Don't be a presumptuous shit. I live 40 miles from work because:
1) I couldn't unload my house even if tried to give it away (no jobs, depressed job market)
2) If I moved closer to work, I'd be compelled to send my kids to private schools because the public system is crap (big bucks).
3) The difference in taxes between my rural home an a more urban/suburban house nearly pays for my annual increase in gas (my car gets 37+mpg).
4) I have a side business that requires more acreage than the typical urban slice of hell (additional income).
5) Moving closer to work would mean higher population density, which means an increased risk of living next to a hipster shit like you.
Telecommuting, while being discussed, isn't necessarily a viable solution for my situation (Even in the "sticks", I have a slow DSL connection).
Personally, I enjoy urban living and would gladly live closer to work as an individual. But, in the near term, I'm making personal (and negligible environmental) sacrifices to keep my family in a more peaceable and positive environment (not spoken as a homeschooler religious wackjob, either).