(The Center Square) – The Carolinas are first and fourth in a new report on the most sought-after states for relocation by American residents.
U.S. News & World Report said it’s “data on the top cities and states that U.S. adults have searched online this year shows the focus is primarily on areas in the South, Southeast, and West, as well as coastal regions across the country.” South Carolina was No. 1 and North Carolina No. 4 in a top 10 limited to Idaho (sixth) and Arkansas (ninth) west of the Mississippi River.
Tennessee was second, Delaware third, Maine fifth, West Virginia seventh, Alabama eighth and Mississippi 10th. The top 10, the magazine says, vary in climate, lifestyle and job opportunities and come together in consistency with “plenty of outdoor recreational opportunities.”
The report is based on total internet searches.
The Carolinas each check boxes for being coastal, having mountains and being in the South. The states in the bottom 10 were noted for the albatrosses of a high cost of living, extreme weather, population density and tax burden – again, areas where both of the Carolinas score well at the opposite end of the spectrum.
U.S. News & World Report said 16 of the top 20 searched cities are in the Sun Belt. South Carolina’s Bluffton (first), Myrtle Beach (third) and Greenville (eight), and North Carolina’s Winston-Salem (ninth) made the top 10.
