The exodus out of Democrat-controlled California is occurring so quickly that a noted moving company has had difficulty keeping up with demand.
“California and Illinois ranked as the states with the greatest one-way net loss of U-Haul trucks, and most of that traffic appears to have gone to Texas and Florida,” Fox Business reported, adding that Texas is the top destination, though GOP-led southern states, in general, remain popular destinations:
“Gone to Texas” was such a well-known phrase during early migrations to the state that people simply carved “GTT” on trees or fence posts when they headed west from the young United States. Now a highway version of “GTT” is underway, but it’s headed from west to east: California and Illinois ranked as the states with the greatest one-way net loss of U-Haul trucks, and most of that traffic appears to have gone to Texas and Florida.
So many Californians are leaving the once Golden State that the moving giant says it ran out of wheels for them to rent.
Texas has been a top destination for years, but was the top destination from 2016-2018. Florida surpassed Texas as the leading destination in 2019, while Tennessee beat all states in 2020.
However, Texas has now reclaimed its top spot, Fox Business added.
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“The Texas economy is growing fast,” Kristina Ramos, the president U-Haul Company of South Austin, told the network. “With a strong job market and low cost of living, it’s a no-brainer. Texas doesn’t have an income tax, so families get more for their money.”
California’s net population loss was not as great in 2020, but U-Haul says that is likely because the company “simply ran out of inventory to meet customer demand for outbound equipment.”
“We see a lot of growth coming from the East and West Coast,” added Matt Merrill, U-Haul Area District Vice President of the Dallas Fort-Worth Metroplex and West Texas. “A lot of people moving here from California (and) New York. We also see a lot of people coming in from the Chicago markets.”