SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) – The number of people packing up and moving out of the Bay Area just hit its highest level in more than a decade.

Carole Dabak spent 40 years living in San Jose and now she’s part of the mass exodus that is showing no signs of slowing down.

The retired engineer’s packing up and calling it quits about to move to the state of Tennessee.

“I loved it here when I first got here. I really loved it here. But it’s just not the same,” Dabak said.

Of course people come and go from the Bay Area all the time, but for the first time in a long time, more people are leaving the Bay Area than are coming in. And the number one place in the country for out-migration is now, right here.

ALSO READ: No Olympic Truce For US, North Korea In Pyeongchang

Russell Hancock with Joint Venture Silicon Valley said, “Silicon Valley has been this place that is growing. And it was mostly growing because…people relocating here and relocating from other parts of the world. That’s changing.”

Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s own study of the out-migration says workers are moving to Sacramento, Austin, and Portland due to a number of factors. But topping the list is the high cost of housing.

ALSO READ: California Officials, Protesters Fight Offshore Drill Plans By Trump Administration

“You can’t even contemplate getting into the housing market here,” Hancock said. “And I don’t mean just service workers, I mean highly skilled professionals. The tech elite are having a hard time affording reasonable housing in Silicon Valley. So this is difficult, this makes it very difficult for employers trying to recruit.”


ALSO READ: Prison For Central Valley Teen Who Streamed Fatal Crash

Dabak cites crowding, crime and politics as the reasons for her own exodus.

“We don’t like it here anymore. You know, we don’t like this sanctuary state status and just the politics here,” she said.

She plans to sell her home for about $1 million, buy a much larger place near Nashville for less than half that and retire closer to family and friends.

Nationwide, the cities with the highest inflows, according to Redfin are Phoenix, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Nashville.

Comments (176)
  1. Jordan Gosz says:

    I’d have to say I agree with the sentiment that San Francisco is a terrible place to live, but I come at this from a very different angle than most of the comments above. I have lived here for 2.5 years.

    Federally I am rather Libertarian because it is the only party that openly embraces reductions in military spending. However on a local and state level, I can be on board with a much bigger role for government.

    I have lived in New York City, Toronto, and Madison, WI – a ll very progressive cities with their own share of problems. They do seem to have gotten a lot of things under control, unlike San Francisco which is letting their issues fester – such as homeless/mental illness/drug addiction problems, traffic, and housing costs.

    From that perspective, it is shocking to me that the most prosperous region in the richest state in the richest country in the world has such problems. These problems are not related to immigration and other hateful comments mentioned above, but in my opinion due to two factors:

    1) Complete dysfunction in city government and lack of interest from citizens. We have had 3 mayors in the past 2 months, and no one talks about this. There is no interest in the political system either because the people I associate with (I am in biotech) have enough money to not care about the city getting its’ act together to solve these problems, or the system is just so broken it doesn’t even matter who’s running the show

    2) The real problems don’t affect the types of people who would typically be vocal about civic issues. You have the old guard that is either self wealthy and own property pre-Prop13, have rented so long they are paying next to nothing due to rent control, or are making $175k+ because they work for a company that pays these salaries as standard, and don’t care that a modest apartment in a dangerous neighborhood goes for $2300/month. Anyone who doesn’t fit into one of these groups struggles to live comfortably, but we’re in the minority.

    The benefits of a “progressive” city in my mind are things like great cycling infrastructure, a great and efficient public transit system, a city that takes care of its’ vulnerable and less fortunate, among other aspects. San Francisco has none of these, and does not appear to have any interest in fixing it.

    So to summarize – I agree with most of these comments, but the fact we have a large Hispanic problem could not be further from the truth of the root cause. If you don’t live here, you have no right to make general statements that our immigration policies are causing these problems – they’re not.

    1. jsolbakken says:

      Dude, the issue is not “Hispanics.” The issue is the lawlessness and anarchy fostered by illegal aliens of all types and varieties. If you really are a “libertarian,” and if you also have a functioning brain, and eyes to see what is right in front of your face, you would know that all these illegal aliens are NOT NOT NOT “libertarians,” and NEVER EVER EVER will be. Illegal aliens foster the growth of government like nothing else in the universe ever possibly could. All the free housing, but especially the free housing for the millions of illegal aliens, are what is behind the warping and perverting of the cost of housing for all the people who don’t get subsidized and have to pay the full rate for their own housing.

  2. I left San Jose for Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 2011 (after 39 years in the once-Golden State). One of the smartest things I’ve ever done. The, ahem, more challenging weather, is not as big a deal as you think it’s going to be. It’s actually kinda intriguing, having four bona fide seasons.

  3. Don Rhudy says:

    Democrats have pretty well destroyed California. I know people who attended my high school, settled in California, and when they reached retirement age returned to Oklahoma and Texas to live off the outrageous profits they made when they sold their ordinary homes. They got the best out of California when it was good and got out when it began to go to hell.

  4. What’s so infuriating about this is all the people leaving are the very same people who voted for all this insanity. So now, like a virus, they bring their big liberal socialism mentality to other states so they can ruin those communities as well.

  5. sheilach2 says:

    I left the Sunnyvale area when a MACHINE took my job!
    Now let’s see those businesses who replaced their workers with machines get those machines into their shops to patronize their business.
    Lot’s of luck with that!
    Those machines also don’t pay TAXES, they don’t buy food, they don’t need to shop, they don’t need to pay RENT, they just KILL OUR JOBS!

  6. Scot Kelly says:

    The adage declares; “What goes on in California occurs throughout the USA 20 years later.” I fled my home state in 1992 and leaving California I re-entered the USA. Moved to the middle of the USA and 5 years later the illegals began filling South Omaha and the crime rose and the garbage filled the streets and disposable diapers were strewn every and anywhere. Latino gangs arose and that section of town became uninhabitable for decent folks.

    The same is hitting North Carolina HARD along with other, many other locales across the USA. Folks, the USA of yore is dying. The diversity and multiculturalism forced and allowed to be upon We, the People by tyrannical elites ensures wealth and power flows relentlessly to a tyrannical ruling elite and their well-paid lackeys in government and elsewhere. I fear it is the beginning of the end.

  7. The same liberal elites who force regular non-elite citizens to go without guns have armed bodyguards. The same liberals elites who fight against the border security issues (walls or other enhanced measures to stop illegals) live in private gated enclaves where the illegals they want crossing our southern border aren’t welcome unless they are a maid or gardener or cook.