Originally Posted by
ukpumacat
This is just not true. Or at the very best it is misleading.
The fastest growing states in the US are almost on the West Coast: Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Arizona. Those are mostly liberal to moderate states. Florida is the only state in the Top 8 that isn't on the West Coast.
There are numerous reasons for people moving to those states and too many to list here.
There are also numerous reasons people are moving from the states that are losing people the fastest: New York, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Vermont, Illinois and New York. Kansas, Ohio and Kentucky are also in the Top 10 of that list according to USA Today.
There is no way you can look at those fastest growing and declining states and simply say its because of their liberal policies. Housing prices would almost always be the number one reason. Jobs. Climate. All kinds of reasons of course come into play.
California isn't in the Top 10 of either list. Its BY FAR the most populous state in the Unites States at 40 million people. Our housing prices are just through the roof. And that is simply the law of supply and demand. There are a lot more people that want to live here (or do live here) than there are houses for.
And even though our population growth has slowed, it is still growing faster than new homes being built. That is our problem.
I absolutely love it here. I have lived all over the United States. I came here 20 years ago and knew I wouldn't leave.
Having said that, the housing prices are still just crazy. I could live in an absolute mansion almost anywhere else for what I pay here.
A 2,000 sq ft, 3 bedroom home in a decent neighborhood in my city would easily cost $800-$900,000. That isn't because people are "leaving this liberal state". Its because people WANT to live here and so the market just keeps going up.
As much as I love it, I could definitely see myself leaving when all kids are out of school. That is what many people do here. They retire elsewhere simply because they can purchase a much nicer home somewhere else (Utah, Idaho and Arizona are very popular choices) and live off of the difference for the rest of their lives. Again, its not because of income taxes, etc. Its simply supply and demand. And living here is high demand.