Newcomers from California & Florida responsible for Nashville growth

More than one in 10 out-of-state movers last year were from these two states, according to data from the Internal Revenue Service, adding more than 5,400 people to the area’s population. The newcomers include young families in search of a place to get on their feet, mid-career professionals looking to slow the pace, and retirees hoping to escape overpopulation. The Midstate’s charms include good weather, moderately priced housing, relatively low property taxes, traffic levels, and last but not least, friendly people with appealing values wanting to know their neighbors. Expansion Management magazine named Nashville as the country’s best place to relocate a business and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance cited Nashville as the nation’s smartest city.

The largest groups of newcomers come from densely urban areas that are growing even faster than Nashville. Southern California, Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County were among the top places of origin for newcomers to Tennessee according to tax returns. Those counties were also among the top in the nation for traffic delays, according to federal highway officials. The average person living in the Los Angeles area spends 50 hours a year in traffic more than twice as many as Middle Tennessee residents. Nashville newcomers from Florida tended to come from Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Fort Lauderdale. Areas which have suffered from runaway growth and rapidly rising real estate prices. With the move to Nashville, big city exiles are experiencing an increase in their quality of life.