The Red State Brain Drain Isn’t Coming. It’s Happening Right Now.

TangledHyphae@lemmy.world to politics @lemmy.world – 522 points –
The Red State Brain Drain Isn’t Coming. It’s Happening Right Now.
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Texas might be the sole case where that’s actually happening. Most of the wealth is being concentrated in and around Austin, though.

Yes, but they aren't moving for conservative policies or "red state". They're moving to more affordable liberal/socialist friendly enclaves. Like Austin as you pointed out. Conservatives /fascists like to imply otherwise. But they are already panicking as those areas grow in power and influence. Doing everything they can to try to neuter it. Before it changes their state politics to take their power away from them.

Austin hasn’t been affordable since well before the pandemic, and has higher overall taxes for most of the people moving there. Also it’s hot, the electrical grid sucks, and you can’t get an abortion. I just don’t get it.

People think they know what to expect. Then they live it and it's... Exactly what they expected, but more difficult and worse with time.

I spent 30 years in Texas. I miss TexMex, family and a few restaurants, but not much else.

More affordable than most places in California. Less earthquakes. Slightly better traffic conditions. More affordable does not necessarily mean cheap. It's still in demand and it's still going to cost more than something like living out in northwest Texas.

Are earthquakes really that big a factor in where people choose to live?

If you're talking about California, than earthquakes, fires, floods, and mudslides are all part of the algorith. And if you are wealthy enough to have a choice of where you want to live, the algorithm is less and less in favor of California.

Yeah they want to have it both ways, which is quite silly and very stupid of them. When you want to attract businesses to your state, and they try to hire young professionals, and young people vote left...

Then again, maybe I'm expecting too much from them.

And Nashville, but both are purple dots and the moment these states take a harder stance on gender policies they will relo.

Nashville moreso because of rent costs.

That's how a red state becomes a swing state.

Happened in Virginia already.

It's also weird how Virginia and West Virginia have gone, especially when you learn how the split happened in the first place.

Texas has more oil than Saudi Arabia and is ideal for certain types of chemical engineering.