Miles aren't really the deal breaker - it's the time.

I had a 130 mile commute in the 90s in Arkansas that took me.. 130ish minutes. Now I have a 32 mile commute that takes around 2 hours and is 15 miles driving, BART for 35ish minutes, and walking for 20 minutes.

Frankly, if I can't get there in less than 1/2 an hour on my bicycle, I don't think I'm interested.

Try doing that in the midwest. Finding jobs gets hard and apartments are rare and low quality, so it's not uncommon to have to settle on a 20 minute (or much more) commute by car on the freeway. There are also no bike lanes. Commuting long distances isn't great, but moving more people into the city isn't always the best option either. We learned that in the 1900's

Moving more people into an _early 1900s_ city wasn't the best option, unless you wanted a non-farm job. And then the GI bill (given predominately to white veterans over black veterans) jumpstarted white flight and the beginnings of suburbia.

I guess one should move out of the midwest then, where moving people into cities works better?

I'm doing 86 miles (43 one way) a day if I don't go into town (then its and extra 13 one way). Housing shortages will do that to you.

My commute here takes less time than my 30 mile (15 one way) commute in the Twin Cities.

Maybe with the hyperloop even 150 miles will be "nearby" someday. See http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musks-hyper-loop-2012-9

Depends on the speed with which you can travel. During rush hour, even 1.5 miles is unbearable.

Just walk. Or take a bike.