Yea, it sucks. Here's what a 2 hour commute looks like:

* Wake up at 6:15AM

* Leave house at 7AM

* Arrive at work at 9AM

* Leave work at 6PM (sometimes 7PM if there's a late meeting)

* Arrive home at 8PM (or 9PM depending on above)

* Play with young daughter for an hour or so until bed time

* Try to manage to get some dinner into my mouth as I'm falling asleep from exhaustion

This is when I don't come in very early (like today), which can sometimes shave 30 minutes or so off the trip.

Honestly not sure what the solution is. I'd trade salary for a saner lifestyle, but I would not trade away the job security that comes with having a tech employer on every block for miles. You don't get that certainty in non-insane small towns. The only thing I can imagine worse than a long commute would be to have to move every 2 years to a different city for work when your company goes belly up or when your company realizes it can abuse you because there are no other employers around.