A few years ago I accepted a job in downtown Chicago. To minimize my commute, and to buy me time to learn the city without having to make a big commitment upfront to a particular home or long-term lease, I got an apartment just a few blocks walking distance from my new job. I liked it enough that I stayed there for 3 years. About a year or so into it, my employer moved their offices to a new location that was closer to my apartment: literally across the street from my apartment building. Insane luck. It gave me so much more free time and reduced commute stress it was worth it. In my mid 20's I had a few jobs where my commute was 1-2 hours, one-way, twice daily, M-F. By my 30's, I vowed "never again". After leaving the Chicago job I reduced my daily required commute down even further: I do independent contracting and therefore can work in my home, or wherever my body+laptop happens to be at the time. Saves money, saves time, less pollution, less stress. No going back, baby.

That assumes a flexibility which isn't the case for many outside the young and single though. As soon as you introduce extra people and responsibilities into the equation you can't just up sticks and move because your job has changed.

Don’t harsh on my inability to sustain a relationship, man.

OT, but you should really make that "when the weather is too bad to walk (seldomly) I can just take the car to work".