so long

Your vehicle must have had a huge amount of mileage on it and huge gas bills. After a year of a 3 hour round trip commute 5 days a week, I was ready to hang it up.

[michreject]

120. I couldn't lease that's for sure.

As my wife worked 2 miles from where we live, I rotated vehicles. 10 mpg in the winter sure sucked though.

[JustAnotherGen]

15. On I-287 nope

My commute is about 35 miles in NJ and it takes 45 minutes - I'm on the same roads as the bridge and tunnel folks. That would be at least an hour and a half here.

That said - we bought where we did instead of Princeton, Mendham, Basking Ridge (NJ) because we wanted a grand home but not a McMansion. That looks like 80% of the houses we looked at last year - except without plaster walls and ceilings. For what I bought - even being only a third of the way through renovations (100 year old house) - I'd rather put another 100K into this old grand house than live in shiny and new with that commute.

And again - with the dark freaking cabinets. At least it doesn't have those fugly black counter tops.

[baldguy]

16. There are people who work in NYC who have longer commutes.

They've been doing it for decades.

[customerserviceguy]

47. Absolutely

If you want to live in a decent neighborhood for an affordable rent/mortgage payment, you have to live quite a ways away from the best paying jobs in the major cities.

I had an hour-long commute from Shelton, WA to Tacoma, WA for years. No way I was giving up the country life to live in a crowded city. Some time with the radio really gives you a chance to unwind on the way home (I'd often catch an East Coast Mariners game in the summer) and you get a chance to catch up on the news in the morning.

Not everybody's cut out to be a city dweller.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

65. On the other hand, no way would I give up city life to have a long commute to the country

Different strokes for different folks.
As far as listening to the radio is concerned, I'm convinced that suburban guys listening to AM radio during their commutes (which may already be stressful) is one of the causes of the spread of extreme right-wing ideology.

[customerserviceguy]

123. Perhaps

I used to listen to NPR. But, it takes all kinds of people to make the world, and I don't criticise peoples' lifestyle choices just because they are not what I would choose for myself.

[RKP5637]

128. I used to travel cross-county and often all I could sometimes get in clear was

Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage and the like or RW religious stations. I know exactly what you mean. It was mind-numbing.

[phylny]

53. My commute to Manhattan, although on public transportation,

was 1.5 hours each way. My commute now is about 50 minutes each way. Of course, I get to live on a gorgeous lake where I want to live, so it's worth it to me.

[B Calm]

17. Sounds like they need high speed rail.

[haele]

68. They keep talking about an I-15 transit line, but for some reason never get it done.

They need to run a new mixed HSR/Light Rail/Trolley line, with a HSR between Riverside/Corona/Lake Elsinore/Temecula/Escondido (there's a partial abandoned right-of-way between Corona and Lake Elsinore that can be expanded down to Escondido) and run either trolley or light rail lines between the multitude of Riverside, Corona, Lake Elsinore and Temecula subdivisions, and from Escondido and San Diego, catching all those sub-divisions in between. It can hook into the Green Line down at Qualcomm Stadium. Figure Escondido to the Q will probably take another half-hour/forty minutes with a few connecting stops along the way at Carmel Valley, Poway, and Mira Mesa.

Consider it's at least a three hour commute during rush hour from San Diego to Murrieta (I know someone living near there who comes in twice a week and teleworks the rest of the time; he leaves home at 0430 just to be able to make it into work by 0630, any later and he doesn't get in until 0830). I'm pretty sure that a four stop HSR that can make that run in 40 minutes or so with another half hour to 45 minutes on the connecting transit lines would get a lot of usage from people who work in but can't afford to live in the cities along that corridor.

Haele

[ileus]

22. I used to be 8 miles from work, now I'm 24 miles...same drive time.

I get off work I hit the interstate and I'm gone.


Just buy a good economy car.


The only problem is during "emergencies" or "events" then the distance can seem like an eternity.

[davidpdx]

24. That is a long ass commute

It is about the same distance I commute here in Korea from my home to where I work. Monday morning is the worst. I actually applied at the campus closer to my home, but there were no openings and got offered a job at the other one. It takes me between 1 hour 10 minutes in the morning up to 1 hour and 30 minute. My commute home is not as bad as it is in the early afternoon averaging between 40-50 minutes. So I spend roughly 2 hours a day or 10 hours a week. Gas costs me $80 a week and road tolls cost me about $16.

I decided this weekend I'm going to start taking the inter-city bus on Mondays instead of driving due to the stress.

[geomon666]

25. That's a steal.

I'd do it in a heartbeat. Get an electric car and never look back.

[WinkyDink]

51. EXACTLY. For CA?!

[NightWatcher]

26. Used to work in Atlanta and live north of Gainesville

So, yeah, I guess that's a good deal.

[alarimer]

27. Suburban sprawl is to blame for all of our ills as a society.

Every place looks exactly like every other place. People have to live in thousands of square feet, with huge lots. Etc., etc.

Mass consumerism hell. And not sustainable at all. We are our own worst enemies. Ruining the planet so we can all own homes. We need sustainable development, not this bullshit.

Besides HOA's are evil. I'm not sure why anti-government wingnuts are so willing to pay someone to tell them what kind of grass they can plant.

[yeoman6987]

32. Well you have some good points

The only reason for suburban sprawl is that cities became to dangerous. I do live in a community with HOA. It is only 84 dollars a month, but I pay 2-years advance which is nice so I don't have to worry about it. I also have to go through a gate with security to get home which is nice too because it keeps the rift raft out of our community. Quality of life is a good thing for mind and body. It will keep you alive longer.

[lumberjack_jeff]

35. You do know that to the residents of the next gated community up the road, *you* are "the riff raff"

Sprawl has created isolation, segregation, social stratification and paranoia.

I don't understand the appeal. I've never gone anyplace and thought "I'd like to be considered exactly like these people".

[yeoman6987]

38. The people in those communities should consider me

Riff raff if I don't belong there. I do understand the isolation and other things, but to combat that we get together at least once a month for some sort of activity like a BBQ or softball game, ect.
The area you are 100 percent correct is that most communities look 100 percent the same. We have 5 sprawling gated communities along a 10 mile road and you better know which one you live in or you could go in the wrong one. Lol.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

67. The "danger" of cities is highly exaggerated

and having all the middle class people move out doesn't make them any safer.

Riding public transit a lot (especially during the ten years when I didn't have a car) has taught me that most people of any race or economic status are NOT dangerous.

Fortunately, many younger people are wising up and realizing that the vision of safety and country living offered by suburban developers is a huge con.

[Glassunion]

80. The "danger" of the projects that I grew up in were not exaggerated.

I worked hard my whole life to get out and I can say that I'll never go back to city life.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

82. Cities are not made up entirely of "projects"

I've lived in various neighborhoods in three cities, never in the projects, although I was once fairly close to one of the "projects" in New Haven, Connecticut.

However, we had a multiracial neighborhood watch and sidewalk patrol, so any attempted attacks on residents prompted people to come pouring out onto the street. It's amazing how many thugs are utter cowards when faced with every adult on the block running outside.

A bigger problem was new student residents calling the cops on the middle-class African-American kids who were (OMG!) walking down the street! (on their way to and from school).

[Glassunion]

125. Well good for you.

My co-worker's son lives in a "nicer" area of a nearby city while he goes to college.

He was stabbed 6 times in the chest and back. He handed over his cash, all $16. He was then beat and stabbed for the pleasure. This is not an isolated incident. This type of thing does not happen where I live now. Yeah we have our crime, but nothing like what is found in a city.

I'm sorry, but I can never live in a city again. I enjoy the countryside and the quality of life it affords. I am done living inches from my neighbor, done having to listen to traffic and sirens at all hours of the evening. It's just not for me. I'd be miserable living in a city.

I do enjoy cities, but for me they are a place to visit, not live.

[LawDeeDah]

97. Urban sprawl was the spawn of the oil companies in order to sell more gas.

And once people left the city, thereafter came the bigger problems of inner city due to less taxes and general attention.

[yeoman6987]

99. I am sure you are right. NOT!

[LawDeeDah]

100. Why would that be unbelievable?

[yeoman6987]

102. At the beginning it was to have a small piece of land with a house on it

The American dream. No energy company was involved. It was all about land.

[LawDeeDah]

103. I beg to differ. Oil companies and mall estates for big bucks.

It is also a reason why good public transport is so sorely lacking.

$$$$ over all.

[yeoman6987]

105. Hey you are allowed to believe anything you want

And if that makes you happy, I am not going to take it away from you. Just continue happy thoughts of horrible oil company and be happy.

[LawDeeDah]

108. Yes, I think (most) oil companies Are horrible and only think of profits.

And have done and will do anything to increase those profits.



With Only $93 Billion in Profits, the Big Five Oil Companies Demand to Keep Tax Breaks
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2014/02/10/83879/with-only-93-billion-in-profits-the-big-five-oil-companies-demand-to-keep-tax-breaks/

$7 billion-a-year subsidies. That's fuggin evil. And they'd kill your grandmother(s) for a few dollars more. Google up Nigeria for a good bracing.

[Glassunion]

76. So we should all live in cities?

Personally I cannot do that. Urban life does has its charm and a certain appeal. However personally, I enjoy living in the burbs. I enjoy a back yard, the quiet, being able to see stars at night.

[Travis_0004]

86. I would hate to live in the city

I live on 2 acres and would love to upgrade to about 10. My house is only about 1400 sq and last month I used about 150kwh of electricity so living away from the city can be green.

[RedCappedBandit]

129. Suburbia is unsustainable.

You're right.

But I don't expect your post to be well received. We all become upset when we're made cognizant of the fact that our very lifestyles are part of a grander problem.

If these suburbs were built with efficient mass-transit in mind, it may be a different story. But the very fact that people commute hours in each direction, burning fuel to transport one person at a time, highlights what is wrong with our culture.

[ohnoyoudidnt]

28. Perhaps.

If the job pays well enough that you can afford a $350K house. I thought a health insurance case worker would be able to do a good portion of their work from a home office, but whatever.

[teenagebambam]

29. When I lived in DC

my 6-mile commute around the beltway took upwards of 1 hour most mornings.

Now I drive 30 miles, taking about 45 minutes, with hardly any traffic. I'll take the latter any day.

[Orsino]

31. If there were rail, could be well worth it. n/t

[BlueCaliDem]

44. Yep. But without rail, nope. Not worth it - even with a Prius. eom

[hunter]

33. When my wife and I met we were Los Angeles commuters.

We left Los Angeles, and by some planning and good fortune we've avoided commuting since the mid 'eighties. We live in a smaller city. The big business here is agriculture.

I resent every second of my life I wasted in stop-and-go traffic on Los Angeles freeways. It was never a calm commute for me, surrounded by cranky, sleepy, aggressive, or distracted drivers. I couldn't just listen to my music and enjoy the ride.

Of course our kids and many of their friends were overjoyed to leave for colleges in the big city. Our youngest child is in Los Angeles.

Environmentally, automobile commuting is not sustainable. In the best case scenario suburbs will increase slightly in density and form their own small urban centers where people work, shop, and play. Automobiles will be less important and too expensive for most people anyways. In the worst case scenario these commuter suburbs will be abandoned, the water and power shut off, and the homes salvaged for copper and other materials in a very disorganized and dangerous manner.

[kentauros]

34. Work from home.

Eliminate any commute, even mass-transit.

Most office jobs can be worked from home, or, if you must work in an office environment, go to a satellite office five minutes from your house. You could ride a small commuter bus or bike there.

Please, notice that I said office work. Yes, I do understand you can't tele-commute hands-on work. The majority of office work is done on a computer, and you can always conference call or video-call for meetings. I've worked with people that have done that and no one questioned it.

[Louisiana1976]

109. My sister is employed by an insurance company and she works from home.

[kentauros]

111. That's great!

My work (drafting) is all done on a computer, yet I have never been offered a work from home opportunity. It seems only IT people get that "perk."

Most of the sentiment I've read against tele-work is from managers. Still stuck in the mindset of "If I can't see you in your cube working, then I can't trust you to be working anywhere else." Getting the actual work done and in a timely manner doesn't seem to be good enough...

[Pisces]

36. What do you care if she is willing to make the drive? California is very unaffordable, maybe your

thread should address why she can't find affordable housing near her job. I think most people would love to work within
biking distance of their jobs. We are fortunate to live close to the job now, but when we were younger we drove to
wherever the job was, and sometimes that was an hour away each way.

Worry about yourself and not what others have to do to make ends meet.

[PasadenaTrudy]

37. Look at the price

on homes in my part of SoCal, insane. This $350K sounds cheap!

https://www.redfin.com/CA/South-Pasadena/831-Orange-Grove-Pl-91030/home/7005589

[Tikki]

39. Apparently they are...someone just posted the top 10 Real Estate markets in the U.S. and....

Riverside CA market is in there.

Me personally...it's too far from the Ocean. But for a young couple starting out
it is a fully upgraded, large starter home and if they hold their value these owners
should profit enough when they sell to move nearer the Ocean.


Tikki

[Brickbat]

40. I've had hour-long commutes. It works for some people, not others.

As a young parent, I liked them because it was the only time I had to myself.

[librechik]

42. good lord! "Bargain" homes for $350,000?

I wish someone would start being serious about low income housing. This is s joke somebody is taking all the way to the bank.

[WinkyDink]

52. Location, location, etc.

[PasadenaTrudy]

81. Cheap for SoCal

Hard to find anything that isn't a piece of crap in a crap 'hood for under $500K here.

[YvonneCa]

116. True. Much of San Diego County is...

...very expensive.

[Liberal_in_LA]

88. that is a bargain in southern California

[treestar]

43. In California an hour drive is nothing.

They can spend an hour driving a much shorter distance nearer the city.

[SheilaT]

45. Personally, I have never been willing to commute

any distance. Maybe I'd do it if I could be riding the train and have that time essentially to myself, but to drive in big-city traffic? No thank you.

And while a 2,000 square foot home may be considered relatively modest, it's still quite large. And I guess I can tell I'm definitely on the poor end of the spectrum, because I've never spent as much as 200k on a home. Okay, so I've never lived in the very expensive places (well, we were in Boulder before that market took off) and so my sense of what I should pay is skewed. But my sense of what I can afford on my specific income isn't skewed, and there's no way I could afford whatever their mortgage cost is.

[Tikki]

46. The young couple shown can afford the home mortgage...and if no money difficulty...

befalls them they could make a handsome profit if they ever sell.

To me it is about location and it sounds like the 'builders' are betting on the Murietta area to
hold it's value. It's possible. Areas away from the Coast in Orange County have held their own
and built strong equity.

But Riverside has had some failures in the past and that is why I believe the 'builders' know
something about that area's expansion and feel it will be positive.

I bet there are areas of Boulder you would never buy into, even if there were signs of
possible profit in the long run.


Tikki

[SheilaT]

121. When I lived there, no.

I have no idea what it's like today, but we were there 1988-1990, and if there was a genuinely undesirable neighborhood I wasn't aware of it. Okay, so I might not have wanted to live too close to the CU campus, but that's an issue of college student behavior, not overall desirability.

Recently I went to Zillow and saw that the home we used to own most recently sold for a little more than six times the price we paid and sold it for. We were there such a short time we were lucky to break even. One reason home prices went up so much there was that a lot of people moved their from California and simply bid prices up.

[Warpy]

114. Commuting is one of the first things I look at

I didn't mind commuting all over the city when I lived in Boston and worked agency jobs, but that's because I could read or knit on the subway.

Here in NM I live in a lousy area with a very short commute to my last job. My lousy area is convenient to everything and has bus service a block away for when I get too old to drive. Most things are within walking distance, anyway.

The last place I ever wanted to live is in a trophy house in a bedroom community, meaning the area is deserted during the day and at night people stuff dinner into their mouths, watch TV for an hour, and fall comatose into bed. When there is a little free time on the weekends between phone calls from work, people who live there are slaves to house and yard work. Phooey.

[Dawson Leery]

49. 110 mile daily "commute" combined with gas guzzling SUV's.

This is why oil prices are so high.

[WinkyDink]

50. There's no way that kitchen is in a 2000 sq. ft. house. I have a larger house and smaller kitchen.

Unless there is no formal dining room or that's a tiny "family room" far left back.

[Tikki]

55. Not sure if this is their plan, but here is a Murietta plan in the same price range/sqft

same development and by the same builder.
?ptw=430&pth=500

I can't tell if every thing is all in the correct places based on your assessment but they sure seem happy in the photo.

Tikki

[TeeYiYi]

74. The OP says "four bedrooms"...

I'm only seeing three bedrooms in your layout; not that it matters. That picture in the OP looks like a self-made prison.

TYY

[Tikki]

83. Here's a photo of Murietta area, looks OK by me, but I prefer to live close to the Pacific Ocean..

Tikki
The plan I posted was for the home in the low $300,000 the add said.

[Liberal_in_LA]

90. it is oddly large for 2000k,

[gollygee]

98. They probably don't have separate dining room

or a family room at all. Lots of houses save space by having one large living/family room rather than two separate rooms.

[grahamhgreen]

56. 2 hrs/day = 10 hrs/week = 40 hrs/month = 1 week/extra 'work' per month =

12 weeks of unpaid work per year.... Effectively 3 months of work that your not getting paid for, so, in a sense, your cutting your pay by 25%, + $4,800/year in gas.

[indie9197]

57. You can't buy a nice condo in Escondido or Temecula for that money?

Idk anymore. Moved away from Oceanside many years ago but I sure as hell wouldnt live in Riverside county and work in Mission Valley.

[YvonneCa]

117. Temecula is in Riverside County..

...

[Generic Brad]

59. I can walk to work

It affords me an extra two hours a day to enjoy my life. If I had to spend it driving, I would not be fully satisfied. To each his own, but that would definitely not be for me.

[Cleita]

60. A 65 mile commute is not unusual in Southern California

but to leave a coastal residence to move inland to a county that is insufferably hot in the summer and cold in the winter is not worth it. remember you do have to spend your time off and weekends there.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

63. No, one thing I learned living in Japan is that your happiness

is independent of the size or luxuriousness of your dwelling as long as you have the basics covered.

Commuting 130 miles a day by car would make me far more miserable than having a McMansion would make me happy.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

64. depends on personal priorities.

[PDJane]

66. Not unless there's a commuter train and/or I can e-commute most days.

If I have to drive it? Not a chance. Too much in the way of resources for too little gain.

I would, frankly, rather have an 800 square foot apartment, well laid out, where driving isn't an issue....I can walk or bike everywhere or take transit ..than spend time and money on granite countertops, gas stoves, heating and cooling, landscaping (no vegetable gardens, no clotheslines), and gas for a commute. I don't think we have the resources to waste on this kind of living.

[drray23]

71. already what we do.

We have land and a nice victorian farmhouse we renovated. 50 miles commute to work for me, 20 for my wife.
Given that we pay half of what a similar house would cost, have no hoa fees, no annoying neighbours to deal with and low real estate taxes its a no brainer.

My commute is all country roads with no traffic. Some of my friends living in the hampton roads area take that long to go over the tunnels and such in traffic.

My car does 35 mpg . Even with car costs i am way ahead.

[Liberal_in_LA]

91. sounds lovely

[Glassunion]

72. I currently commute an hour each way.

I'd agree with the comment in the article. By the time I get home, that "me" time is perfect to wash the day away.

[ScreamingMeemie]

73. I grew up with a father who commuted that far. Here in Houston, most people live at LEAST

30 miles from jobs in downtown Houston. The fact that this is a question shows that we have become kind of a nation of impatients.

[kentauros]

112. And, Houston has multiple "downtowns."

There's the main one with the skyline, there's the Galleria, Texas Medical Center, the Katy area, NASA in the south-east, and all of the petro-chem plants on the east side. All are major office and labor centers, and so, why the freeways keep getting bigger and more tollways built.

And then you have those that insist on living in the "exurbs" so that they have have a sense of living in the country while they travel 120 miles one-way (yes, I've met engineers and managers that do that!) That distance was probably more, though. Because all they said was that they drove two-hours each way, usually at no less than 80 mph when the traffic permitted, such as well outside of the city limits.

[Liberal_in_LA]

85. it's not the distance, it's the drive time. I drivevan hour to work -15 miles

If the San Diego to riverside drive is an hour. That's acceptable to most in Los Angeles

[B2G]

96. This. nt

[YvonneCa]

118. FWIW, the drive time is an hour when there is...

...no traffic (think weekends). On rainy mornings or afternoon rush hours it can take 2 to 3 hours.

[Shrike47]

89. For 6 + years, I commuted about 65 miles. It was miserable, especially in the winter in the dark.

The job paid well and I liked it but the commute really ground me down.

[MadrasT]

94. Sure why not. It is fine for some people.

I have been commuting an average of that far for 20 years. I work in the city. I like living in the country.

It works for me, and I have a home that pleases me at a price I could easily afford. I need cows and horses and frogs and stuff like that around my home. Also, I have yet to find a job nearly as suitable for me as the one I have now. No desire to change employers.

Other people who hate commuting might not be up for it, but to each his own.

[tularetom]

101. Before I retired, I had a 30 mile commute

The 5 miles nearest my work was in town the rest through farmland and gently rolling hillside pastures. The drive was mostly over lightly traveled county roads, very relaxing. I could plan my day on the way to work and decompress on the drive home. Took me 35-40 minutes door to door and some days I hardly passed any cars once I got out of town. Of course I went through cars pretty fast, but at least gas was way cheap in those days.

But 65 mile commute on SoCal freeways? Forget it.

[tritsofme]

104. Hour long commutes are certainly not out of the norm in Chicagoland.

[hobbit709]

107. A lot of places you can't afford to live where you work.

[gwheezie]

110. My commute is about an hour each way

I have a 15 acre hobby farm and work in the city. I work 32 hours a week but do 2 16 hour shifts and crash at a co workers house to sleep. So I make the round trip once a week.

[Liberal_in_LA]

131. once a week, not bad

[roody]

113. If you like spending your life in a car.

[demosincebirth]

115. I know some who comute more than that, from the central valley to the Bay Area. No big deal here

around the booming bay.

[AZ Progressive]

119. BTW, a frame of reference for 65 miles:

A bit of a shorter distance from Sacramento to San Francisco

Twice the distance from Chicago to Gary, IN

New York City to Bridgeport, CT or New York City to Trenton, NJ

Double the distance between Fort Worth, TX and Dallas, TX.

And in the Los Angeles area, more than double the distance between Los Angeles downtown and Long Beach.

[Silent3]

124. "...and the average car getting about 23 miles per gallon..."

That's just an aside comment in the OP article, but to me it's at least as shocking as San Diego housing prices.

I was disgusted when I went shopping for a hybrid a few months ago. I could clearly see, walking through the dealership parking lots, that what was really being pushed hardest were the rows and rows of 16-18 MPG trucks and SUVs.

It's bad enough that people have to waste so many hours every week commuting for affordable housing, when you add all that expense for gas, the terrible fuel efficiency of many of the vehicles being used, and all that CO₂, it's appalling.

I'm thrilled to not only have a hybrid now, but a plug-in hybrid. I've gone over nine weeks, and around 2100 miles, since my last fill up, and still have a bit more than a quarter tank left. That shouldn't be remarkable. We need that to be commonplace. Even with high New England electric rates, distance covered by electrical charging costs me only about 60% of buying gas, and given the mix of power sources around here, has a much lower carbon footprint.

[RedCappedBandit]

126. I'd want to blow my brains out if I had to drive that far.

An hour-ish commute on a train or bus is one thing. You can get work done, nap, listen to music, have a snack.. but driving? Hell no. Never.

[liberal N proud]

127. I guess you could enjoy it on the weekends

I know a lot of people who live in rural America who have driven 50 miles every day for years. My wife did when we were first married (30 years ago). She did it because the company she worked for was opening a location in 2 years where when were living.

2 hours a day sitting in the car.

[MohRokTah]

130. Southern California needs a reliable commuter train system. eom

[mb999]

138. America in general needs a new transportation and urban development policy

This type exurban sprawl featured in the original post is stupid. What are they going to do when gas goes up to $5 and the commute becomes too expensive? It's going to lead to another exurban housing market crash.

[dembotoz]

133. If you new job is 65 miles away you commute 65 miles

jobs in your home community just do not exist for some of us