(January 12, 2009)--The latest Lundberg Survey says the average national price of gasoline rose nearly 12 cents in the past three weeks, which marks the first price hike after six months of steady decreases.

The average price of regular gasoline Friday was $1.78 a gallon.

The price of mid-grade was $1.91 a gallon and the price of premium was $2.02 a gallon.

The increase was the first since July 11, when the average national price peaked at $4.11 a gallon.

Of cities surveyed, the nation's lowest price was $1.34 in Billings, Mont and the highest price was $2.32 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Around Texas Monday, prices ranged from as little as $1.49 a gallon at a station in Gainesville to as much as $1.94 a gallon at a station in Alpine, according to Texasgasprices.com