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My commute has varied from 15 to 35 minutes depending on where I lived and worked at the time. Ironically enough I've not always been in synch between the two (lived in Durham and worked in Raleigh, lived in Raleigh worked in Cary, lived in Cary worked in Durham). My new assignment allows working at home when I'm not traveling. Hard to beat no commuting ...
We live in North Raleigh and hubby works in Clayton. His office used to be in Cameron Village but moved a few years ago. He actually LIKES the 30 min. drive to and from his office. He is going against traffic so he isn't SITTING in traffic at all. He says the drive, with his radio turned up, relaxes him! It would drive me crazy!
I wouldn't call it spoiled. I'd call it smart. Choosing to live somewhere that allows you to have a short commute and nearby access to shopping means that you get to spend more time doing things, rather than spending so much time and burning so much gas shuttling back and forth.
Sorry, Clayton-RTP commuters (among others.) You don't get to call people who live closer to work than you SPOILED. I guarantee you could have found something in Raleigh or Cary or wherever that fit your price range. You chose to live out there, whether it was because you got an extra quarter acre of land or 600 extra square feet or you just had to have a brand-new house, or you just like living out in the country.
I think if people spent more time worrying about their own lives and not judging others they would be better off. Why would you care if your neighbor commutes 3 minutes or 300 miles to work? Why would people care if some like to live within 5 minutes of daily stops vs someone who prefers to live out in the country?
I have a 10 minute commute to work (North Durham), and its all on 2 roads. 5 miles away. Sometimes I wish it was only 5 minutes, hahaha. Spoiled, I know.
My commute has varied from 15 to 35 minutes depending on where I lived and worked at the time. Ironically enough I've not always been in synch between the two (lived in Durham and worked in Raleigh, lived in Raleigh worked in Cary, lived in Cary worked in Durham). My new assignment allows working at home when I'm not traveling. Hard to beat no commuting ...
Frank
Ain't that the damn truth. Anytime I moved to get closer to work, I got laid off or changed jobs only to have to make a 25-35 min commute accross town. Same thing went for friends and girlfriends. Always accross town.
In my experience people here commute on avg. 25-45 min from people I have known. Some less and some more. I've known people who commuted 1.5hrs to work in RTP/Raleigh, which never made any sense. I understand why people might consider it in NYC, but I never would.
(I think the RTP thing is stupidly set up without at least one more major HWY linking it)...not as bad now that the areas between have grown and finally widened I-40, but 10-15 years ago it just seemed idiotic. Pretty area yes, but ideal for commutes .NO. I-40 is still far from perfect, especially considering its the MAIN road in NC and we are the CAPITAL city.
Go to google maps and focus on the Cary area. What do you see, asphalt gray shingles of suburbia. That's why some people like the 30 minute commute, looking for what NC living is all about right. Does it exist?
With all the growth this area sees a 25 minute commute today will likely be longer 3-5 years from no w so why put yourself at the high end from the get go?
IMO it is pretty easy to find housing within a 25 minute commute of the major employment centers (unlike the northeast and CA). Unless you are looking for something in particular (lots of land / specific schools ect...) you have to go out of your way to give your self a "long" commute here.
I don't think people have warped sense of a long commute. They are just informed. I use to have a 3 hour round trip commute in NJ. That will never happen again. Now my commtue is 25 minutes each way, or 50 minutes round trip. It would be even shorter if I could afford to live closer to my job. I don't get people who willingly choose to spend more time in the car. You can talk all you want about "down time" and learning languages or listening to a books on tape while driving, but I'm not buying it. As somebody else wisely said, "Car time isn't quality time". I agree.
When people die I doubt their last thought is that they wished they had spent more time commuting to work. Life is too short to spend so much time behind the wheel, especially when you don't have to!
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