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My wife and I are looking for a place somewhere between Martinsburg, WV and DC so that she can commute to Philly daily. I live in Martinsburg, WV and we are trying find housing that would make it easier for both of us. Anybody with any sugestions? Make em good.
Do you have to live in Martinsburg, or, does she have to work in Philly? It's just a crazy commute, even if you halve it. Otherwise, maybe Baltimore, or somewhere outside? Maybe Frederick? Where in Philly does she work? If she's in the western suburbs, live towards the west (Frederick, York, etc.). If she's in Center City, I think the 95N traffic might be slightly better than the 476/76E traffic, but you should check on the Philly forum.
This was someone with a commute from Wilmington and Germantown MD, which is reduced when compared to your situation.
My general advice on 'split the difference' commutes is don't do it. It guarantees that BOTH of you will be exhausted from the commute when you get home and it adds tremendous stress to a relationship. Neither one will have the energy to make dinner. Neither will want to do the laundry, buy the groceries, etc. My general suggestion is one person live closer to their work (shorter commute) in exchange for taking care of the house, bills, groceries, etc. However....
in this case I'd strongly recommend against a commute type situation. The distances are so vast and the expense incurred would be significant. This may be better dealt with by a 4/3. Four nights in a cheap studio in Philly and 3 nights in WV.
You really need to factor the costs of this trip. Google maps says 197 miles from point to point ONE WAY and a time estimate of 3 hours 22 minutes. Double that and you have 394 miles a day and 6 hours 44 minutes in a car. Say you have a car getting 30 mpg and you are still buying 13 gallons of gasoline per day ($26 per day in gas at $2 a gallon, not counting wear and tear, etc). $26 = $130 a week in gasoline x 50 weeks work = $6,500. To generate $6,500 you have to earn about $10,000 in salary (then pay all the taxes, social security, etc).
In short, one of you could move to the other town, take a $10,000 pay cut, and still be financially ok.
I totally agree with PenguinSix. Also, it won't be 3 hours and 22 minutes each way, it'll typically be more (unless she drives late at night and never hits construction or an accident).
The Mary Transit Administration runs a MARC train from Martinsburg to Union Station and then you can take the Amtrak to Philadelphia. It's about 3 hours each way, but at least you wouldn't have to drive.
Maybe just on the other side of Baltimore?? Baltimore is about 2 hrs. from Philly and 1 hr. from DC. Maybe Havre de Grace area? Good luck - quite a commute any way you slice it!
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