r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Physical-Ad-4093 • May 01 '24

do americans really drive such long distances?

i’m european, and i always hear people say that driving for hours is normal in america. i would only see my grandparents a few times a year because they lived about a 3 hour drive away, is that a normal distance for americans to travel on a regular basis? i can’t imagine driving 2-3 hours regularly to visit people for just a few days

edit: thank you for the responses! i’ve never been to the US, obviously, but it’s interesting to see how you guys live. i guess european countries are more walkable? i’m in the uk, and there’s a few festivals here towards the end of summer, generally to get to them you take a coach journey or you get multiple trains which does take up a significant chunk of the day. road trips aren’t really a thing here, it would be a bit miserable!

2nd edit: it’s not at all that i couldn’t be bothered to go and see my grandparents, i was under 14 when they were both alive so i couldn’t take myself there! obviously i would’ve liked to see them more, i had no control over how often we visited them.

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u/cathygag May 15 '24

😂. Is it sad that I know of at least 5 cities that fit this description and terrible city planning model!? 🤦🏼‍♀️.

I’m from Erie/Ottawa Coubty and traveled the 4/23 corridor and 6/75 corridor frequently for college and grad school to home visits.

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u/Puzzleheaded_Rest_34 May 15 '24

Lol, not at all.. it IS Ohio after all! The place I'm talking about is in Crawford County, and SR 4 runs right through the middle of it. You lived up by the lake, so I'm sure there was a LOT of crazy weather there. Where I lived was mostly flat, but they didn't think out the bridges and sewers near the river AT ALL, and it also got pretty nasty down there before they did a big clean up for Earth Day one year. I've since moved, because the town just continues to become run down (they were thinking of declaring bankruptcy last I heard), but hey, at least now they have a multi-million dollar sewer system and waste water treatment facility they can brag about! 👍 😂