Some of the large coastal states experienced a noticeable exodus of people amid the COVID-19 pandemic and political climate in 2020. A reported 8.93 million people relocated in the U.S. between the months of March and October, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors.
Data obtained from the United States Postal Service change of address requests revealed there was an increase of 94,000 people who moved in 2020 in comparison to numbers reported during the same time in 2019. That’s only a 1% increase, however the states that are being impacted are seeing noticeable changes, such as more apartment vacancies and homes for sale.
California and New York rank at the top of the list for states that people are moving away from. As the docuseries California Dreaming: The Future of the Golden State highlights, some of the many complaints of Californian residents fall in five categories. The ABC Owned TV Stations and National Geographic collaboration uncovers the state’s challenges with population instability and its affect on growth, wildfires, high cost of living, possible environmental threats, and finally, an analysis of the people choosing to stay in the Pacific Coast state.
On the other side of the nation, New York has been embroiled with increases in COVID-19 cases, overstuffed shelters, increasing crime rates, and high living costs. Both states have seen an increase in the homeless population even before the pandemic — California has 151,000 homeless individuals compared to 134,000 homeless individuals in 2017.
With the pandemic giving cause for people to work remotely, more and more people are now finding flexibility to relocate to areas that offer a better quality of life. That quality of life includes affordable housing costs, lower taxes, less traffic, better primary and secondary education, and less political turmoil.
“I’m seeing a lot of people from California move to Tennessee because they’re attracted to our lifestyle,” Jeff Porter, president of U-Haul Company Nashville told The Mercury News. “Tennessee has no income tax and is very business friendly. There are plenty of jobs. People and companies are taking note.”
While many people are opting to move to states such as, Tennessee, Texas, and Florida, several people are choosing to move to suburban areas surrounding major metropolitan cities. Prominent figures are making it known that they are also among those exiting the populous states.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, revealed at the end of 2020 that he sold his Bel Air residences and relocated to Texas. Just outside of Austin, he plans to build factories and will erect two SpaceX facilities in South Texas — a move he is making in response to the prolonged COVID-19 closures. Tech companies Oracle and HP Enterprise are also relocating their headquarters from California.
Another public figure, actor Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains, Left Behind: The Movie), posted on social media his plans to relocate.
“While there are many beautiful aspects of California, there are also some… not so great factors,” Cameron said on Facebook. “Recently I’ve been tossing around the idea of looking for a new property and some land in another state, where taxes are lower, patriotism is higher, and biblical values of faith and family are celebrated.”
Either one of two things are occurring — one, there’s a big conspiratorial agenda to influence people to leave these Democratic led states or two, something horribly out of the people’s control is about to happen. Indeed, people have reasons to stay in California (weather and access to beaches) and New York (career opportunities), but whether these micro-assets are worth more than a decent quality of life will reveal in time.
