Texas has been a net immigrant state for decades, attracting more residents than it loses. A strong economy, low cost of living, and warm climate have encouraged people to move in ever since the early 19th century, when debtors began leaving notes saying “GTT” (short for “I went to Texas”) on vacant homes. According to the Census Bureau, more people will move to Texas than any other state in 2023, followed by California, Florida, and New York.
Is that starting to change? The most recent census estimates that domestic migration to Texas will drop by nearly half from 2023 to 2024, from 190,994 to 85,267. “This is a pretty significant decline,” said Lloyd Potter, a Texas demographer and professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Three of the nation’s largest moving companies (United Van Lines, Allied, and Atlas Van Lines) say in their annual migration reports that the number of customers departing from Texas is about the same as the number of customers arriving in Texas. It was reported that it was 50/50. An Atlas executive told the Dallas Morning News that “increased cost of living and potential warming temperatures” could be to blame.
Anecdotal reports suggest that politics may also play a role in many decisions. After Donald Trump’s election, a Reddit thread titled “Leave Texas” attracted more than 4,300 comments, mostly progressive posts discussing the merits of moving to places like Colorado and New Mexico.
The rightward shift in state government has left some liberals feeling increasingly uncomfortable in their home states. A call to X for Texans who left the state, mostly for political reasons, resulted in dozens of anguished responses. Although those who moved often considered multiple factors, including job opportunities in other states, many cited the state’s near-total abortion ban as a primary reason for moving. . Some cited the crackdown on transgender rights and the passage of a law allowing Texans to own handguns without a permit or training. (Governor Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick did not respond to interview requests for this story.)
Each of the Texpats I interviewed (some asked that their last names and other identifying details be withheld to protect their privacy) described a difficult adjustment process but expressed regret about leaving the state. Not a single person did. One person told me it was “the best thing I ever did.” Another was still adjusting to the fact that “most people[around here]agree with me.” Below, 10 retirees share what they miss and what they don’t miss.
Note: Texas Monthly will be closely tracking this and related topics in the coming years. If you’re a conservative who moved to Texas for political reasons, we’d love to hear your thoughts on future stories. Please contact us at mhardy@texasmonthly.com.
Josh Denslow
Age: 46 years old
Job: Email marketing manager and fiction writer
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Leaving Texas: 2022 (Residing in Austin)
Years in Texas: 11
The reason for his expulsion was “a school shooting incident.” (While there were 330 school shootings in the United States in 2024 alone, there have been no fatal school shootings in Spain since 2015.)
Biggest adjustment: trying to learn two new languages (Spanish and Catalan)
Texas Memories: Alamo Drafthouse (“There’s no place to watch a movie or have dinner here.”)
“The Uvalde shooting happened around the time we were moving to Barcelona, right at the end of the school year. So at my children’s last school in Texas, armed police officers Because you never know what’s going to happen. It’s always like, “Let’s bring in more guns.” It will never get better. ”
Doug (last name withheld)
Age: 38 years old
Occupation: Creative director
Location: Pittsburgh
Leaving Texas: 2023 (Residing in Dallas)
Years in Texas: 28
Reason for expulsion: Religion intrusion into public schools
Biggest adjustment: Higher food prices.
Texas nostalgia: Mexican food and dine-in theaters
“What really moved me was the law that would allow school counselors to be replaced by chaplains. Not only would this violate the separation of church and state, but it would not require chaplains to have any training. They don’t need a degree. It felt ridiculous to me.”
Isabel Icard
Age: 35 years old
Work: Graduate student, writer
Location: Portland, Oregon
Leaving Texas: 2023 (Residing in Austin)
Years in Texas: 12
Reason for resignation: Harassment against transgender people
The biggest adjustment is that it’s okay to appear in public.
Nostalgic about Texas: “There aren’t any 24-hour places that serve chilaquiles for $6.”
“I started my medical transition in 2018, but even before that, I was clearly a queer person. Austin has a reputation for being a town full of weirdos and eccentrics, but I always felt completely safe. I was feeling it. In 2022, there was a sudden spike in people cornering me in public and shouting slurs at me from their cars.I cycled to work and had people follow me in their cars. .Portland is a very leftist city and has a very large transgender population.”
Annie (last name withheld)
Age: 40s
Job type: Higher education sector
Location: Queens, New York
Leaving Texas: 2022 (Residing in Austin)
Years in Texas: 17
Reason for withdrawal: Almost complete ban on abortion
Biggest adjustment: Parking is now harder to find.
Texas Nostalgia: Breakfast tacos and Port Aransas
“I got pregnant right after Roe v. Wade was overturned. I had to have very difficult conversations with my doctor about the quality of care I could expect if something went wrong. It wasn’t the kind of conversation I would want someone to have. I wasn’t satisfied with the way the doctor treated me. I wasn’t sure I was getting the quality of care I deserved.”
valinda bolton
Age: 65 years old
Occupation: Former nonprofit executive, former Democratic Texas House member
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Leaving Texas: 2024 (Residing in Austin)
Years in Texas: 65
Reason for leaving the party: Republican control of state politics
Biggest adjustment: cold
Texas nostalgia: breakfast tacos
“I was in the Texas Legislature from 2007 to 2011, where there was a pretty close divide between Democrats and Republicans, even closer than it was then. Many of us Democrats were forced out of office in 2010, and things haven’t gotten any better. North Carolina is far from a blue state, but we’ve only recently become purple. , we elected a Democratic governor twice in a row. I’ve never lived anywhere else but Texas. I wanted to do it while I could enjoy it.”
Josh Killian
Age: 45 years old
Work: Househusband
Location: Olympia, Washington
Leaving Texas: 2021 (lived in spring)
Years in Texas: 27
Reason for withdrawal: Almost complete ban on abortion
Biggest adjustment: “I’d be lying if I said the Mexican food here is better, because it definitely isn’t.”
Texas Nostalgia: Houston live music venues
“We were seeing increasingly strict laws being passed when it came to women’s health. My wife and I have a 12-year-old daughter. Ultimately, it would be irresponsible to continue raising children in that environment. I thought, “Maybe the good thing about the coronavirus pandemic was that I was able to work from home and move here without having to change jobs.”
Missy Grinnell
Age: 55 years old
Job: Hospice Nurse
Location: Seattle-Tacoma area, Washington
Leaving Texas: 2023 (Residing in San Antonio)
Years in Texas: 43
Reason for withdrawal: Almost complete ban on abortion
Biggest adjustment: “We’re so far north that it gets dark very quickly.”
I miss Texas: “I miss the people, my family and friends.”
“I won’t live in a place where I’m told I’m not an equal person under the law, that I don’t have the right to control my own body. If abortion were banned nationally, I’d leave the country. The most ridiculous thing for me is exactly how they want to remain in Texas. I mean, I’m a highly educated, highly paid professional. So what are you doing? You’re not just trying to keep me out of the state. I will do everything in my power to encourage all of my loved ones to leave the state.”
kate payne
Age: 43 years old
Job type: Brand strategist
Location: Lenox, Massachusetts
Leaving Texas: 2022 (Residing in Elgin)
Years in Texas: 18
Reason for leaving: Unauthorized carry (a 2021 law that allows most Texans to carry guns without a license or training) and a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender children.
Biggest Adjustment: Cold Winter in Western Massachusetts
Nostalgic place in Texas: Barton Springs
“I was furious after the 2021 Congress (which legalized carry without a permit) and there were so many school shootings and gun violence. In Massachusetts, where I live, most people agree with me that being valued, seen, understood, and cared for in the community is not the direction we need to go. I feel like it’s great.”
Samantha (last name withheld)
Age: 28 years old
Job type: Engineer
Location: Seattle area
Leaving Texas: 2024 (Residing in San Antonio)
Years in Texas: 28
Reason for withdrawal: Almost complete ban on abortion
Biggest adjustment: “This area is dense with trees, so there are spiders everywhere. They’re sitting outside my window right now.”
Texas nostalgia: Mexican food
“I’m finally in a place where I have access to comprehensive reproductive health care. I’m free to take care of myself and have no restrictions imposed on me.”
katie laird
Age: 42 years old
Job type: Project director at a consulting firm
Location: Denver
Left Texas: 2022
Years in Texas: 20
Reason for leaving: My transgender son needed gender-affirming medical care.
Biggest adjustment: Having to find a new school for my kids.
Texas nostalgia: “The support system of friends and family.”
“In February 2022, Ken Paxton wrote a legal opinion calling gender-affirming care child abuse, and shortly thereafter, Mr. Abbott called for an investigation into the abuse of parents of transgender children. We were investigated for child abuse for simply providing gender-sensitive care to teenagers. We knew people facing such nightmarish situations, and I couldn’t put my children through that. I had to tell my high school son that it’s time to walk away from his girlfriend and friends and everything you know and love. What to ask someone who is already being persecuted by the state legislature. I miss Texas, where it felt free and intense and where we could be ourselves.”
These interviews have been edited for clarity and length.
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