Frederick County has seen an increase in residents over the years because they find the area's cost of living to be very affordable.
But, those residents aren't working here. Instead, many of them are commuting for hours for better paying jobs.
"I would love to be home at six o'clock and make dinner and be in bed by a decent hour," said Shana Conefrey.
It's been the routine for seven years. Shana pulls into her neighborhood late in the evening every workday because of her commute.
She lives in Winchester, and her 50-mile commute to work, in Haymarket, is second nature to her.
"You get used to it," she said. "I don't think I could work 5 minutes away."
Shana is like many other people in the Northern Valley who spend hours a day on the road to get back and forth to work.
"Gas hurts, gas hurts. I drive a truck," she said. "I spend about $120 a week in gas. So add that up, that's about six grand a year."
Six grand a year is still not stopping Shana from working far from home. One of the main reasons she does it, is because of the pay.
"The same job here in Winchester probably pays about half as much of what I make commuting an hour away," she said.
The Winchester-Frederick County Economic Development Commission says that is not a new issue.
Executive director, Patrick Barker says it just takes time to find the right job.
He says 2012 was the EDC's best capital investment year in 10 years ... Meaning businesses are pouring more money into the area.
"A large part of our effort is looking to expand and further diversify, an already diverse performance base by adding in targeted business sectors, life sciences, business services, advance security defense and alike, to try to add more depth and give people more choices," said Patrick.
"It's growing," said Shana. "I mean it's huge compared to what it was when we moved here in '94."
For Shana, that growth isn't happening quick enough to stop her daily commute.
On StopYourCommute.net you can check for job openings in the area.
You can also calculate your work commute to see how much time and money you spend traveling.
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