If you're upset about $2.70 a gallon gas prices come on out to California where we're happy to find $3.30 in the Monterey Bay area...at 50 or 60 cents a gallon more that adds up pretty fast over a month of driving...To show you what we mean, here's a press release from your friends at California Triple A...
CALIFORNIA GAS PRICES STILL MOVING UP
California Average Up to $3.15 a Gallon, According to AAA Report
Walnut Creek, Calif., May 11, 2010 – Gas prices in California keep moving higher as the summer travel season gets set to kick off with the Memorial Holiday weekend.
California’s average gas price is up 4 cents to $3.15 a gallon from last month’s survey on April 13, according to AAA Northern California, which tracks fuel costs as a service to consumers.
The national average for unleaded is now $2.90, a 4-cent increase since last month’s AAA survey.
“While gas prices in California are nearly seventy cents higher than they were a year ago, there has been a virtual lid on prices at the pump this spring, said AAA Northern California spokesperson Michael Geeser. “Demand has remained low and the relative weakness of the euro compared to the dollar has kept oil prices from shooting up. Those two dynamics have played as big a part in keeping gas prices from escalating as much as anything else.”
European financial issues continue to impact oil prices. Some analysts suggest that the optimism that brought oil prices close to $90 a barrel may now be tempered due to the plight of the euro, Europe’s continuing economic situation and news that the unemployment rate in the United States climbed to 9.9%. With these issues in mind, it is not unreasonable to expect continued downward pressure on the value of the euro against the dollar as long as the situation in Europe lingers.
While gas prices across Northern California continue to move up, the latest report from AAA Northern California shows, out of 25 metro areas where AAA tracks gas prices, three areas saw its prices go down. San Mateo, Santa Rosa and South Lake Tahoe all enjoyed a drop in prices at the pump compared to AAA’s last survey on April 13.
Northern California gas prices are now averaging $3.16, up five cents from last month. In the San Francisco Bay Area, motorists can expect to pay an average price of $3.23, a 4-cent hike from last month’s survey.
The least expensive average price in Northern California can be found in Tracy where unleaded is $3.05. Of all the metro areas in Northern California where gas prices are tracked by AAA, Eureka’s average price of $3.29 is the highest. It’s also the highest price in the lower 48 states. The least expensive gasoline in the country is found in Springfield, Missouri, where the average price of gas is $2.64. Wailuku, Hawaii, holds the dubious crown for the highest average price in the nation, at $3.93 per gallon.
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Page 2 of 2: AAA May Gas Price Report
AAA Monthly Gas Price Averages: May 11, 2010
City/State/Region Price Monthly Change City/State/Region Price Monthly Change
NATIONAL 2.90 + .04 SAN MATEO 3.14 - .03
CALIFORNIA 3.15 + .04 SAN RAFAEL 3.21 + .08
N. CALIFORNIA 3.16 + .05 SANTA CRUZ 3.16 + .09
BAY AREA 3.22 + .04 SANTA ROSA 3.08 - .03
CHICO 3.10 + .05 S. LAKE TAHOE 3.16 - .14
CONCORD 3.15 + .06 STOCKTON 3.11 + .06
EUREKA 3.29 + .04 TRACY 3.05 + .03
FREMONT 3.11 + .04 UKIAH 3.12 unchanged
FRESNO 3.21 + .05 VALLEJO 3.11 + .02
MARYSVILLE 3.07 + .05 YREKA 3.26 + .02
MODESTO 3.12 + .06 Elsewhere…
MONTEREY 3.15 + .01 LAS VEGAS 2.94 + .05
OAKLAND 3.19 + .05 LOS ANGELES 3.14 + .04
PLEASANTON 3.23 + .07 NEW YORK CITY 3.14 + .13
REDDING 3.13 + .02 WASHINGTON, DC 3.01 + .02
SACRAMENTO 3.13 + .05
SALINAS 3.13 + .05
SAN FRANCISCO 3.23 + .03
SAN JOSE 3.15 + .05
One way consumers can reduce the amount of money they spend on fuel is to shop aggressively for the lowest price. Now, AAA offers text alerts via mobile phone for low gas prices in your area. Sign up today at www.aaa.com/gas.