Why do you guys torture yourselves with 20+ mile commutes? (Los Angeles: rent, living)

[Charles]

Originally Posted by woodsart

I've lived in Southern California most of my life and I've never had a commute under 1 hour one way, though I rarely have worked more than 4 days/week.

Basically, I've always chosen to take nice+affordable over close to work (though you always have to then add up rent+commute costs to see if there is a nice place closer to work). It's not about the size of home (I usually go for 700-1000 square feet and I'm married); It's about loving where I live.

I love my career and it isn't a job you can get just anywhere. And I love to be home and walk around my neighborhood rather than wanting to leave during all my days off. So to me, spending the vast majority of my life where I want to be - at a job I love or a home I love - makes up for the 8-10 hours per week I spend in my car.

Then again, I'm also not a very high-stress driver. I am relatively content to ignore the people cutting me off, the 5 mph traffic in rush hour, and so on... just listen to the news, blast some music and sing, or listen to podcasts. I'd want to spend some of my day doing this anyway, so I might as well do while going somewhere.

I will add the caveat that when I've done jobs I disliked, I also hated my commute. So... the long commute thing only works for me when I love my job and my home.

Yep, that sounds like me too. I'm in the van for an hour one way each day but I'm goofing off on the net, posting on city-data, paying bills - stuff I sort of have to do or like to do anyway.

[andrewesque]

Schools are a big deal, too.

I'm as new-urbanist, smart-development, TOD-crazy, walk-to-work, public-transit-geek, etc., as they get. But I'm also the son of parents who made a conscious decision to live farther from work (about an hour each way for one of them) in order to locate into a good public school district, and sometimes I wonder if I would be in a position to be well-educated enough to blather on about urbanism if my parents hadn't consciously traded commute for schools.

We also didn't live in a huge house (~1300 sqft for a family of four, so not tiny but certainly not a McMansion by any means).

[coldbliss]

How do Southern Californians handle the high gas prices? I mean, there was a time when gas was $1.00/gallon and everyone was driving fat-*ss SUVs with 10 miles to gallon HWY fuel burn. Those days are gone.

What would happen to SoCal region's economy if gas prices shoot past $5.00 or $6.00 a gallon? Would the highways empty out? Would more companies allow workers to telecommute? Instead of doing errands on a Saturday, would people shop for groceries, hardware supplies and clothing online?

I live in the northeast corridor (DC to Boston) of the country and the car culture of California is an alien lifestyle to me. I own a car but I have commuted by rail, subway or bus for as long as I remember. People on the East Coast are less tolerable of longer car commutes partly the highway systems are not wide enough to handle extra volume. We don't have enough highways, period.

If there is a gas price shock, California will get hammered severely. Definitely worse than the densely-populated, high public transit systems that exist in East Coast cities.

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by coldbliss

How do Southern Californians handle the high gas prices? I mean, there was a time when gas was $1.00/gallon and everyone was driving fat-*ss SUVs with 10 miles to gallon HWY fuel burn. Those days are gone.

What would happen to SoCal region's economy if gas prices shoot past $5.00 or $6.00 a gallon? Would the highways empty out? Would more companies allow workers to telecommute? Instead of doing errands on a Saturday, would people shop for groceries, hardware supplies and clothing online?

I live in the northeast corridor (DC to Boston) of the country and the car culture of California is an alien lifestyle to me. I own a car but I have commuted by rail, subway or bus for as long as I remember. People on the East Coast are less tolerable of longer car commutes partly the highway systems are not wide enough to handle extra volume. We don't have enough highways, period.

If there is a gas price shock, California will get hammered severely. Definitely worse than the densely-populated, high public transit systems that exist in East Coast cities.

i remember when gas was below $2 for, which was less than 10 years ago. Then, I remember when gas broke $3 for the first time and people were freaking out. Now we're hovering around $4 and people have adjusted. I know this because traffic is still terrible, even in a sluggish economy. It's a shock to think of gas at $5 or $6, but people have to get to work and will do what it takes. it's too bad that public transit isn't better here, but life goes on. anyways, if you looked at stats posted by others, the average commute here isn't even that bad. some people have crazy long commutes, but it isn't the norm. most people i know commute less than 45 minutes in their comfy, air conditioned cars where they can sing to themselves as loud as they want without bothering anyone else. a train may be more efficient, but it does lack the creature comforts that can only be had by commuting in a car.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

i remember when gas was below $2 for, which was less than 10 years ago. Then, I remember when gas broke $3 for the first time and people were freaking out. Now we're hovering around $4 and people have adjusted. I know this because traffic is still terrible, even in a sluggish economy. It's a shock to think of gas at $5 or $6, but people have to get to work and will do what it takes.

People just become a little more thoughtful about their discretionary driving when gas prices go up. There's less "Hey let's drive 40 miles for lunch because we've got nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon" and more combining of necessary trips. People can also cut back in other areas (like eating out) to cover the increase in commuting cost.

[msdmoney]

I'd prefer not spend so many hours per day in my car just so I can go home to a bigger home in a more affordable suburban area. My commute is fifteen minutes, I won't commute any more than that even if it means never owning a home.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by coldbliss

If there is a gas price shock, California will get hammered severely. Definitely worse than the densely-populated, high public transit systems that exist in East Coast cities.

Nah, we'll just jack up the prices of fresh fruits and vegetables and movies that you east coasters need so desperately in those long cold depressing winters.

[True Freedom]

I live 4 miles from my job in Pasadena and ride my bike through beautiful tree lined streets everyday.

Please don't hate me because I'm beautiful

[jtamay3]

These days, you can't be picky. You take the best opportunity and run with it, even if it means making sacrifices like have a long commute.

PS, the traffic situation in LA is overstated.

[nickdahammer]

6 miles to work. Not an accident, I made sure the home I bought was close to a planned Gold Line stop.