Free Republic

Population trend reversing course for 1st time since '98. For the first time since 1998, the people who relocated from California to other states outnumbered those who migrated in from other states, according to a report released by the state's Department of Finance on Thursday. California, which had a population of more than 37 million in 2005, had a net loss of 28,565 people to other states during the fiscal year that ended July 1, according to report estimates. A department analyst said the loss can't be blamed on a mass exodus similar to one that the state experienced before...

Survey cites it as major reason 2 of 5 residents consider leaving. You're not the only one dreaming of ditching the Bay Area for a Midwestern college town or a coastal city in the Southeast. Two out of five residents of the nine-county region have given serious thought to moving away -- mostly because of high housing costs, according to a survey released today by a business and public policy group. The Bay Area Council's annual poll found that concerns about housing ranked as the region's second-most-vexing problem, behind transportation woes. Even with some recent cooling in the local...