Different people leave for different reasons, but there is a mass exodus out of the Golden State, destination – the Lone Star State. High state income taxes are sometimes cited as a motivating factor, the new tax law reducing deduction’s residents can claim for the property taxes they paid, all coming straight from their over-burdened pockets.
Some are coming in search of home ownership, the median cost of an average home in Southern California now at a record $535,000, putting a lot of nurses, firefighters, teachers and police officers out of the market. In Texas, in 2017, the median cost was $218,000.
But culture is also driving people out of the Left Coast, millions coming to the middle of the country in search of a community where they can feel comfortable expressing their deep-felt values. Texas is the number one destination for California ex-pats.
Linda Freeman explained to CBN in an interview that she found her California neighbors frighteningly judgmental. “Very prosecutorial mindset, and I don’t mean the government, I mean the people. If you use plastic bags, we’re going to call the authorities. If you buy purebred dogs, we’re going to call the authorities,” she complains of her former community before moving to Texas. Meredith Turney, a conservative political activist, came to Texas in search of liberty. “The legislators in Sacramento think they know better than the public how you should be running your life, and that kind of mentality – I couldn’t deal with it – I want to live in a state that respects my freedom,” she told CBN.
Former Navy veteran Valentina Caceres started a Facebook page titled “Move to Texas from California,” and has picked up 16,000 followers looking for peace of mind.