The Lone Star State is experiencing a surge in population growth, with an estimated 3,800 more people moving to Texas than leaving each week. But who are these new Texans? An economist at the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University has shed some light on the question. California has long been the most populous state in the U. S., but its growth has stagnated and many of those heading east have chosen Texas as their new home.
As a result, California lost a U. S. Congressional District in the last census, while the Lone Star State gained two. Florida was the second largest source of new Texans, with a 7.2 percent share, less than half of California's influx.
The top five sources of new Texans were Colorado, Illinois, and Louisiana. Most Californians who decided to move to Texas came from the southern part of the state, according to the study. Many moving vans eastbound on I-10 had license plates from Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties - some of the largest in the state. Many of the immigrants from other states were also from larger counties, including Maricopa (Phoenix, AZ), Cook (Chicago, IL), Clark (Las Vegas, Nevada), El Paso (Colorado Springs, CO) and King (Seattle, WA).
Refugees from other states preferred to settle in the largest counties in Texas, with Harris County receiving the bulk of 10 percent. Other popular destinations were Tarrant, Bexar, Travis, Dallas and Collin counties. Many California expats preferred the Austin area. Wichita County lost population in last census, but during recent housing boom real estate agents reported many inquiries from out-of-state people.
While Utah was the fastest-growing state in percentage terms, Texas' gross population growth was higher than that of the entire Utah population. According to a new report, a lot of people are moving to Texas - but a lot of people are also leaving the Lone Star State. Joe Lonsdale, an influential venture capitalist and co-founder of big data contractor Palantir, explained his move to Austin from Silicon Valley at The Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago. He cited cost of living mixed with politics as his reasons for leaving California for North Texas.
Texas now feels a little like California when Mukherjee first moved there in the late 1980s - a thriving and dynamic place where it doesn't take much to establish a good life. Many moving workers in Dallas say they are moving not only because of more job opportunities but also for higher wages. Communities served by DART have to devote a one percent sales tax to the rail system; Frisco voters chose to use that same money cut to incentivize businesses to move and also buy land for parks and other services.The conservative media and financial press quickly elevated Rex's movement as a moment of signal and told Rex that he was a technological titan (which he is not). But while many people declare Texas their new home, quite a few are already here to move somewhere else.Several major California companies have moved to Texas from California including Oracle, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (which has Houston roots like Compaq), CBRE and Charles Schwab.Anamika Mukherjee, a preschool teacher born in India and moved to Frisco five years ago after her husband's work took them there from California, Connecticut, Brazil and eventually North Texas.JobsFirst narrowed their search for places with low unemployment and high middle-income because no one wants to move to a place where all businesses are closing.
Houston has a low cost of living thanks to lower transportation and utility costs, consumer prices and housing according to Austin Movers CEO.The report also found that 43% of respondents moved within the same city; 35% moved to a new city but stayed in the same state; 20% moved to a different state; and 2% moved to a different country.Texas is an attractive destination for many people looking for better job opportunities or higher wages or simply looking for an escape from long-term planetary disaster. The Lone Star State is now home to many high-profile celebrities who have moved from the west coast inspiring others.
