How mobile we are

"Over the past two centuries, the distance travelled each day by the average person has grown by a factor of ten thousand. According to one estimate, an average person in 1800 traveled no more than about 50 meters each day. Many stayed within and around the home, or worked in the fields, and most of those who worked in the towns and cities lived there. There was little commuting back then. Nowadays we travel an average of 50 kilometers each day."

NEXUS - Small World and the Groundbreaking Science of Networks, 2002
Mark Buchanan