Americans are relocating in droves and the most popular destination is the South, according to a new survey from the American Association of Realtors.
While the reasons are many, the most often cited is housing, which reflects both costs and availability.
Economics Professor at Houston's Lone Star College Hank Lewis says there's irony in moving for that reason because a large number of people will identify an area with plentiful housing at reasonable prices and by moving there will greatly reduce the number of available houses while raising housing costs.
About one-quarter of respondents to the survey said they moved for family reasons, such as getting closer to relatives.
"Between finding better jobs, lower cost of living, lower cost of housing and being closer to family, it's not surprising that that's part of the appeal of moving to the Southern United States," Professor Lews told Newsradio 740 KTRH.
And while perceived improvements in weather may be an underlying factor in relocations, it's cited by those in the survey itself at only about one-percent.
Yet Professor Lewis says he's met people for whom the weather is paramount.
Regarding transplants here in Texas and the South, "very rarely have they had to do deal with snow or freezes -- 2021 being the exception, obviously -- they said they don't miss it, they don't miss shoveling the snow, they don't miss dealing with salt trucks and stuff like that, and they say that it's an improvement for sure."
But perhaps most overlooked is the burden in many blue states (and red ones) of high tax rates.
"I'd have to throw another one in there and that would be taxes. Several Southern states, most notably Florida and Texas and Tennessee, do not have a state income tax, and some of the other states that people are migrating from do have a state income tax -- it's kind of hefty I might add, that's also a big turn off to a lot of people," Mr. Lewis noted.