Would you move to be closer to a highway?

[Nechums]

Just curious -- would you change communities just to be 20 minutes closer to a highway? (Assuming all other factors are equal)

[wellyes]

All other factors being equal? No way. Moving alone is not worth the hassle.

But we did move in order to be in a commuting-friendly town that cut 40 minutes off *both* our daily commutes and it was a GREAT decision. And DH always looks at quick highway access whenever we move (3 times now). We both grew up in the country - as in, 20+ minute drive to get a newspaper - and hated it. Commuting is a dreadful waste of time IMO.

[WatchingThemGrow]

long-term, yes, short-term, no. Depending on how long the situation would be 1-2years probably not worth the move. Longer than that, I would. We will only look at houses on one side of our town b/c of DH's commute to the next town. We would rather have him with us that extra 30 min/day than have him winding through to get to us.

[JTsMom]

It depends. If it was a commute issue, and would shorten that time by 20 minutes or more, absolutely. DH has had commutes that varied between 10 minutes and an hour and a half plus. We will never willingly live more than a half an hour from his job again.

[sunshine873]

long-term, yes, short-term, no.

:yeahthat: I love our neighborhood to death, and we're not going to be moving. But it takes me 25 minutes to get to the closest Wal-Mart & grocery store. 30 minutes to any restaurants. 40 minutes to Target.

I kind of liked it at first, but now it's a real hassle. Especially with DD. Since it's at least an hour drive (round trip) to get anywhere, I want to pile all my errands together. But trying to fit all of that around naps is nearly impossible. Ugh.

Next house we'll definitely be taking that into consideration.

[mecawa]

Yes, yes, yes!!!! Luckily I don't have to, we are 5 min. from the highway, although DH still has a 1 1/2 hour commute to work. We almost had to move out of state a few years back however, and that was a huge sticking point for us when choosing a community, we didn't want it to take 20 minutes just to get to a highway.

[egoldber]

In an urban area, absolutely. Proximity to highways was one of the most important factors in our housing choice. Our proximity to the highway makes a huge difference in my commute. My 35-40 minute commute could easily be a 60+ minute commute if we lived even 6 blocks further away from the freeway.

[jess_g]

No, but we did move when the kids were little (before they started school) to be closer to the inlaws and the train station. Both have been a huge plus to our life. My dh takes the train every day to work and I take it with my ds for docters appointments in the city. And my inlaws have been a big help to us with babysitting and school pickups. I think it depends on how the highway will help you. I think in this economy it also depends if you have a house to sell before you move. Many houses in our area are finaly selling after a long time on the market.

Jessica.

[kozachka]

You need to do a basic cost benefit analysis. Do you rent or own? How often do you use the highway? How much time would you save per month/year/time at your residence?

I would move if I were renting (and my lease was up) and I were to save substantial amount of time. I would be less likely to move if I owned and was not using the highway too often.