Jay Creighton, Dan Marvin, Melanie Hartmann
- Texas has been one of the most popular destinations for US movers in recent years.
- Business Insider asked three Americans why they moved to Texas and left their old states behind.
- Friendly tax policies, warm weather, and job opportunities convinced Americans to move.
Texas's population growth is surging, and there's no sign of a slowdown.
The Longhorn State is the second-most populated state in the country behind California, and it could take the crown in the decades ahead. While California's population declined in 2022, Texas' increased by 470,000, the most of any US state.
Texas's population boom has been fueled not only by Americans moving to Texas, but native-born residents not leaving. Eighty-two percent of Texans born in the state still resided there as of 2021, the highest rate in the US, according to an August Dallas Fed analysis.
People are moving to Texas — and sticking around — for a variety of reasons, including the state's warm weather, friendly tax policies, and plentiful job opportunities.
Business Insider asked three Americans who moved to Texas in recent years why they left their previous state — and why they decided to become Texans.
No state income tax and great food are perks of Texas
Dan Marvin
In 2022, Dan Marvin landed a remote job that would let him live anywhere in the US. The former Akron, Ohio resident said he explored the pros and cons of Florida, Arizona, the Carolinas, and Texas, but in the end, the Longhorn State won.
After roughly a year of living in Houston, Marvin said he's still happy with his decision. He said there are a few main reasons why.
First, Texas has no state income tax, which Marvin said immediately increased his post-tax earnings by roughly 7%. While Houston's sales and property taxes are greater than Akron's, according to Marvin, he said Texas still comes out on top in the tax department.
Second, he said Houston is a "foodie paradise" with every type of cuisine on the menu.
"It's all here," he said. "And it's all delicious because the competition is fierce."
He also said the weather is better in Texas — he ditched his snow shovel when he moved to the state — and that people are easy to get along with.
"Folks in Ohio are friendly once you get to know them," he said. "But people in Texas assume you're their friend until proven otherwise."
Marvin said the main downsides to Houston are the humidity, the traffic, and the relatively high housing costs.
Texas has job opportunities in a variety of industries
Jay Creighton had lived in Colorado for a decade, but in June 2022, a new job took him to Dallas, Texas.
"I was looking for a new opportunity, and I knew I would likely have to leave to find what I wanted," he told Business Insider.
For Creighton, the best part about Dallas is that it has job opportunities in a variety of industries, adding that the city has as many "big-city perks" as anywhere in the country. Since 2010, more than 175 companies have moved their headquarters to the North Texas area that includes Dallas.
The biggest downsides to Dallas, per Creighton: the traffic, heat, lack of a mountain landscape, and the relatively high living expenses.
Texas is accommodating of RVers
Melanie Hartmann, 37, had lived nearly her entire life in Baltimore, Maryland. But in January 2022, she and her family became residents of Livingston, Texas.
Maryland has high living expenses, while Texas has friendly people and mild winters, Hartmann said.
But the biggest reason she and her family chose Texas: is it's accommodating of her family's lifestyle as full-time RVers.
"For most states you have to spend more than half of the year within that state in order to claim it as your resident state," she said. "Texas is one that does not have a long requirement, making it more appealing for fulltime RVers."
Hartmann's family spends time in Texas but also travels across the US. Her children are home-schooled, and Texas has flexible "road-schooling" laws for residents who travel with kids. The lack of a state income tax is a plus as well.
Texas is also the home to the Escapees RV Club, which helps newcomers establish residency in the state.
"It's a service we pay for as full-time RVers so we have a valid address in Texas that allows us to claim Texas as our domicile," she said.
Have you moved to or from Texas in recent years and are willing to share your story? If so, reach out to this reporter at jzinkula@insider.com.