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Traffic is the #1 cause of unhappiness in the world. Move yourself close to work, even if you have to pay the premium. Do not put a price tag on your happiness.

• alex_c 14y ago
  Fully agree, and that is my philosophy as well. It's working great since I live on my own and can therefore choose exactly where I want to live, but that is often (usually?) not an option for families.
  • rayiner 14y ago
    It depends on where you live and what your priorities are. I grew up in an 1,150 square foot house in the DC suburbs. My parents had two kids. The house is now worth about $390k, according to Zillow. For that much money I can buy a 1,300 square foot condo in Lincoln Park, Chicago. No back yard, except for the 1,200 acre park next door with zoo, duck pond, flower conservatory, etc. Good public school within walking distance (how many dads can walk their kids to school every morning?) The central business district is a 10 minute walk + 12 minute subway ride from the school. I agree that not everyone has options like that, but I think people make it harder on themselves than they need to. A lot of people have kids and decide they couldn't possibly raise their kids anywhere except a far-out suburb with 1 acre for the dogs to run around in. They spend just as much money for a house as they would in the city, except they get 1,000 extra square feet they use to store a lot of junk. Then they complain about their commute and all the traffic. They do it because well their parents did it and oh cities are so dangerous, forgetting that teenage driving is a much bigger danger to a middle-class kid than city crime. There is a lot of inertia built-into peoples' choices in this matter, IMHO.
  • SoftwareMaven 14y ago
    There is no doubt it's a tradeoff with kids. You have to balance a good neighborhood, good schools, decent living arrangements, and having enough time to actually parent your children. All of these are why I won't work another job that doesn't let me work at home a reasonable (to me) amount. I don't want to have to move closer to work to make that balance work when it is so easy to move work closer or me.
• guard-of-terra 14y ago
  Most of people in "the world" do not even have a car.
  • SHIFTHAPPENZ 14y ago
    You are right, the poster seems to be (temporary) not aware of people who are really suffering. Traffic is the certainly not the #1 cause of unhappiness in the world, maybe I would vote for greed? Or hatred?
    • guard-of-terra 14y ago
      Hatred seems to be more universal.