[ex-Texan]

Must have something to do with home prices being too high. Real estate speculators drive up prices, and people move away in search of greener pastures.

[newconhere]

Bingo. They can buy quite a house in Texas. Why aren't you in Texas anymore? Ex?

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

As housing values increase, taxes increase. To the point where most people can no longer afford to own a house. They have no choice but to leave.

Some people are paying over 10 K per year in personal property taxes. If you buy a new moped or a small 2 person boat, the PP taxes on them are almost as much as the value of the property. I've even heard that in some places, if you build yourself a barbecue in your back yard, you have to declare it and you'll pay through the nose.

[xusafflyer]

The housing market is being inflated by speculation buyers. USA Today Article - Real estate continues to cool.

Unfortunately, it does not have the chart like the paper article does. California (and the other teal colored states in your map) are going down and the light shaded states (espeically IN, OH, and MI) are going up since 2005.

My wife and I moved to Indiana from So California 2.5 years ago. Best decision we ever made. The standard of living is much higher, less traffic, crime, crazy liberals running the state in the ground, and its a shall-issue CCW state (that just passed a lifetime CCW bill).

My brother in law left California last year for Texas (Dallas suburb called Flower Mound).

We skipped the SW/Mountain states for that very reason. Too many other Californians moving there.