>>>>>>If you have some of the highest housing costs in North America and the average income is that low (compared to the price of he houses) somebody must make money somewhere ?
>>>>>
>>>>>It doesn't make much sense. I think people are just in way way over their heads.
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>>>>I believe that your inflated housing costs are due to the influx of Hong Kong folks over the past several years. Most that left were not exactly poverty stricken, which is why they could afford to leave. With their move to British Columbia being a prime haven (I believe that Canada put out the welcome mat for the $$ but I don't really know), it's not surprising that housing skyrocketed.
>>>>
>>>>To respond to Michelle's vision of commuting....2 hrs one way in the Wash DC is area is done by many. Vans carrying commuters from PA even come to DC with 2 1/2 - 3 hr one way trips. In some of the neighboring counties to where I'm at and Fredericksburg, which are now bedroom communities of DC or Richmond VA, rush hour begins at 5 AM.
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>>>>Steve
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>>>My office is in Arlington, next to DC. I know of only one person here who lives as far out as King George. Most of them are 1 hour or so away in places like Prince William and Stafford counties, which is as far as you need to go to get the cheapest ex-urban housing. Further than that is by choice, inertia, or a spouse working in another city. My middle class colleagues aren't paid enough to have 4 bedrooms and a yard within a few miles (Arlington or Fairfax) and aren't interested in night life anyway. An experienced programmer in this market could afford to live anywhere, however. Fairfax has the highest median income of any county in the US - about $90,000. Some of those people are probably programmers.
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>>The sad thing is that a lot of people making these commutes are ones that could work from home some or all of the time. Think of all the gas that would be saved if more businesses would embrace telecommuting.
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>>Michelle
>
>Tell me about it. I commute 90 km ( approx 50-53 miles ) to work each way. For the last 2 years I've been working at home on Fridays and loving it. However, I was asking for Thursdays and Fridays or Fridays and Mondays but it took a lot of convincing of the powers that be to get just the Friday. They don't seem to understand that, except for meetings and such, their isn't anything I do in their office I can't do at home. In fact, I find I'm more productive at home because of the lack of distractions.


I think that's true for a lot of people. At the office, there's so much stuff going on that it's sometimes hard to concentrate. I've got a short commute and a small office, so I don't have a lot of reason to telecommute here. My interest in telecommuting is so I can get a better paying job in another city that I can't find around here.

Michelle