RealTalk Poll: Are People Moving to Dallas Because of Our Climate?

Not too long ago, an uprooted Californian wrote an op-ed that grew legs and went Business Insider viral on how awful the climate (and more) in Texas is. The chap had moved to Austin. He wrote it was damp, buggy, hot, and everything was always wet. He also didn’t like the drivers, schools, housing prices, taxes, and culture.

This was before the California fires made life in Northern California almost unbearable last summer, before insurance companies started pulling back from insuring California homes, and before this week’s fires in New Mexico.

Climate change is affecting one in 10 homes in the U.S.

Are people moving to Dallas for a better climate?

Now an article in Forbes says 30 percent of Americans are moving in 2022 because of climate change and COVID-19.

CoreLogic’s recently published Climate Change Catastrophe Report found that 14.5 million homes were impacted by natural disasters in 2021, which amounts to one in 10 homes in the United States. These disasters collectively caused $56.92B in property damage. These natural disasters include hurricanes ($33B in property damage), wildfires ($1.46B in property damage), severe weather like tornadoes, hail and wind events ($7.46B in property damages) and winter storms ($15B in property damage), which have rocked the nation more prevalently than ever.

The report also found that winter storms affected a record number 12.8 million homes, particularly in southern states like Texas, hitting unprecedented levels in 2020 and 2021.

We all know about the winter storms, and we know too well about tornadoes. That white tent you see at the corner of Royal and the Dallas North Tollway is the temporary Preston Royal Fire Station.

So our question for you: Are people moving to Dallas for a better climate? Answer below!

I mean, tornadoes happen here, but we are at the bottom of tornado alley. I grew up with tornadoes in Chicago. I also grew up with sub zero winters. We don’t have a coast, which could be an advantage. Plus, few forests to burn up:

“Oregon state was experiencing some of the worst fires in the decade. I was working outside at that time, so I had to constantly wear a respirator when they were in shortage due to Covid-19 because otherwise, it was almost impossible to breathe,” (Alexander) Pyslarash said. “It wasn’t the first year with poor air quality in the region, so my wife and I decided to relocate—at least partially—to Florida.”

Pyslarash, a California native, moved from Oregon to Florida. He and his wife wanted a place with less rain until the fires became the last straw: at one point he and his wife were forced to drive to Idaho to stay with friends for about a week, to breathe.

So do tell, are people really moving here as part of climate migration?