United Van Lines, the nation’s largest household goods mover, has just come out with their annual study of migration within the United States. This study is not based on total moves. It is based upon percentages. They have been doing this study since 1977.
So what happened in 2012? Oregon is the leading state for in-migration in the country. The only part of the country with a greater percentage of moves into their area was the District of Columbia. Oregon made this list with 61% of Oregon-involved moves being people moving into the state and just 39% of moves from people moving out of the state. Here are the top 5:
1. District of Columbia
2. Oregon
3. Nevada
4. North Carolina
5. South Carolina
Michael Stoll, an economics professor at UCLA, sights factors such as lower housing costs, temperate climate, diversified economies, and high-tech clusters as reasons that people choose to move to the leading states.
My opinion? I think it can be attributed to Microbreweries, Food Carts, easy access to snow boarding, hiking, camping, the beach, and Oregon wine country. And then there is the cult-hit, Portlandia. Portland, and the Portland food scene, have been written up several times in the New York Times with glowing reviews. This is a wonderful place to live, and it’s getting discovered.
In this past year I have personally helped two families make the move to Portland from out of the state. In both cases, they did some research and chose Lake Oswego because of the schools.
I think all of this is good news for our real estate market. It’s pretty basic economics of supply and demand. High demand supports high property values, and after the recent recession it feels good to hear some encouraging news.
If you are considering a move to Oregon, take a look at Lake Oswego. I think you’ll like what you learn. And if you need a great Realtor to help you with the move, please give Linda or myself a call. We would love to hear from you.
Best regards,
Dianne