Front view of a U-Haul truck parked in the parking lot of the U-Haul truck rental agency in in Concord, California, December 8, 2020. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
A new report from U-Haul found that migration to southern states continued throughout the pandemic, with Texas being the top destination.
"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.
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So many Californians are leaving the once Golden State that the moving giant says it ran out of wheels for them to rent.
Texas ranked as top in the pre-pandemic years, most notably 2016-18, falling to Florida in 2019 and Tennessee in 2020, but the Lone Star State has now reclaimed its top spot.
"The Texas economy is growing fast," stated Kristina Ramos, U-Haul Company of South Austin president. "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 loss was not as significant as it was in 2020, but here's the kicker: U-Haul says that was partially due to the fact that 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," said 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."
"I think that’s a lot due to the job growth – a lot of opportunity here," Merill argued. "The cost of living here is much lower than those areas. Texas is open for business."
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