West Michigan's Morning News
Super Commuters are Skyrocketing
(speaking in foreign language) - As you get ready to head out this morning, how long is your commute? There is a rise in supercomputers, not supercomputers. On the live line with us to discuss NBC News Radio, national correspondent, Rory O'Neill, good morning. - Morning, Steve. - So what is the definition of a supercomputer? - Yeah, that's anyone who spends at least 90 minutes each day, each way, traveling to and from work, supercomputing. - I did maybe 50 minutes each way when I lived in the sort of Flint area and drove to the kind of Saginaw area. And that was brutal. - Yep. - So are there places people are doing-- - They get to the great radio they get to listen to for 90 minutes. - Oh wow, you know, it was all worthwhile. My problem was it was so early that I was going to do morning radio. There were no morning shows, it was demoralizing. - Ah, all right, that'll put you to sleep then. - So is there a place where more of this is happening and why is it on the increase? - Well, right, so last year, the Census Bureau says the nation added 600,000 more of these supercomputers and not gonna surprise you that LA was one of the worst spots. The other is the New York metropolitan area. Keep in mind, New York, it's people who are driving, stuck in their car at these long periods of time in New York. It's mostly people who are on subways and trains getting into the city who spend about 90 minutes or more each way. So a bit of a different way that this is calculated. I'm looking at the folks in Michigan, we got Le Pierre, county has 4% of the population, considered supercomputers, Midland counties, about 5%, Montcom county, 4%. So there's a pretty good number of people out there with a pretty good drive ahead of them today. - Well, and it's one of those things, Roy, where people want maybe land or they wanna get away from, you know, the big city as far as where they live. So the sacrifice you have to make because that's where the jobs are, right? I look at West Michigan and I used to commute from Rockford all the way out to Muskegon back in the day and in the winter that was fun, but 45 minutes each way. But you look at it, we have Holland, right? Which is a hub for people, we have Muskegon and we have Grand Rapids and, you know, those are half hour 45 minute commutes if you're in one going to the other. - Well, the issue is it's what you want or what you have to do because now you have to look at these cities and because what we're seeing more and more in cities is that the only people who live in cities are either very poor or very rich and that middle group has again gotten squeezed out. Oftentimes they want to live in the suburbs. Maybe the schools are better there, there may be less crime, that may be something they want. But in many cases, if I could find a nice place downtown for me and the family, that would be awesome. I don't want you, but we're seeing a lack of that kind of housing in many of these places and now you have to have the infrastructure to support so many people living in suburbs coming into your city every day. - Interesting, Rory O'Neill, NBC News Radio, National Correspondent, thank you.