ABSTRACT Extended metropolitan commuting is commonly related to a decline of the intermetropolitan periphery. It is frequently postulated that this peripheral zone will continue to shrink, and even vanish, as metropolitan commuting fields push ever outward, aided by the construction of limited access highways. To study this phenomenon, the intermetropolitan periphery of Appalachian Ohio is examined in terms of the trends evident in extended commuting from 1960 to 1970, the factors influencing it, and its impact on population growth. The results of the study raise many serious questions about statements which have been made on extended commuting and its consequences for the intermetropolitan periphery. There is little evidence to suggest that the disappearance of the periphery is imminent because of the expansion of commuting to metropolitan areas. Intensification, rather than expansion, is a more prevalent characteristic of the commuting fields. The role of limited access highways is less important than t...