Commutes that cross two different state lines, going through three states?

[KCRoadFan]

Because the Kansas City metro, where I live, is in two states, lots of people live in one state and work in the other, thus crossing a state line when going to work every day. (Some others in the KC area, including me, work two jobs - one on each side of the line.)

That got me thinking: what situations are there where people's commutes might take them across two different state lines, which would mean driving through three states every day on their way to and from work? I can come up with a few examples, such as people who:

• Live in southern Maine and work somewhere in on the Massachusetts North Shore (or vice versa), going through New Hampshire
• Live in Southaven, MS and work in West Memphis, AR (or vice versa), going through Memphis, TN
• Live in southeast Indiana and work in northern Kentucky (or vice versa), going through Cincinnati, OH
• Live in Fairfield County, CT, and work somewhere in New Jersey (or vice versa), going through Westchester or through NYC
• Live in one of the inner-ring DC suburbs in Maryland [Suitland, Oxon Hill, Hyattsville, District Heights, etc.] and work in Arlington or Alexandria, VA (or vice versa), going through DC
• Live in Elkton, MD and work in Chester, PA (or vice versa), going through Delaware

Any other examples?

[Mapmikey]

Plenty of people work in DC who live in WV, PA, or DE

[Crown Victoria]

There are plenty of commuters who live in PA (Poconos and Lehigh Valley) and commute to NYC, going through New Jersey to get there. It's also possible to have people living in Ohio and working in PA (or vice versa), crossing West Virginia's northern panhandle.


Another possiblilty is a four state commute. Given that there are many commuters who travel 100 miles or more between their residences in PA and their workplaces in NYC, it's entirely possible that there's a few who live in PA and work in Connecticut. For example, the distance between Easton, PA and Greenwich, CT is 106 miles using I-78 and I-95. Stroudsburg, PA to Greenwich, CT is 108 miles via I-80, I-287, and I-95.

[Flint1979]

I think it's possible to live in the SW corner of Michigan and work in Illinois taking you through Indiana.

New Buffalo, MI is about 75 miles from the Chicago Loop.

[KCRoadFan]

Another possiblilty is a four state commute. Given that there are many commuters who travel 100 miles or more between their residences in PA and their workplaces in NYC, it's entirely possible that there's a few who live in PA and work in Connecticut. For example, the distance between Easton, PA and Greenwich, CT is 106 miles using I-78 and I-95. Stroudsburg, PA to Greenwich, CT is 108 miles via I-80, I-287, and I-95.

There's a much shorter example of this further west - Chambersburg, PA to Winchester, VA is 65 miles, crossing the panhandles of Maryland and West Virginia on I-81.

https://www.google.com/search?q=chambersburg+pa+to+winchester+va+distance&oq=chambersburg+pa+to+winchester+va+distance&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.11917j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[KCRoadFan]

Another example I just thought of - Liberal, Kansas (in the southwest corner of that state) is home to a meat-packing plant. I'm sure it's got some workers who live in the north end of the Texas panhandle - which, in that case, would take them across the Oklahoma panhandle.

[I-55]

Ashland, KY to/from Huntington, WV would most likely utilize US-52 in Ohio (crossing the Ohio River 2 times each way) unless the Huntington location is right along I-64

Anyone commuting from Northeast Alabama to Chattanooga will enter Georgia either by I-59 or I-24 and exit to Tennessee on I-24. If you cross the AL/TN line on US-72, you'll cross TN's southern border 3 times one way

[epzik8]

Dover, Delaware to Washington, DC or Northern Virginia, passing through Maryland and crossing two or three state lines.

[Ketchup99]

Conneaut, OH to Ripley, NY through Erie - a distance of 52 miles.
Cairo, IL to Union City, TN, is 51 miles through Missouri and Kentucky.

[jmd41280]

When PA Turnpike 576 opened between Pittsburgh Int'l Airport and US 22, I recall there being a campaign by Steubenville, OH to attract Pittsburgh commuters to live there. From Steubenville to downtown Pittsburgh via US 22 and I-376 is 39 miles through 3 states (OH, WV, PA). Likewise, Steubenville to Pittsburgh Int'l Airport is 25 miles via US 22 and PA Turnpike 576 through the same 3 states.

Personal story...I work in Washington, PA (not far from the junctions of I-70 and I-79). I had a coworker that had a 3-state commute (also OH, WV, PA) from St. Clairsville, OH to the office (41 miles via I-70 and I-470).

[Crown Victoria]

Another possiblilty is a four state commute. Given that there are many commuters who travel 100 miles or more between their residences in PA and their workplaces in NYC, it's entirely possible that there's a few who live in PA and work in Connecticut. For example, the distance between Easton, PA and Greenwich, CT is 106 miles using I-78 and I-95. Stroudsburg, PA to Greenwich, CT is 108 miles via I-80, I-287, and I-95.

There's a much shorter example of this further west - Chambersburg, PA to Winchester, VA is 65 miles, crossing the panhandles of Maryland and West Virginia on I-81.

https://www.google.com/search?q=chambersburg+pa+to+winchester+va+distance&oq=chambersburg+pa+to+winchester+va+distance&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.11917j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Absolutely true, and much more reasonable in my opinion

While we're at it, there's Warfordsburg, PA to Winchester, VA on US 522 at 47 miles, crossing MD (at its narrowest) and WV.

It's possible to commute to VA from PA (or vice versa) at only 22 miles using US 522. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/39.4390212,-78.3077821/Mellott+Company/@39.4401664,-78.3027124,2542m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x89ca3deb13f9d867:0x1d40bd12128df256!2m2!1d-78.1795795!2d39.7259451?hl=en

Anyone have a five-state commute?   

[1995hoo]

The OP mentioned people who commute from Maryland to Virginia via DC. There are also plenty of people from Maryland who commute to DC through Virginia by going over the Wilson Bridge and then up through Alexandria. Some people from Virginia likewise commute to DC via Maryland.

[Max Rockatansky]

A fairly good amount of people commute from Needles, CA up AZ 95 to Laughlin, NV. 

[ilpt4u]

Cairo, IL to Union City, TN, is 51 miles through Missouri and Kentucky.

Possible, but more likely would be anyone commuting Western KY <-> Southeastern MO, since the Cairo, IL Ohio & Mississippi River Bridges are needed to make the commute without a boat

[webny99]

Another possiblilty is a four state commute. Given that there are many commuters who travel 100 miles or more between their residences in PA and their workplaces in NYC, it's entirely possible that there's a few who live in PA and work in Connecticut. For example, the distance between Easton, PA and Greenwich, CT is 106 miles using I-78 and I-95. Stroudsburg, PA to Greenwich, CT is 108 miles via I-80, I-287, and I-95.

There's a much shorter example of this further west - Chambersburg, PA to Winchester, VA is 65 miles, crossing the panhandles of Maryland and West Virginia on I-81.

Absolutely true, and much more reasonable in my opinion

While we're at it, there's Warfordsburg, PA to Winchester, VA on US 522 at 47 miles, crossing MD (at its narrowest) and WV.

It's possible to commute to VA from PA (or vice versa) at only 22 miles using US 522.

How 'bout an even shorter 4-state commute?
Oxford, PA to anywhere on the NJ side of the Del. Mem. Bridge passes through both Maryland and Delaware. That's about 40 miles, which is a very doable commute.

As far as five states, New England is going to be the best bet. Kittery, ME to southeastern CT is about 2.5 hours/160 miles via NH, MA, and RI.

[dlsterner]

Charles Town WV to Frederick MD, by way of VA, about 25 miles.
Or start at Harpers Ferry WV to cut it to about 20.

(Picking cities with a reasonable population and number of businesses that could be a realistic commute, as opposed to dinky little towns)

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Someone who commutes between La Crosse, WI and Decorah, IA (about an hour) would go through Minnesota.

[Road Hog]

Another example I just thought of - Liberal, Kansas (in the southwest corner of that state) is home to a meat-packing plant. I'm sure it's got some workers who live in the north end of the Texas panhandle - which, in that case, would take them across the Oklahoma panhandle.

The closet Walmart to Perryton, TX is in Liberal, so I imagine a lot of people make that trip.

[jp the roadgeek]

Hartford to Albany (114 mi, about 2 hours).  Yes, CT and NY are neighboring states but the quickest way is through MA via I-91 and I-90.  One could conceivably live in the Canaan, CT area and commute to Albany (about 60 miles), the quickest way also involving catching the southwest corner of MA.

[Mapmikey]

Anyone have a five-state commute?   

Cheating a little, but one direction of DC commuter rail goes to Martinsburg WV.  There could be people in the Chambersburg PA area who drive to Martinsburg, then catch the train to DC.

This would be PA, MD, WV, MD, DC.    Plus there are several places you could look out the window and see Virginia.

[NWI_Irish96]

If we're counting DC as a state, the year I lived in Alexandria, VA, my commute to Suitland, MD, went through DC.

[debragga]

Living in Texas somewhere between Texarkana and Bloomburg and commuting to the Shreveport/Bossier City area takes you through Arkansas.

Living in far northeast Louisiana (East/West Carroll parishes specifically) and commuting to Greenville, MS takes you through Arkansas as well.

Both of those commutes are about an hour each way.

[kphoger]

Another example I just thought of - Liberal, Kansas (in the southwest corner of that state) is home to a meat-packing plant. I'm sure it's got some workers who live in the north end of the Texas panhandle - which, in that case, would take them across the Oklahoma panhandle.

I've found a much more likely three-state commute that involves Kansas.

It's only a ten-minute commute from this trailer park to the nearby casino.

[GaryV]

Another example I just thought of - Liberal, Kansas (in the southwest corner of that state) is home to a meat-packing plant. I'm sure it's got some workers who live in the north end of the Texas panhandle - which, in that case, would take them across the Oklahoma panhandle.

I've found a much more likely three-state commute that involves Kansas.

It's only a ten-minute commute from this trailer park to the nearby casino.

Change that to the "Downstream Casino RV Park' and it's less than a mile.  People might live full time in an RV.  Or if not, there's houses nearby.

[formulanone]

There have to be some commuters on I-275 who make their way from Ohio to Kentucky (and vice versa) with a five-minute dip into Indiana.