More Californians Are Now Moving to Arizona Than Texas! What’s the Impact?

Leaving the Golden State in Search of a Better Life

In the 1980s and 90s, Californians bragged about the amazing range of activities, all available within a short drive.

Spend the morning at the beach, they touted, surfing and soaking up the sun.

Then head up to the mountains in the afternoon to ski and snowboard. Later, spend the evening sipping wine in a fancy restaurant in the desert of Palm Springs. Spend the night, and you could get up and enjoy a round of golf, before heading inland.

These days, the gas alone to get from place to place could bankrupt you. The cost of everything else would make a day like this next to impossible if you're not rubbing should with the rich and famous.

A sizable number of people are now leaving California.

According to US Census Data, more the 74,000 Californians ditched the Golden State and headed to Arizona last year.

Even though people are fleeing the state at a record pace, California is still the most populous state in the union with more than 39 million residents. So why the sudden exodus from paradise?

Why Are People Moving Out of California?

With inflation on the rise and the price of everything from housing to goods to gasoline skyrocketing, Californians are pulling up stakes and leaving in search of a better quality of life. MovingWaldo.com explains why the shift is suddenly taking place.

The top reasons people are leaving California:

• High cost of living, especially housing prices
• Rising state taxes and regulations
• Natural disasters such as wildfires, earthquakes, and droughts
• Crime rate and social issues
• Better opportunities and quality of life in other states

Why Arizona Isn't Exactly Thrilled Californians Are Moving to Here

Arizona residents aren't exactly thrilled with the sudden influx of former left-coasters. Arizona has long aligned with more right-leaning politics, and they're not interested in sweeping changes that could usher in policies and regulations that don't align with their core values.

While Californians are leaving behind out-of-control prices, and ditching the crushing taxes and regulations that inspired the transition, it seems evident the new residents may not be leaving behind the ideologies that escalated the problems.

Why It Matters to Arizona

In the last major election, Arizona's largest metropolitan areas in Phoenix and Tucson saw the state of Arizona tracking purple. In political parlance, Arizona's once conservative-leaning red-state ideology is being usurped in favor of more blue-state liberal policies.

Long-time Arizona residents are concerned the continued migration from deep blue states like California, Oregon, and Washington will impact voter demographics in Arizona.

Will the population shift push Arizona toward California-like policies, high taxes and regulations? If Arizona turns into New California, eventually there will be nowhere left to escape to. The next major election will reveal the impact of ex-Californians on Arizona.