Growth
If it seems like more Californians are moving into your Texas neighborhood, here’s why
The wave of California residents moving to Texas continues to grow.
The number of people who moved to Texas from California increased 36 percent, according to a 2020 Texas Relocation Report just published by Texas Realtors. The report is based on 2018 data.
In all, 86,164 California residents moved to Texas in 2018, according to the report. That’s by far the largest crowd from one state — with Florida coming in second place, with 37,262 arrivals.
In Fort Worth, Tarrant County has the third highest number of in-state and out-of-state newcomers, behind Dallas and Harris counties.
“We anticipate the Lone Star State will continue to be a popular destination for relocation activity for years to come,” Cindi Bulla, 2020 chairman of Texas Realtors, said in an email. “And why not? In addition to its business-friendly environment with no state income tax and abundance of jobs, land and opportunity, Texas is known for its diverse, friendly spirit and culture.”
The Texas Realtors publication is based on data from the Census Bureau’s 2018 American Community Survey and the 2019 U-Haul National Migration Trend Report.
In Tarrant County, the most common places where new residents came from were:
- Dallas County, with 5,266 residents arriving in 2018
- Harris County (Houston), 1,466 residents.
- Orange County (Anaheim), Calif., 918.
- Hamblen County (Morristown), Tenn., 795.
- Caddo Parish (Shreveport), La., 787.
Overall, Texas brought in 563,945 new residents in 2018, up from 524,511 residents the year before. After factoring in the number of residents who left the state, Texas had a net gain of 101,805 residents from out of state, up from just 57,173 residents a year earlier.
After California, the states where the largest number of people came from were Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New York.
Another 201,559 people came to Texas from outside the United States, according to the report.
As for Texans leaving the state, the most popular destinations were California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Florida and Louisiana.
Statewide, Houston’s Harris County had the largest net gain of out-of-state residents (80,572), but the four largest counties in North Texas (Tarrant, Denton, Dallas and Collin) were all in the top 10.
Quality of life
Fort Worth succeeds in attracting new residents because the city offers a high quality of life and a relatively low cost of living compared to other major cities, Mayor Betsy Price said. The city has three world class art museums, roughly 80 miles of trail and distinct neighborhoods like the Stockyards and Near Southside.
Also, suburban land remains cheap for both housing and commercial development and the city is pushing redeveloping inside Loop 820.
“We kind of have the best of both worlds,” Price said. “You have the urban core and the suburbs.”
Fort Worth’s new neighborhoods offer larger lot sizes and more green space than some areas of Dallas County, Price said. Tarrant County also currently has a lower crime rate.
“It’s not that people don’t like Dallas,” she said. “They’re just looking for something different.”
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