Most people here in the South drive approximately 50+ miles one way to get to their job. Simply because a lot of live in small towns where decent jobs aren't plentiful. We also drive up and down mountains every day. I go down one and up another on my way to work, same goes for driving home. The rise in gas prices aren't effecting the way people in the city that either bike or walk to work the same as it does for us. My assumption is the average home makes ~$35K/year here, plus drive around 550 miles just going to work and home every week.  With gas prices they are expecting to rise to $5/gal most of us are looking at spending ~$150/weekly on gas. That's ~25% of our pre-tax paychecks. Enough about the gas prices, the drive to work is gorgeous. I drive off the mountain to see a beautiful sun rise, then drive beside the TN River which is also beautiful. There's rarely traffic on the commute.