Most people born in Virginia still live in the state, study says
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More than half of native-born Virginians just can't quit Virginia.
Driving the news: A new Dallas Fed study using U.S. Census Bureau data to measure states' "stickiness" found that 65.7% of people born in Virginia still lived here as of 2021.
Why it matters: The stickiest states tend to have better economic conditions, more job opportunities, lower housing costs and lower tax burdens, Dallas Fed wrote in its report.
- Virginia is right in the middle of the pack.
State of play: The states that keep the most residents, Dallas Fed learned, generally have warmer weather, which would explain the higher ranks for Arizona, Texas and the Southeastern U.S.
- But: Three of the top states are Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, where the weather isn't exactly a selling point.
Worth noting: While many native-born Virginians tend to stay, the state has been losing residents for nearly a decade, Cardinal News reports.
- Virginia had 32 residents per 1,000 leave in 2021, the 9th highest rate in the U.S., compared to being the 25th for the number of native-born folks who stay put, per the Dallas Fed.
So what makes people want to leave Virginia?
We scoured the internet to find out what folks say makes Virginia a meh place to live (read: pulled from the first page of Google results). Here's what we found:
- Referring to every flowing body of water simply as "the river" even though there are more than 40 in the state — and insisting on pronouncing it "rivah."
- Excess vanity plates;
- Being terrible at driving — and not using turn signals;
- Bleak winters with no snow — until there's suddenly snow and locals freak out;
- Also, summers and the humidity;
- Plus, fall and spring allergies.
Yes, but: There are plenty of things to love about living in Virginia according to the internet, and apparently only native-born folks appreciate them, including having all four seasons, history and culture; proximity to the ocean, mountains and the nation's capital; and being a (relatively) affordable place to live.
The bottom line: Virginia may be mostly for Virginians and we're just fine with that. We'll keep the rivah all to ourselves.
