Top Cities People Are Moving to During the Pandemic

Nobody expected this whole mess.

It all started from a seemingly harmless exchange of goods at a Wuhan market back in December 2019. From a no-named illness that people mistook for an ordinary cold, COVID-19 has evolved into a frightening pandemic that’s taken over.

With more than a million people dead, COVID-19 is no laughing matter. The trauma and scare it brings have significantly affected daily life. Education, work, entertainment, and recreation are restricted, if not completely frozen in many parts of the world.

But if you think that lockdowns and quarantines have shut down relocation and migration, then you’re wrong. In fact, USPS has noted a 4% increase in address change requests in 2020 compared to 2019.

In light of this, here are the top cities people are moving to in these troubled times.

Which City Experienced the Most Moves?

New York City has the highest number of moves and has experienced a significant population shift as people have moved out of the city in recent months.

Viewed as a hub for trade and entertainment, New York City’s population has always been dense, making social distancing difficult to practice. After becoming an epicenter of the pandemic, it’s only understandable that people are fleeing the area.

Top Cities People Are Moving To

To escape the virus’s threats and take advantage of working from home in a cheaper area, many people are moving to less populated areas with lower living costs. These cities are some of the most popular cities among people relocating:

Raleigh, NC

North Carolina’s capital continues to overflow with positivity and energy despite the country’s grave situation. The booming tech industry attracts a lot of migrants looking to work within the comfort of their homes. Couple that with the affordable cost of living (30% lower than the national average), and you’ll understand why Raleigh is on the rise.

Austin, TX

Despite Texas having the highest number of COVID cases, Austin has implemented strict protocols that have managed to minimize and control the number of infections. In addition to a thriving tech industry, a progressive culture, and a moderate climate, Austin residents enjoy living in a no-income tax state. These cheap movers in Austin say they’ve been flooded with requests for moving quotes, especially for cross-country moves from New York and California, two of the most popular states for Austin transplants.

Bloomington, IN

The college-town vibes and ample recreation opportunities made Bloomington an attractive place to call home before the outbreak started. On top of that, the median home cost is 17% lower than Illinois’s average and 77.8% of Bloomington households spend less than 30% of their income on housing. Now Bloomington is experiencing an influx of newcomers who are coming to take advantage of the perks of living in this small city.

Jersey City, NJ

Jersey City has become a favorite spot for people moving out of New York City who can’t afford to move far away. The local government has made it mandatory to have incoming individuals tested and quarantined first before letting them in to ensure residents’ health and safety. Once you’re approved to live in Jersey City, you can look forward to lower housing costs and a thriving arts and culture scene, just a short commute from Manhattan (if your office ever reopens!).

Portland, OR

Though Portland has been particularly stern when it comes to precautionary measures and control methods, the city still offers access to the great outdoors. From nearby Mount Hood to the Columbia River Gorge, there are plenty of places to breathe fresh COVID-free air. Join the thousands of COVID refugees flocking to this hipster-friendly city in the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle Metro Area

Honestly, it’s difficult to recommend a major city since such places are often a hotspot for COVID-19 cases. But Seattle is an exception. Thanks to the effective healthcare measures, the local government has managed to keep the COVID death count to only 6,500. On top of this reassuring statistic, Emerald City’s robust economy offers plenty of job opportunities. It’s not a surprise why many flocks to the metro during these tough times. And if you find the city proper to be too expensive, you have various options nearby. Everett, in particular, located 30-minutes north of Seattle, provides a perfect balance between affordable living, recreation, and big-city amenities. If you ever plan to call it home, check out this list of the best neighborhoods for moving to Everett WA.

Why Are People Moving During The Pandemic?

Now that you know where people are moving, it’s time to understand why.

According to a study published in June by a Pew Research Center, many factors that drive people to relocate are connected to the pandemic.

After surveying almost 10,000 U.S adults, this is the information they’ve gathered so far:

  • 28% say the reason they moved is to reduce their risk of contracting the virus.
  • Another 23% say it was because their college campus closed.
  • 20% say they wanted to come home and be with their family.
  • An additional 18% say that their driving factor was financial – either job loss (8%) or other money-related reasons (10%).
  • The remaining 9% didn’t respond to the options stating they had different reasons for moving.

Conclusion

In general, the people who moved didn’t necessarily relocate far away from their cities. Most are laying low in the suburbs and exurbs, waiting for the pandemic to pass. According to USPS’s data, most of the moves done in 2020 are requests for a temporary change of address. This means that many migrants are planning to return to their homes once this pandemic is over.

If you’re planning to relocate, make sure to do your research in advance regarding your potential city’s protocols.

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Ways to Save On Your Next Cross Country Move

Moving across the country can be both an exciting and scary experience. While there may be tons of new adventures waiting for you ahead, you may have fears of the unknown. Furthermore, the moving process can be somewhat costly. If you are moving across the country, you may be expecting to pay a higher amount for your moving costs. However, there are a few ways you can keep the costs of your big move relatively low. To ease your mind on the journey, here are a few tips from Kips Cross Country Movers that will help you save money.

Transporting Your Belongings

One of the most significant aspects of moving is transporting your household belongings. Before you begin the moving process, you may want to devise a foolproof plan to get your items to their new destination. There are a variety of ways to transport your belongings that you may want to consider:

  • use a freight trailer
  • rent a trailer
  • rent a Uhaul
  • ship your belongings

While each of these transportation options has a variety of benefits, you should select the one that best suits your needs. If you don’t have a lot of stuff to transport and are looking for a cost-efficient option, consider renting a portable moving container that you can hitch to your car. On the other hand, if you have a lot of items to transport, it may be more cost and time-efficient to move your things with a freight trailer.

Hiring Some Help

Enlisting the help and support of others can help save a lot of time and money during your moving process. There is a multitude of companies that commits to ensuring a hassle-free moving experience. These companies come fully-equipped with all the necessary tools to make sure all of your belongings safely make it to your new destination. It is recommended that you obtain quotes from three different companies before making a selection.

While these companies may charge for their assistance, you can also enlist the help of family and friends to further cut down on costs. While you may have to work around other people’s schedules, you can rest assured that the job will still get done.

Another option you can consider is hiring moving labor. This labor-only option allows people to hire a helper on their move. If you are looking for low costing help assist you with packing or unloading your possessions, consider hiring a moving laborer.

Having Your Company Pay for Your Move

If you are relocating for a new work position, you may want to inquire about your company’s relocation policy. Many companies have a relocation policy that will either pay for all or a part of your big move. You may want to consider speaking with someone in your human resources department before you begin the moving process. These policies will help you save a lot of money on your move. If your company has a relocation policy, be sure to keep all your receipts for documentation of your expenses.

Tactics Professional Moving Companies Use to Make Moving In Speedier

So you’ve packed up your house, and you’re planning to move across the country. Even though you hired movers, you’re worried that it may still take a while to get things settled, and you’re wondering if it’s also worth it to bring along that heirloom Wurlitzer piano your mother-in-law left you. How can you be sure that the moving company will be quick and efficient, making sure that everything gets to the destination quickly and safely? Here are five techniques moving companies use to expedite the moving process.

1. Organization is Key

The first thing that movers try and do is establish an organizational scheme for your move. It is a pretty straightforward system, and they accomplish it by packing away items from each room nearby one another. For instance, if the movers pack up the living room first, the couch, television, and other pieces will all be in the back of the truck, while everything from each bedroom will be together. It’s not always the best strategy for space, but when removing items from the vehicle, entire rooms get moved into position rapidly.

2. Furniture Disassembly

This one seems obvious, but it is a lot easier to move disassembled furniture. At the origin and destination, the movers have a team of individuals focused solely on disassembling and assembling furniture, so that the other group can concentrate on packing and unpacking the house as quickly as possible.

3. Packing Clothes Together

Another seemingly obvious one, but it’s more than even just packing them into boxes. Cheap Movers Baltimore, a cross country mover in Baltimore, MD, says movers will take an entire rack of clothes, hangers and all, and wrap them in plastic wrap so that they are immediately able to put them back when they arrive at the destination. They take many precautions with clothing, but they are incredibly efficient when packaging them up, taking up little space, and being able to pack and unpack in very little time.

4. Packing Seasonally

Skilled professionals will pack away all of your lesser-used items first – seasonal decor, clothing, and similar things. By doing this, they can keep the least essential items packed away longer, and can spend appropriate time on the necessary pieces.

5. Packing Boxes Efficiently

According to the pros at U-Haul, by putting heavier items on the bottoms of boxes and filling them enough to support structural integrity without overfilling them, movers establish a structure that allows for high stacking and tight filling. It helps them to fill the space in the truck as efficiently as possible. It also ensures that boxes aren’t overfilled or too heavy.

If you’re moving, look into finding a qualified professional moving service, because they have much more experience in this area. Don’t hesitate to reach out and ask for prices and estimated timelines. Moving is a stressful event, and doing it by yourself is even worse. It helps to have experienced workers take care of the heavy lifting, literally, for you. They can also guide you with what things to bring separately and what to leave behind altogether.

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