Hundreds of Californians have been paid $10,000 to relocate to Oklahoma. Did they find paradise?

Los Angeles Times ^ | Aug. 15, 2025 3 AM PT | Hannah Fry

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Cynthia Rollins doesn’t hate California — far from it. The sun-drenched shores of San Diego, the vibrant desert oasis of Palm Springs and the hustle of San Francisco all held special places in the California native’s life story.

But in 2020 — at the height of the pandemic — Rollins’ typically serene Ocean Beach neighborhood became crowded with people desperate for an outdoor place to congregate. She couldn’t leave her 650-square-foot apartment without worrying about finding a parking spot when she got home. She was isolated working a remote job for a tech company, but still overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people around her.

Tulsa, Okla., had never been on her radar. But months earlier she read about a program, Tulsa Remote, that pays remote workers to relocate to Oklahoma’s second-largest city for at least a year. She decided to give it a shot and visit. By November 2020, Rollins was a full-time resident in the Sooner State.

Tulsa Remote has attracted more than 3,600 remote workers since its inception in 2019. More than 7,800 Californians have applied to the program and 539 have made the move, cementing California as the second-most popular origin state behind Texas. More Californians have moved to Tulsa through the program than those hailing from other coastal states such as Florida and New York.

Similar programs have popped up in Alabama, Kansas, Arkansas, West Virginia and other states looking to reverse population decline. The programs, which are a boon to small and medium-sized towns in the middle of America, highlight a troubling, years-long trend of Californians uprooting their lives and relocating to less expensive locations. The transition to remote work following the pandemic has made leaving the Golden State even easier.

From 2010 through 2023, about 9.2 million people moved from California to other...

[Jacquerie]

<>From 2010 through 2023, about 9.2 million people moved from California<>

That’s about 13 congressional districts. IIRC, CA lost one from the 2020 census.

PDJT is right to correct the corrupt tally.

[antidemoncrat]

The only problem is if the refugees bring their FU politics with them like I believe they did in Austin, Texas.

[pfflier]

Written by someone who has never experienced the cold fog that rolls in over San Diego. Pacific waters are cold, even that far south.

Weather forecase 360 days out of the year for San Diego:

"Late night and early moning fog and low clouds along the coast with partial clearing in the afternoon".

Lived there 12 years.

[Verginius Rufus]

The Bureau of the Census figures have California gaining more than 2 million residents between 2010 and 2020. Some of that may be excess of births over deaths. The rest (to balance people leaving) was probably illegal immigrants flooding into the state. Also homeless people from other states taking advantage of the milder climate in California.

[Verginius Rufus]

There’s a line in a country music song that goes: “I’ve never been to heaven, but I’ve been to Oklahoma.”

[Myrddin]

Written by someone who has never experienced the cold fog that rolls in over San Diego. Pacific waters are cold, even that far south.

I wasn't really sad about moving from San Diego to Pocatello. Bumper to bumper traffic, poorly maintained roads, crowded everything (stores, restaurants), high costs for everything. I was at my desk by 8 AM, but most days worked past 9 PM to avoid wasting time in traffic. I rode my Harley to work and put a seat cover on it. Getting off after sunset means a think layer of "dew" has settled. Easy to flick off with a cover. Nobody wants to sit on a wet, cold seat and ride 27 miles through traffic to get home.

I lived in Mira Mesa from 1983 to 2001. Prior to that, Chula Vista from 1963 to 1983. A couple brief excursions to Federal Way, WA, Norfork, VA and Springfield, VA in the 1964 to 1969 time frame.

This afternoon I was sitting in the backyard watching my pups in Pocatello, ID. I heard the roar of jet aircraft. I was reminded of my days in Mira Mesa. F/A-18 aircraft...Blue Angels practicing for the airshow in Twin Falls this weekend.

[Myrddin]

Paul Ryan was a real disappointment as a politician. Your link provides insight to what probably derailed his position as a conservation and cratered into a RINO.

[revivaljoe]

That area had really gotten nice - Bob Dylan’s collection is there w others - the downtown has really transformed itself

[Myrddin]

"Late night and early moning fog and low clouds along the coast with partial clearing in the afternoon".

Having lived there much longer than 12 years, you missed out on snow in Mira Mesa on Valentine's Day. Multiple Santa Ana events that attract the arsonists for "fire season". The "rainy season" starting in Nov with torrential rains, gulley washers that carry mobile homes from Dulzura to the ocean, mud slides in Tierra Santa (real estate on the move), the slip'n'slide freeways where just a little rain raises a slippery film of oil. It's a true paradise.

[fidelis]

There’s a line in a country music song that goes: “I’ve never been to heaven, but I’ve been to Oklahoma.”

Never Been To Spain - Three Dog Night

[Just mythoughts]

Paul Ryan was a ‘government’ welfare recipient long before he ever ran for Congress. CATHOLIC lying Ryan played the cards for himself ... however, time ran out on him being able to continue his lying scam of being ‘conservative’. He really never was.

[dznutz]

I remember news reports gushing about him as an up and coming republican. They showed him with his shirt off working out in a gym. Right then and there it raised red flags with me.

[Lizavetta]

Written by someone who has never experienced the cold fog that rolls in over San Diego. Pacific waters are cold, even that far south.

Ain't that the truth. June Gloom is a thing. The warmer it is inland the colder and cloudier it is at the coast.

[Just mythoughts]

I was totally fooled by him. I have relatives in WI and got to hear about the inner workings of WI Republicans, first hand inside WI it became clear lying Ryan was a total and complete fraud. I voted for this fraud. And later learned ‘money’ was the purpose of his being..

[dznutz]

And we had our Adam Kinzinger down here in Illinois.

[pfflier]

We lived in Mira Mesa, very nice community at the time. When we moved there from Lompoc/Vandenberg AFB it was a paradise compared to the Vandenfog we endured in Lompoc.

Mira Mesa was just far enough inland to have a very pleasant climate.

It probably wasn't the same snow but we have pictures from the 1980's with snow flakes falling but not sticking.

[SunkenCiv]

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[LouAvul]

Bynum allowed the addicts and alcoholics to take over the streets of Tulsa with his impotent, castrated mindset. He decided to do some research how to deal with it so, what's he do? He goes to Denver to learn how to deal with our "homelessness" issue.

But this current imposter is worse. Zero qualifications. Zero credentials. But, he's black and liberal and demoRAT. And that's all our new Kalifornia trash (as well as local liberal trash) need.

[minnesota_bound]

#6 Plus this guy lives there. If you have any trouble just get in touch with him.

[Sequoyah101]

All that is true Lou. I see Tulsa in a death spiral. The only thing I can see now to make it worse is to link up with the lib loons of NWA. 100 MILES IS TOO CLOSE TO BOTH OF THOSE CANCERS.