SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Hundreds of thousands of residents have fled California for other states during the pandemic and it seems as though most of them have found a virtual home on one of Terry Gilliam’s Facebook pages. His groups – Leaving California and Life After California – have a combined membership of nearly 240,000, a number that has doubled in the past six months alone.
The groups have created an online community for California refugees. They seek advice on where and how to move: Has anyone used a storage hauler they like? How’s the weather in Tampa? How much does it cost to a buy a home in Boise?
Gilliam started Leaving California in 2018 and the other page about a year later. He has since left his home in the East Bay and moved to Orlando, Florida.
“I was hoping to have a thousand members, but obviously I struck a nerve,” he said. “I have no animosity toward people who live in California. I just want to help people who are looking for a better life.”
More than 1 million people have likely fled California for other states since the pandemic began, including nearly 700,000 who left in 2020 alone, according to a Sacramento Bee analysis of census data. The net loss to other states was about 430,000 from April 2020 through July 2021, the data show. The two states with the largest net gains of California refugees in 2020 – Texas and Arizona –are dominated by conservative political views, as are many of the states where members of the Facebook groups land.
It’s a startling reversal of California’s almost mythical appeal that attracted millions of new residents for more than a century, from Gold Rush speculators to tech entrepreneurs.
“Everyone loves the beauty and the weather,” Gilliam said, “but if you can’t pay your bills, you’re never going to live a comfortable life.”
Some say they left California because of persistent wildfires, COVID-19 restrictions, traffic and an exploding homeless population. Others worried their children wouldn’t be able to afford a home here or that retirement was becoming out of reach.
And a whole lot just don’t like Gavin Newsom.
For many, the decision to flee is a combination of social issues and a lack of confidence that political leadership can improve them.
Gary Cable grew up in West Sacramento and loved the beauty of the Bay Area, Lake Tahoe and the Sacramento River. He vacationed in Hawaii for 15 years and every time he returned home to California, he said he was struck by “the dirt and the filth on the street.”
“When you drive the streets of Sacramento now and you see the garbage and the tent cities, to me it’s depressing,” he said. “I don’t know where it went wrong and what happened, but somebody’s not doing their job.”
Hawaii isn’t typically a top destination for California refugees; you’re more likely to come across someone on Gilliam’s pages talking about a move to Montana or South Dakota. Texas gained the most people from California in 2020. About 84,300 people left California for Texas, compared to 34,400 who came from Texas to California. Arizona was close behind, gaining 64,000 former California residents and losing 23,000 to California, for a net gain of about 41,000.
Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Washington, Tennessee, New Jersey and Florida each saw a net gain of at least 8,000 residents from California.
Gilliam says he’s hearing more and more about people heading to Tennessee, and that “Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky are sleepers now.”
“You can buy a big house on a big plot of land there,” he said.
Advice for people leaving California
Of course, there’s a give and take. That first tornado warning or stretch of humid weather can be jarring for those used to California weather. Some members of the Facebook groups talk about missing loved ones or worrying about moving into a home sight unseen in a town they have barely heard of.
But for every regret, there is far more chatter about cheaper gas, friendlier neighbors and more affordable housing, Gilliam said.
“I see a lot of people saying, ‘Don’t let your fears keep you from moving,’” Gilliam said.
Katie Mitchell and her family considered moving to eight different states before settling on a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa. They had spent six years living in the tiny town of Mount Baldy, about 45 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Mountains, “a beautiful area with a wonderful community.”
Then the pandemic hit. And another summer of fires and smoke.
“(The) cost of living, wildfires, overcrowding and government overreach are some of the biggest factors, but there are many more,” she said of their motivation to pack up.
Pandemic closures and classroom restrictions at their schools also played a role. The morning of their move, they awoke at 5 a.m. to smoke and wind in the air.
“In general, when we miss California, it is a place that no longer exists,” she said. “We will just have to stay in our old mountain town and eat In-N-Out when we visit.”
Gilliam’s Facebook pages have been adding between 650 and 750 new members per day since mid-June. He’s hired two staffers who accept new member requests, approve posts to the pages and moderate the comments (which are predominantly friendly).
“I try not to allow too much California bashing,” Gilliam said.
Gilliam isn’t quite sure why his pages have had another surge of new members the past few weeks. It could be a post-election reaction to most of the state’s top leaders winning another term in office. Maybe it’s the gas tax. Then again, there’s often a common culprit.
“Every time Governor Newsom opens his mouth,” he said, “we get another thousand members.”
____
