When I was at ACA I commuted from Port Huron MI to Dulles(80 mile drive to DTW then a Jetstream 41). Two weeks after IOE I held a line as FO. Upon upgrading to CA I moved to Dulles (apartment 8 miles away) to endure reserve. Two weeks later I was involuntary transferred to O'Hare. Not TDY, with a hotel and per diem- nope. Drive 8 miles to beg a UAL pilot for a ride from IAD to ORD then sit for 6 days on my own dime to do a CLT round on day 4. No base is ever locked up in the airline biz. Any hiccup and you could find yourself in a base you don't want. It's worse if it's a company you don't want as well. I'm in DFW.

Training in my home city was a big deal for me(ground school and sims). I had a lot of things come up I needed to take care of. Life does not stop because of a job, however intensive the training (except maybe SEAL training!)

It was also nice sleeping in my own bed with my own wife every night (okay that came out wrong). I'm too old for a roomie and didn't have to eat hotel food for two months straight. Was assigned JFK, but bid ORD and got it out of training.