Why Residents are Leaving the Bay Area: Homelessness and Rising Costs
Many former residents of the Bay Area report finding improved quality of life and lower living costs outside the region, which has seen a surge in homelessness and skyrocketing housing prices.
“It’s a challenging place to live — the most expensive metro area in the country for consumer prices and home purchases. In a recent poll of Bay Area residents, nearly half indicated they are considering leaving in the next few years,” the East Bay Times reported.
One family that relocated to Idaho cited the growing homelessness issue as a significant factor in their decision. “The homeless situation in downtown Martinez was just getting out of hand,” said Ken Freeze. “Beautiful Marina Park was just littered with needles. People didn’t want to take their families down there,” he added.
In 2005, Freeze and his wife purchased several acres in Placerville, California, with plans to retire there. However, by the time they were ready to retire, they found that the state had changed too much for their liking. They opted to exchange the Sierra Nevada foothills for those in Idaho, settling in Meridian, a rapidly growing suburb of Boise. The couple first visited in August 2017 during the total solar eclipse and were impressed by the good condition of the roads and the affordability of housing.
However, the Freezes are not alone in their migration. “In the short time we’ve been here, areas that were once open fields are now filled with apartment complexes and buildings,” Freeze told the East Bay Times. “I’d just like to see them pull back the reins a little bit and let the infrastructure take a breath.”
Another couple from the Bay Area felt the pinch of rising housing costs and found prices elsewhere too appealing to ignore. They purchased a house in Phoenix and now pay less for their mortgage than they did for a one-bedroom apartment in San Bruno. “It came with a pool, palm trees, and a view of the mountains. You can’t get all that in California anymore, unless you’re Elon Musk,” joked Jared Troutman.
A family from Oakland moved to the South, describing their former home as feeling like a “third-world country.” “I didn’t want to wait until everything got worse than it already was,” said Mary Ezell-Wallas. “Living in Oakland was stressful every day and night,” she added.
Ezell-Wallas, who spent nearly four decades as an Oakland resident and ran a beauty parlor in the 90s, reminisced about the city’s vibrant downtown shopping scene. “We could get anything we wanted real fast. I thought Oakland was one of the greatest places there was,” she said, reflecting on the changes she has witnessed over the years.
As former Bay Area residents find solace and affordability in new locales, their stories highlight the ongoing challenges of living in one of the most expensive regions in the country.
