[Gingersnap]

Lefty urban types wish that gas prices would reverse the flight to the suburbs but it will never happen.

The vast majority of people will simply take a sack lunch or stop sucking up social justice coffee to offset the increase. The downsides of inner city life are just too huge to be attractive.

There are fewer and fewer reasons to set up businesses in large cities today (aside from retail operations, I mean).

[durasell]

Do a quick survey among the professional class in your town and find out where their kids are living. That's the trend.

[rb22982]

My generation is living in the city now. My wife and I (we're both 24) bought our house last year in the city. 4 couples we are good friends with did the same. All mention gas prices as one of the reasons.

[TKDietz]

"The vast majority of people will simply take a sack lunch or stop sucking up social justice coffee to offset the increase."

I noticed recently that Starbucks' sales are down. I think high gas prices are at least partly to blame for that. That stop on the way to work for overpriced coffee has to be one of the first things to go when people feel the gas price crunch. I imagine we'll also see a lot of people getting rid of their gas guzzling S.U.V.'s in favor of smaller more fuel efficient vehicles.

My little brother lives outside of Houston and drives about an hour and a half to work everyday. He's out shopping for a new car right now to replace his Chevy Tahoe because gas prices are killing him. He and his wife both drive Tahoes. He'll keep one to pull his boat and haul the family around but he'll mostly drive a more fuel efficient vehicle. When it comes time to replace the other Tahoe they'll try to find the most fuel efficient vehicle big enough to load the family and luggage that can still pull a bass boat. Gasoline prices are definitely going to influence new vehicle purchase decisions. I doubt they cause many to abandon the suburbs though. I think my little brother paid $245k for his very nice house in the suburbs. He'd pay several times that for less of a home in Houston proper. His property taxes are already something like $13,000 a year. With a million dollar home in Houston they'd be incredibly high.