Two Families Got Fed Up With Their States' Politics. So They Moved Out. 1 to blue, 1 to red state

[Demovictory9]

Two Families Got Fed Up With Their States’ Politics. So They Moved Out.
The Nobles of Iowa moved to blue Minnesota. The Huckinses of Oregon moved to red Missouri. Their separate journeys, five weeks apart, illustrate the fracturing of America.

Mr. Huckins and his wife, Ginger, were leaving Portland, Ore., one of the most progressive cities in the United States. They said Portland’s tolerance of homeless encampments, along with the open use of hard drugs and rising crime, had filled them with despair. So they headed 2,000 miles east, to deep-red rural Missouri.

____

“One thing I do like about Missouri, there’s lots of American flags,” Mr. Huckins said as he steered around a traffic circle where the Stars and Stripes flapped crisply on a pole. “In Portland, the American flag was offensive.”

One day earlier, in a neighboring state, another couple making a politically motivated move had a different flag on display — a Pride flag on a T-shirt.

_____

Their only child, Julien, came out as transgender at age 11. Now 16, Julien uses prescription testosterone. After Iowa banned gender-affirming medical care for minors, criminalizing their son’s treatments, the Nobles — lifelong Iowans — concluded they had to get out.

______

Americans are increasingly fracturing as a people, and some are taking the extraordinary step of moving to escape a political or social climate they abhor. Democrats have left Iowa, Texas and other red states as Republicans have moved out of California, Oregon and other blue states, often over their views on issues like abortion, transgender rights, school curriculums, guns, race and a host of other matters.

Ms. Huckins and her husband visited a farm called Shared Bounty, where they were surprised to find that payment was on the honor system.


The Huckins family and the Noble family have not met, yet their journeys — from blue Oregon to red Missouri, and from red Iowa to blue Minnesota — mirror each other, unfolding only five weeks apart this spring. One family relocated because of a single issue — restrictions on transgender rights — while the other believed a broad swath of progressive policies had degraded their quality of life. But both families used strikingly similar language to describe their main concern: the need for personal safety.


https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/07/us/politics/politics-states-moving.html

[Indykatie]

1. Leave it to the NYT to "Both Side" This Topic

Looking at the couple who fled Oregon to go to Missouri, it wasn't the progressive policies that was degraded their quality of life. More likely it was poverty and poor health status.

I see a lot of stories of left leaning folks fleeing red states but this is one of the rare times I see them fleeing a blue state. I'm sure it happens but I think the larger migration is to Blue states. I know of 2 recent moves from Florida in my own family and another for a friend's daughter who moved from Indiana. All 3 (under 30 college educated) moved to different parts of CA. Many younger folks understand the quality of your life will be determined by the State you live in.

[GoneOffShore]

2. I noticed the same thing about the couple who moved to Missouri.

[Diamond_Dog]

13. It sounded to me that they were unhappy with the state's progressive politics

And were itching to find a reason to move.

Also … I wonder if they would have been happier in a smaller town in Oregon instead?

[Fiendish Thingy]

18. There is a measureable exodus from blue states to red due to politics

Especially out of California.

This is the first I’ve read of people leaving a red state to a blue state. Although it is labeled a “political” move, it’s for a very specific, life threatening reason.

On the other hand, I have read many, many stories about people leaving California because it is too “woke”, too expensive, etc.

In my own family, two of my cousins, their spouses, several adult children with spouses and kids (about 20 people total) moved from Grass Valley, CA to Tennessee a couple of years ago, specifically seeking a more conservative community.

My brother and his wife moved to Texas about 18 months ago. Politics was a minor reason; family (she has family in the area) and cost of living (they sold their mobile home in San Jose for $400k and bought a 3 br house with a big years for under $200k in Texas) we’re the primary motivators.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

28. People have been moving from red areas only forever

And yet the media rarely talks about the masses of gay kids leaving rural areas to go to the big cities, or to friendlier states, every single day.

You don't hear about the women who escape to the cities because they don't want to be saddled with a loser husband and a bunch of kids they can't afford.

You don't hear about the young people who love books or the arts or want to be something more than a farmer, and know there's nothing for them but boredom and misery in rural areas.

All of them have been fleeing the red areas so much, for so long, that rural and small town America are full of mostly old people, farmers/ranchers and those who are too dumb and/or poor to to leave. Their populations have all--ALL--been decimated over the past 50 years. They're all pissing and moaning about how their kids don't stick around--and why should they? Those places have nothing to offer people who want more out of life than digging in dirt or living in places that have nothing to do, and, worse, with a bunch of narrow-minded bigots.

And yet people rarely hear about that outside of the occasional sob story about the graying of rural and small-town America.

[Emile]

3. My right wing neighbor asked why do I stay in Indiana, I

replied with two words "FOR SPITE".

[Marthe48]

10. Good for you!

[AwakeAtLast]

37. You are a better person than I.

I had to give up and leave after living in Indiana for 25 years. Losing my tenure was the final straw.

[NickB79]

4. By the looks of them in that picture, the Huckins won't last long

Mr is morbidly obese; Mrs walks with a cane. The piss-poor health care and rural setting of Missouri won't be kind to them when they inevitably need medical care.

But on the plus side, they'll fit right in with all their other sick, conservative neighbors who will blame Democrats for their own self-inflicted misery.

[hatrack]

6. With the nearest clinic 40 miles away, and hours to the nearest real hospital

Good luck.

[Delphinus]

9. Thank you

I noticed that too.

[NickB79]

11. They're a spitting image of my aunt and uncle

Physically and politically. And like the Huckins, my aunt and uncle live in a very rural area far from hospitals, with significant health issues. It's not been easy for them the last few years.

[DFW]

14. But they are looking on the bright side

American flags are everywhere, and what better improvement of their quality of life could they ask for than that?

[Sky Jewels]

27. So true!

"High numbers of 'Murikin-flags" is the number one on the list of quality of life measures. Forget health, wages, benefits, education, cultural/entertainment offerings, being around natural beauty, ... just fly some ol' glories and all is good.

[yardwork]

19. I noticed the same. They're probably on government disability.

[Sky Jewels]

26. I thought the same thing.

They could not fit my stereotype of unhealthy red state white people more closely. They're very old before their time. (He is 59 -- just a bit older than I am. I'm not exaggerating at all when I say I look several years younger than he does.) I'd be surprised if Mr. makes it another decade.

I can just imagine his diet ... huge portions of fried shit and red meat. "I'm not gonna eat that any of that lib rabbit food like arugula and vegetables!"

[Demovictory9]

32. He has heart failure..not just fat

[machoneman]

29. Thanks, exactly what I wanted to say. Btw, bet both suck at the Medicare/Medicaid teat + Social ...

...Security. All DEMOCRATIC programs! And yes, their health is totally suspect too.

[samplegirl]

5. Ohio sucks since turning Red

They have ruined Ohio!
The republicans here are as bad as Florida if not worse!

[Marthe48]

12. Ohio has changed

I keep hoping the change is only on the surface, forced by rwnj determined to turn Ohio and other states into fascist conclaves. The people I know personally are still reasonable and sane. There are demented people in county fb groups that I wouldn't care to know. I have my fingers crossed Ohio citizens will resist the rwnj changes and fish the state out of the toilet:/

[samplegirl]

15. I hope too

It’s really sad how bad it has got!

[Diamond_Dog]

16. The district map thing really discourages me.

I really think there are more Dems in Ohio than many people realize, but our gerrymandered districts ensure that we’re under the GOP thumb disproportionately. I wish that could have been done more fairly. Goobers in Columbus won’t give up one iota of their control. They have no interest in fairness of representation, only that of control.

[Marthe48]

17. Maybe seeing gop pols get accused, arrested,convicted

will make a majority of Ohioans see they are backing the wrong horse.

In Washington County, a number of elections are r's running unopposed. We need to field put some candidates, and support them. Even if they lose, seeing a vote tally of who supported any Dem candidates would give us a pointer.

When I vote, I will not vote for an r, especially when they are the only choice. I make sure I'm not invalidating my ballot.

There are city elections this year that affect the county seat. I was thinking that since it is the county seat, and people do business there, go to court there, get traffic tickets there, that all the county seat elections in every county, should be open to be voted on by all the voters in a county. It recently struck me as unfair that I won't get to vote on city officials. My mailing address is the county seat, but I can't vote on council, municipal judges, or other seats.

I can vote on county judges, sheriff, commissioners, and township trustees in my township. But the county seat is a concentration services that everyone in the county uses at least once.

I got off topic, sorry!

[dalton99a]

7. Kick

https://archive.ph/nIEVy

[Kaleva]

8. I live in a deep red part of MI and see no reason to move

People help each other out in times of crisis regardless of the individuals political leanings.

[Elessar Zappa]

22. It is happening though.

Besides this article, there was another one that came to the same conclusion that a lot of people are changing states due to politics.

[Kaleva]

34. About 5 million people moved to another state in 2021

"General moving industry statistics,Based on the latest Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) data, 17.29% of those moves were state-to-state, which means that approximately 4.8 million Americans made interstate moves in 2021."
https://www.movebuddha.com/blog/moving-industry-statistics/#:~:text=General%20moving%20industry%20statistics&text=Based%20on%20the%20latest%20Annual,made%20interstate%20moves%20in%202021.

"f one looks at the trends, fewer people move in recent years then compared to the 1950's.

"While 8.4% of all Americans moving may seem like a lot, it’s actually the lowest number of moves since the Census Bureau started tracking moving data in 1948. [2]
Today, about half as many people move each year as they did in the 1950s. [4]"

[Takket]

20. there's a term for this. "The Great Sort"

Someone posted an article about it months ago on DU. The political divide between states is slowly but surely growing every day. Eventually the states are going to be pushed so far apart politically that sharing space is going to become completely untenable.

I think a fracturing of the USA is inevitable in the next 20-30 years, especially since the gop seems inclined to only elect increasingly violent and hate filled people.

[machoneman]

31. Nawh. Many of the redder R's will die long before then, having rejected vaccines, healthy living...

and suffering extremely poor state run health aid programs. Hey , LA, AR, AL, TX and more red states have some of the worst health care programs and lowest life expectancy per capita than the overall U.S. Why? Their politicians only care for the rich, corporations and themselves. That idiot Gov. Tate Reeves prays every night more poor and black folks die so they won't drain the state's all important Treasury. Disgusting yet he keeps getting voted in.

[hatrack]

35. Wondering how many shitstain supporters will be dead by November 2024 . . .

This is a photograph of a Phonysmarmy rally in rural Michigan last week. 'Nuff said.

[Sky Jewels]

21. Politics was a big factor in our decision 30 years ago.

My husband and I had both lived in several states and knew we didn’t do well outside of deep blue areas. We chose Portland, Oregon and I’m so glad we did. It’s helped me keep sane, knowing I’m around like-minded people. And our neighborhood is great, with a strong sense of community

[Diamond_Dog]

23. I wonder why these folks just didn't move to another neighborhood or city

I think they were itchin’ for an excuse to bash Oregon’s liberal government

A friend of mine has an adult daughter who moved to Portland two years ago and she loves it there.

[Sky Jewels]

24. I know, there are plenty of red areas in Oregon.

Some of them are scary red -- more like far-western Idaho than Oregon.

I was acquainted with some people who moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Idaho both to get a giant house (for two empty-nesters ... why?!) and also because the man didn't like California's politics.

[Happy Hoosier]

25. We'd leave Indiana if we could....

My wife’s job is tied to here. And we do have some dear friends here… and out house is almost paid off!

Our specific town is fine, but the state is a right wing cesspool.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

30. My stepsister is in this boat.

She lives in Austin, but it's not the liberal paradise outsiders seem to think. If it weren't for her husband's large family living there, they'd love to leave.

She keeps trying to convince us to all retire together in Costa Rica, but I have my heart set on spending my last years in Michigan. Unlike most aging people, I'm having a much harder time dealing with heat than cold, and I don't think Costa Rica would be a good fit for me that way.

I also one of those strange people who loves winter and snow. My California-native husband was reluctant on that score for a while, but the idea of having real seasons intrigues him. He's never lived in a place like that before.

Plus, I promised we'd have a wood stove, a snow blower, and, if he's a really good boy, a snow-mobile.

Sold.

[XanaDUer2]

33. I wouldn't substitute flags for healthcare

Esp if my legs were that puffy

[Demovictory9]

36. But but he is bragging about only paying $9 per week for trash pick up