I'm not sure what "participating in the culture of the city" means exactly. I live an hour and a bit outside of a major city. I don't go in all the time but I regularly will go in for dinner and a show, to meet people, etc.

Not that I would have wanted to do it long-term, but 60+ minute commutes are not exactly rare (and I once had one part-time), so that length of drive hardly rules out going into a city on a weeknight or weekend every 2 or 3 weeks.