What is your daily commute? (And what is ''too long''?)

[PilsnPinkysMom]

So... what is it?? Too long? Not that bad?

Why I ask:

DH & I are looking to purchase our first home. We know that, ultimately, we want to live in a Northern CO city. Right now we''re in Denver. We''re toying with purchasing a home in the before-mentioned northern city because a pharmacist position opened up near the northern city & DH would be able to make an easy transfer.

The problem? I will be in school in Denver from May 2010 until May 2011, four days a week. I''m looking at an hour commute each way, 2 hours total. Sometimes class goes until 9pm, so I won''t arrive home until 10:30. This will be tough, but is temporary.

Do you think an hour each way is too long? If traffic or weather are really gnarly, it could end up being 1.5 hours, each way. Granted, it''s only 4 days a week- so it could be worse, and will only last a year

Would you pass on the new job opp. to save yourself a commute and hope that once grad school is done there''s another opening (don''t know if we''d keep renting in Denver or cave and buy a home during this time), or would you deal with the commute and take the job/buy the house?

Another advantage of living up North is that a 20% down payment in Denver will stretch a lot further on a comparable house- ie: homes are less expensive! And resale isn''t as big of an issue, because it''s the city we WANT to be in.

TIA, insightful PSers!

 

[Rhea]

I commute 1.5 - 2 hours each way by public transport 5 days a week. Because of the way that trains line up it''s usually 1.5 hours in the morning and 2 hours on the way home, but if there are problems it can be much longer. I''ve been doing it for 3 years, 3 months with no end in site because our location is based on DH''s work right now. For me, "too far" is anything over an hour and I''d prefer 45 minutes or less with no changes. I have a friend who is a 15 minute bus ride or 30 minute walk and I''ve been known to stay at her flat to avoid my commute. I''d love to live there but it''s a very expensive area.

I''d do it. A year is temporary and if it''s a good job for your DH and it''s the right house then I see no reason not to. The year won''t exactly fly by it''s not that long.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

How long? One year? Sounds miserable, but knowing it''s temporary will provide light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[zoebartlett]

My commute right now is 40 minutes, and I wouldn''t want it to be longer (although I''ve commuted over an hour each way when I worked in a different field).

This is a tough one because I can see the pluses to both taking the job and passing on it. I guess in the end I''d recommend taking the new job opportunity and dealing with the commute because it would only be for a year (and it''s only 4 days). Knowing there will be an end to having such a long commute each day might make it more bearable. Just out of curiosity though, if you were to pass up the job opportunity, how quickly do you think another one would come along? If jobs in your field are easy to come by, I *might* reconsider and wait. Tough call.

 

[perry]

My current commute is about 20 minutes (from walking out the door to walking into the office).

My personal rule is that I have always tried to move to within 1/2 hour of my job. Now that I have a house I would consider a longer commute; but I''d not want to go beyond an hour.

Perry

 

[BeachRunner]

I''m also in Denver

, and my commute is 18 miles (around 20-25 minutes). I would not want my commute to be much longer.

But, it sounds like ultimately, you want to be north.

"And resale isn''t as big of an issue, because it''s the city we WANT to be in."

That''s a tough decision! I love the northern CO towns, and we''ve thought about moving up there one day as well. Ultimately, one year isn''t too long of a sacrifice for a great home in a community you want to live in.

 

[icekid]

An hour each way should be doable for a year, depending on your tolerance

My husband drives 140 miles roundtrip each day (probably 2.5 - 3 hours daily) because my schedule is far more demanding. He does not love it, to be sure, but he tolerates it

 

[Logan Sapphire]

Mine is an hour going to work and about 1.5 hours or more coming home, since I pick up my daughter from daycare. I live in a suburb of DC and use a combo of public transportation (bus and metro rail) and car.

 

[radiantquest]

My commute is 1hr. I will not travel any longer than that. There are no jobs in the little town I live in. Then fields and farms and the nearest place to get a job is 40 mins away. There are more jobs in Baltimore so I travel an hour to get there.

 

[Dreamer_D]

My daily commute is 2 minutes by car and 25 min if I walk. My husband's daily commute is 10 seconds... he works in our home

We do drive 10 minutes each way to get our son to daycare though

These short commutes were a TOP priority when we bought our home. I hate commuting and with a family, all it does is eat away at our time together. So we bought a home 1/2 a mile from my work.

I would be willing to commute no more than 20 minutes by car.

Do you plan to settle in the new city after your school is done? If yes, then buy a home and do the commute for a year (assuming you do not have kids yet). If not, then I would rent part way.

 

[Arkteia]

When I moved to WA I commuted 73 miles each way for my work. About 3 hours a day. I guess it made me sleepy and inattentive, because on top of it, I also got pregnant. So we started commuting together, me in the car and Peter in my belly. I remember he did not like bumpy road. Of course, we used HOV lane. And when I got pulled over by the police, I said, "Prove that there is only one of us in this car!" My belly was quite big at that time. They had to let me go without a ticket.
3 hours a day would be maximum for me. And I do not want to drive through the mountains.

 

[Cehrabehra]

This is such a personal opinion - so completely subjective, there''s no such thing as too long. I''ve known people who drive 2.5 hours each way every day or have a 2nd apartment for during the week while their family lives far away - heck in Ireland I knew a guy who commuted from Northern Ireland to Leixlip 4 days a week.

For MY family though we value time. In Oregon my husband''s commute was 5-10 minutes tops (2.25 miles), in Ireland we were about 9km from his work - 20 minutes tops. Here we are also about 20 minutes tops and 20 min is as much as I think driving one way in a car should be wasted. I understand the value of having a nice, comfortable, affordable home and sometimes that is worth the sacrifice for some people - but for our family the time spent together is a huge factor.

 

[Cehrabehra]

okay now that I''ve actually READ your post... (@@ at self) I would buy the house IF I could find an alternate way to travel like a subway or bus or something so that I could use my commute time to read or DO something other than just drive.

 

[AmberGretchen]

For a year, for four days a week, to live and have at least one stable job in the town where you know you want to be, yes, I''d do it.

For anything longer or more uncertain than that, my personal maximum is about 30 minutes each way, and I prefer less. My poor DH had a 1.5 hour each way commute the last 2 years we lived in San Francisco, and it was horrible - completely ate up his time and our time together, and is not something I''d ever ask him (or me) to do again.

My commute is *technically* like 5 hours right now, but that''s a bit different - I live in one city, but fly to another most weeks for my current work assignment. Once I''m there during the week, its only about a 2 minute walk from the hotel to the site where I''m working. But this is the nature of my industry, and I knew that going in - travel is just part of the deal.

 

[Pushin40]

9 miles
15-20 minutes depending on traffic

I have the best commute!

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Thanks for the input, everyone... I''ve gotta hand it to those of you who have experienced (or your spouses have experienced) a 1+ hour commute for an extended period of time. It sounds like torture to me, and I definitely rely on the "light at the end of the tunnel" aspect of our situation. It seems that long commutes definitely take a toll on family time (which we value) but the ''plus'' is that we don''t have children yet. It''s just the two of us.

I wish there was public transport... but alas... there is none. Currently I''m a 10 minute walk from a train that will take me directly to where I need to be downtown. I''ll miss that, big time.

to BeachRunner! I didn''t know you were from Denver! I''ve met two other Denver PSers and it''s always nice to know more- I''ll hafta let you know if I grab lunch or something with the other Denver ladies. There are a few of us- you, me, kittybean, sugarjo, dreamgirl, smurfy... and another one or two that are slipping my mind at the moment! Denver traffic is an absolute PAIN, isn''t it? I love, love using the Lightrail.

Considering we have not found an ideal first home in Northern CO (though I''m sure one exists), the transfer isn''t a for-sure thing. I feel uneasy about this, because we really have NO idea when another job will open up. Then again, when I graduate from school there''s a greater chance of me finding work in Central CO and not Northern CO... but we haven''t gotten to that point just yet. Anyone got a magic ball with which they can see the future?

crasru: LOL @ driving in the HOV lane. I can just see a cop putting his hand on your belly to feel the baby move and you saying, "See! There ARE two of us in here!"

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I travel an hour each way 5 days per week, I''ve gotten used to it and it''s now my alone time, lol.

 

[perry]

If you have not found an ideal home and the transfer is not a for sure thing.... Then rent. You will have a lot more options and won''t get stuck with a house in a location you no longer have a job. I know 2 people right now who own 2 houses.... as they though their old house would quickly sell when they changed jobs.

Perry

 

[BeachRunner]

Date: 2/8/2010 6:39:18 PM
Author: PilsnPinkysMom

to BeachRunner! I didn''t know you were from Denver! I''ve met two other Denver PSers and it''s always nice to know more- I''ll hafta let you know if I grab lunch or something with the other Denver ladies. There are a few of us- you, me, kittybean, sugarjo, dreamgirl, smurfy... and another one or two that are slipping my mind at the moment! Denver traffic is an absolute PAIN, isn''t it? I love, love using the Lightrail.

Hello! I recently moved to Denver (early November), so I''m a noob. I''m originally from the east coast. Yes, please let me know when there is a lunch date or Denver gtg; I''d love to meet some people out here!

Denver traffic is NOT fun at all

They are building the LR to where I work as we speak; I would LOVE to be able to utilize public transportation!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

DH''s first day at his new job is today and his commute is 1.5-2 hours each way by public transit.

If I get a better job, we may buy a car later this year b/c driving is 45 min to 1 hr each way.

mine is 30 minutes by subway.

We''d both prefer to keep our commutes under 30 minutes on public transit, and ideally in walking distance, but that''s not an option right now. He''s only going to be at this job for 2-4 years and then hopes to be in med school who knows where...

 

[tigian]

I started commuting 1 hour and 15 mins in the beginning of this year compared to a 5 min commute prior. I have to say, as soon as DH is done with school, my office will be moving where ever we are. Commutes are huge time eaters and I think are worth it only if there is going to be an end to it.

 

[stephinextremis]

I know I''m a bit late to the party, but wanted to reply, as I''m a northern Colorado PSer myself

My husband and I live in the northwest end of Loveland, so almost an hour''s drive away from central Denver. We both commute, and we both have AWD vehicles to make snow driving a little easier.

He has an office in downtown Denver, and also has to do work at several datacenters that are near the Centennial Airport, about ten miles south of Denver. He drives A LOT (but doesn''t seem to mind it much). He often times his drive to avoid the worst traffic, since he has flexible hours, and also uses the toll road. I''d say on a good day he can do to-from work in 45-55 minutes. On a bad traffic or bad snow day, that time can easily double or triple.

I, on the other hand, work in Longmont. It takes me 30 minutes to get from NW Loveland to central Longmont. If there''s snow or other weather, it''s usually more like 45-60 minutes.

FWIW, when I used to live in Longmont, before I met my husband, I could get to the northern Denver suburbs in less than 20 minutes, and to Denver in 30-35

Hope this helps!

Stephanie

 

[4ever]

I travled to and from uni via bus for three years and it was an hour each way, so two hours a day most days. In peak hour traffic it could easily be up to 1.5 hours each way. To be honest, it did suck quite alot. Sometimes I''d have to go in just to pick somthing up or drop off an assignment which means I''d travel for 2 hours total to be in uni for 10mins. Often I''d spend as much time traveling that day as in a class. It also made me that much more tired at the end of the day. When I was very busy I was very resentful of the comute because having two less hours a day to spend on my assignments was alot, especially because it took many of my friends at uni 10-15 mins to get there each day.

Was it worth it? Yes, because it''s over with now and I got my qualification. I''d do it again if I had to but wouldn''t like it.