Gas Prices are Now Over $4.25 in West Michigan

UPDATE Sunday, March 6th: Gas prices have now gone over $4.25 per gallon. The three gas stations mentioned in the story below have now gone up to that price, with one of them at $4.26 per gallon according to the Gas Buddy website. Diesel is very close to hitting $5 a gallon.

With gas prices rising so rapidly, we've all been keeping an eye on just what the prices are in the area.

Websites like GasBuddy.com help to keep us informed on the prices in our neighborhoods.

Where is Gas Over $4 in West Michigan?

For many months, the cheapest gas could often be found in Sparta. On Saturday morning, March 5th, GasBuddy.com was showing gas prices in that town have gone over the $4 mark. Three gas stations in Sparta are now listed on the website showing prices of $4.08 per gallon for gasoline.

There are also some gas stations in Muskegon with prices posted at $4.09 a gallon.

Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy.com recently posted on Twitter that the target date for a $4 a gallon national average has been moved up by 11 days. That is now predicted to happen by Tuesday, March 8th.

When was the last time average national gas prices were this high?

The last time we saw gas prices this costly was back in July 2008, during the Great Recession -- when prices hit about $4.10 per gallon. Unfortunately, we are just a few pennies from mark now.

How expensive is gas in other areas?

The average price for a gallon of gas in San Francisco, CA, hit $5 mark on Thursday, March 3rd. This is the first time a city in the United States has hit that high of an average.

Numbers from AAA are showing several other states where prices have exceeded the $4 mark:

• Hawaii ($4.66)
• Nevada ($4.29)
• Oregon ($4.28)
• Washington ($4.22)
• Alaska ($4.18)
• Illinois ($4.10)
• New York ($4.05)
• Pennsylvania ($4)

Here is a real eye opener... Find out how much a gallon of gas cost the year you were born!