Could High Fuel Costs Benefit District 1?

There is no doubt that high gas prices have a negative effect on the overall economy. While many people have suffered through the economic downturn of the last year and a half, high gas prices have added insult to injury.

Here in the Twin Cities, many people commute to work in the city from outlying suburbs 3o or more miles away, each way, from their employers. At $2.50 a gallon for a vehicle that gets 25 miles a gallon, that's about $1500 a year in gas costs. For a couple that commutes separately, that's about $3000 a year. The long commutes can also take away an hour or two of people's time from each and every work day. Time is money, too.

District 1 is only about 5 miles from downtown St. Paul, and less than 20 miles from downtown Minneapolis. While the last few decades have seen may people moving further out into the suburbs, perhaps the increased financial burden of high gas costs will give people cause to start looking back towards the residential neighborhoods they once left behind. City life may become more trendy again for the masses.

Overall, high gas prices hurt job creation, increase the cost of living, and generally irritate just about everyone. But for District 1, high gas prices might just be another reason to live here.

Submitted by resident (and D1 President) Greg Beaumont (Battle Creek)