I think twice about driving more than 15 or 20 minutes anywhere (if said destination is not work-related). I was showing property in the 29 North corridor this afternoon/evening to some clients from Northern Virginia. The husband drives 38 (maybe 48?) miles to work. From my perspective, this is insanity. Who knew that the Timberwood Grill was even there? There must be at least three or five new (in the past 6 months) restaurants there – and they all appear to be busy!
Our region is changing. This isn’t news. Driving 20 minutes to dinner may be becoming the norm, unless you happen to live within reasonable walking distance. The Downtown Mall is one such location. As a long-time resident, this change has happened both slowly and seemingly overnight. Growth has added much traffic but is also bringing in new restaurants and shops – we will finally have a good seafood restaurant! The next five years will certainly be interesting. I just have to keep in mind that everything is relative.
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Jim,
It’s worse than that – his commute is currently one of the best commutes he’s had since we moved into the area with it being (only) 40 minutes – mine is the 48 mile commute, which used to take 50 minutes and now takes up to 1 1/2 hours on a regular basis. Add in gas and tolls – and you see why we agreed to move with his company to C’ville. (Other than the commutes, our lives are wonderful here – but the commute times tipped the scale towards leaving). Now 20 minutes looks good – huh?
Chris
And that is why our region continues to be consistently ranked as one of the best places to live. As we grow, so do other areas. We just happen to be better off in many respects than our competitors.
–Jim