We urban loyalists love to cry foul when we see our idea of the quintessential exurban commuter: affluent and white in massive SUVs, driving farther and farther out I-66 and I-270 in search of cheaper square footage and a bigger backyard. More than a few articles have wondered aloud whether a mini-mansion in exurbia is really a good thing. But the Post’s Alec MacGillis chipped at our preconceptions yesterday by showing us a different kind of exurban commuter.

None of the people MacGillis interviews out in the hills of Luray, Virginia are well-to-do D.C.-metro expats. Born and raised in Shenandoah, these highly skilled workers get up at 3 a.m. to drive some 80 miles into the city because local jobs have disappeared. They raise families and coach little league, working to hold on to the American Dream their families established decades ago.