- Texas has grown in popularity during the pandemic, with home prices rising 30%, data shows.
- The desire of some people for political freedom within the state led others to leave.
- Have you left Texas or are you planning to? Business Insider wants to hear from you.
While some homebuyers seek the American Dream in Texas, many are leaving Texas to pursue the American Dream elsewhere.
“Lifelong Texan. I'm definitely preparing an exit strategy,” one anonymous user posted online. Reddit thread about leaving Texas. “From the heat to the deprivation of human rights, it’s over.”
Another poster had a similar impact. “I have lived most of my life in Texas, and my girlfriend's husband and I always planned to retire here (in about five years from now),” they wrote. “But between this heatwave, crazy politics, and the cost of living, we decided to leave here for good and head to Knoxville.”
Although people are moving to the Lone Star State to take advantage of its benefits, Relatively affordable real estate marketSome of the same qualities are driving out others, such as , political atmosphere, and job opportunities.is more than 494,000 people left Texas 2021-2022 (but the state's net population was now 174,261).This trend is likely to intensify as housing costs soar and the state's political situation worsens. biased.
Some people are looking for affordable housing elsewhere
Texas is Rising popularity According to data from Realtor.com, home prices have increased 30% since 2019 due to the pandemic. At the same time, residents suffer from some of the highest property taxes in the country.
Californians seeking more affordable housing made the Golden to Lone Star state the most popular route in the nation from 2021 to 2022, with approximately 108,000 people making the move. However, he has one major drawback.
“Property tax rates are higher,” Marie Bailey, a real estate agent who moved to Prosper, Texas from El Segundo, California, in 2017, previously told Business Insider. “Every time I get a call from a potential client, she's one of the first things I talk to.”
As Texas begins to move, lose one's advantage Many locals are shifting their focus to the Midwest for cheaper and more affordable housing options.
Hannah Jones, an economic research analyst at Realtor.com, told BI in October that “the Midwest has become more popular recently because it's generally the most affordable area” for Texans. She said: “We're seeing a real explosion in the trend of buyers looking for affordability.”
Many people have immigrated to this state in search of political freedom, pushing others away.
For many Americans, politics is as important as housing affordability when choosing where to live.
A 2022 survey of 1,545 participants by mortgage marketplace LendingTree found that 39% of respondents said they had moved or relocated. Might consider moving If your political views don't align with the majority, move to another state.
Jackie Barth self-proclaimed conservativeteeth one of many Californians They've been looking to Texas for the political environment. Barth told BI in September that it played an important role in her decision to move to Texas in 2021.
Barth said that unlike California, Texas has “room for people to believe what they want without shame.”
Opposite Mr. Barth is Bob McCraney, a Dallas-based real estate broker who has launched a real estate service to help LGBTQ+ people in Texas sell their homes and connect with agents in various areas nationally and internationally. he told KXAN News in July. that the state's lack of inclusivity is creating an unwelcoming environment;
“What we all want as human beings is to feel some level of safety. If you feel unsafe because of the state, there's no reason to stay there,” McCraney said. “If you compare California or New York to Texas or Florida, for example, I find it hard to believe that some people would feel that LGBTQ people are more welcome in Florida or Texas.”
Texas is not living up to its promise for some.
Some recent transplants feel disillusioned with the state.
In Austin, some of the tech workers who flocked to the city during the pandemic just I can't seem to get out fast enough.
Nick Thomas, 30, moved to Austin from downtown Los Angeles in January 2021 and told BI in August that he wanted to move back to California soon. Austin, he said, is a “watered down” version of places he lived before, like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
“People say it's the tech industry because they've been told that, but when you actually go there, there's no evidence to support that,” Thomas said. “I think it was just oversold.”
jules rogersa reporter who moved to Houston from Portland, Oregon, in 2018 to take a job at a local newspaper, left Texas less than two years after moving.
Despite earning 20% more and living in a larger apartment, she said her quality of life had not improved.
“I told myself I just needed to give Houston a chance and settle down and get used to it, but I missed the trees, the air, the mountains, the ocean, the atmosphere, the culture of the Pacific Northwest,” Rogers previously said. Contributed to BI.
She has since returned to Portland and said she feels “much happier now that I'm back home.”
Are you a Texan who recently left the state or plans to leave the state? We want to hear from you. Email reporter girlfriend Alcynna Lloyd. alloy@businessinsider.com Share your story.
