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Telecommuting helps reduce workers' carbon emissions by keeping them off the roads. It has also been proven to improve employee morale and productivity. But not every company loves telecommuters, nor does every city.

Depending on where you live and who you work for, your company may or may not offer telecommuting, have set policies for telecommuting, or provide technological support for telecommuters.

Wondering how your company and metropolitan area compares? A new survey from Microsoft (conducted by 7th Sense Research) found these to be the most telecommuting-friendly cities:

Boston, Mass.
Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
Atlanta, Ga.
Denver, Co.
Kansas City, Mo.
Richmond, Va.
Austin, Texas
New York, N.Y.
Sacramento, Calif.
and Portland, Ore.

These are, not so coincidentally, tech centers, where companies are more likely to embrace telecommuting, as well as cities where telecommuting makes more economic sense. (For instance, commuting costs in New York City are at an all-time high.)

The survey looked at 36 major metropolitan areas and got responses from 3,600 employees who work full time.

What does this mean for you? If you live in one of these areas, it might be easier for you to telecommute. If you'd like to telecommute, you might want to look for jobs in one of those areas. Or you can use the lessons from this survey to present your case for telecommuting to your boss, no matter where you live.

Oh, and Microsoft has some tips for making telecommuting easier over on their web site.