People know that the pandemic brought about significant changes in ‘how’ people work (remotely) and shop, as most businesses closed their doors at one time or another, all due to the widespread crisis. Change is inevitable, but changing things quickly and, or abruptly, not to mention unexpectedly…doesn’t exactly go over well. So, one thing leads to another and next thing you know…people started moving. I guess if you have to be indoors or just need a ‘life’ change, why not choose a location where there’s an abundance of sunshine; clearly there were millions rethinking their lives and future.
The summers of 2020 through 2021 in Houston, Texas had showed an increasing population (est. 300,000 plus), according to the Census Bureau’s report. Several areas throughout the state of Texas, such as Austin, Dallas Fort-Worth and San Antonio have seen an uptick among their communities, including smaller rural areas. Idaho’s Census was similar, as their growth spurted upwards to 2.9% from 2020-2021. People are headed south and west from colder states, from the Midwest to the East Coast. Floridians are now feeling the surge, as home buyers from New York are purchasing prime properties and over- bidding in those desirable areas; putting locals in a real bind financially, as many of them would like their families to remain residents within their community. However, their families can no longer afford to purchase in their own neighborhoods; whether it’s to down size or up sizing, prices have soared. The same can be said for Queen Creek, Arizona. Home prices have soared upwards of one million and more, especially in the newer gated developments. For Florida, it’s the New Yorkers and for Arizona, it’s the Californians; same problems exist among the people when it comes to properties ($$$$). Other states seeing increases are Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina, Tennessee and Washington; which are all in the top ten desirable places people are moving to.
People seem to be taking their lives more seriously than before (pandemic), and it’s apparent that many are no longer waiting for retirement age to make the move. Regardless, one should be researching employment (if needing), finances, shopping, transportation, and other general resources (electric, gas, insurance). There are some valuable tools one can use online in order to know what location may be most suitable (affordable) to reside in; I will share a few links for further information. https://www.areavibes.com/ has what they call a ‘Livability’ score which uses a particular algorithm based on characteristics in a variety of categories such as living expenses, crimes, rentals, mortgages etc. While this site https://www.niche.com/ is best noted for finding some of the best schools and colleges, they also look at best places to reside along with statistics… https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-places-to-live/ .
My last recommendation is here at https://teleport.org/ . I loved surfing this site, it’s simple with just a click. Choose any city anywhere in the world and find out about the quality of living there; I checked places out I’d like to visit for a vacation, just an FYI I guess. Whatever your plans may be…always check out the cost of living, as so many have become unattainable for those living on less money. What once was affordable…is no longer today. Stay safe and take it one day at a time.
Make your Life count.