Sometimes the Golden Gate Bridge just isn’t enough. While the California Bay Area and California as a whole have experienced a population boost, due to housing availability and increased job opportunities (the ocean views can’t hurt, either), this boost is somewhat mitigated by people leaving the Bay Area for different parts of the country. Here are the top five move-out destinations for former Bay Area residents.
- Phoenix, Arizona
The dry heat of Phoenix seems to have the most appeal to Bay Area residents (perhaps sick of fog?). Phoenix actually tied for the #8 spot on Forbes’ Top 10 Fastest Growing Cities of 2013, with a population growth of 2.7% fueling (and fueled by) a job growth rate of 2.5%.
- Portland, Oregon
The second highest percentage of Bay Area residents are moving north to Portland, which, not coincidentally, shares the #8 Forbes’ ranking with Phoenix.
- Huntington Beach, California
This California city ranks in the top 4% for population growth among all U.S. cities, due to high-quality housing and outstanding school districts. No wonder it comes in at #3 for outbound Bay Area residents.
- Dallas, Texas
While Dallas comes in at #4 on our list, it actually ranks #3 on the Forbes’ Top 10 Fastest Growing Cities of 2013, with a job growth rate matching its population growth (both at 2.1%).
- Austin, Texas
Everything is bigger in Texas -- including population growth and number of job opportunities. The bottom entry in our Top Five list is the very top entry in the Forbes’ Top Ten list.
Of course, you don’t need to search high and low for reasons to move to California. With a Mediterranean climate, miles of beautiful beaches, and some of the most breath-taking sunsets in the country, the Golden State is known the world over as a great vacation destination, as well as a popular place to move for people all over the United States. Focusing again on just the California Bay Area, we found the five U.S. cities that send the largest percentages of their residents to San Francisco, Fremont, and the surrounding area.
- Huntington Beach, California
In addition to receiving its fair share of Bay Area residents, nearby Huntington Beach also tops the list of cities that send their citizens to the Bay Area. This city boasts a high cost of living and a relatively low percentage of job growth, which appears to be enough to convince these CA residents to relocate just a little farther north.
- Foxborough, Massachusetts
Coming in at #2, Foxborough is the first of two MA entries, as relocating citizens make the cross-country trek to seek their fortunes on the West Coast.
- Billerica, Massachusetts
Billerica, near Boston, rounds out the East Coast entries as the #3 spot in America for emigration to the Bay Area, as residents swap out the Atlantic Ocean for the Pacific.
- Mt. Prospect, Illinois
Our Top Five list is finished off by a few Midwestern cities -- both in Illinois. Mt. Prospect comes in at #4, once again citing high housing costs and low job growth as motivating factors.
- Bolingbrook, Illinois
Bolingbrook saw the fifth highest percentage of its citizens relocate to the Bay Area. Overall, the state of Illinois had a 59.5% move-out rate in 2012.