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Is Remote Working Causing an Exodus to the Exurbs? (apnews.com) 45

Posted by EditorDavid from the left-a-good-job-in-the-city dept.
Last year 30,000 people moved into central Florida's Polk County — more than to any other county in America. Its largest city has just 112,641 people, living a full 35 miles east of the 3.1 million residents in the metropolitan area around Tampa.

But the Associated Press says something similar is happening all over the country: "the rise of the far-flung exurbs." Outlying communities on the outer margins of metro areas — some as far away as 60 miles (97 kilometers) from a city's center — had some of the fastest-growing populations last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Those communities are primarily in the South, like Anna, Texas on the outskirts of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area; Fort Mill, South Carolina [just 18 miles from North Carolina city Charlotte]; Lebanon, Tennessee outside Nashville; and Polk County's Haines City... [C]ommuting to work can take up to an hour and a half one-way. But [Marisol] Ortega, who lives in Haines City about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from her job in Orlando, says it's worth it. "I love my job. I love what I do, but then I love coming back home, and it's more tranquil," Ortega said.

The rapid growth of far-flung exurbs is an after-effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Census Bureau, as rising housing costs drove people further from cities and remote working allowed many to do their jobs from home at least part of the week... Recent hurricanes and citrus diseases in Florida also have made it more attractive for some Polk County growers to sell their citrus groves to developers who build new residences or stores...

Anna, Texas, more than 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of downtown Dallas, is seeing the same kind of migration. It was the fourth-fastest growing city in the U.S. last year and its population has increased by a third during the 2020s to 27,500 residents. Like Polk County, Anna has gotten a little older, richer and more racially diverse.
The article points out that in Anna, Texas, "close to 3 in 5 households have moved into their homes since 2020, according to the Census Bureau."

Is Remote Working Causing an Exodus to the Exurbs? More | Reply

Is Remote Working Causing an Exodus to the Exurbs?

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  • Yes. Obviously. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by LindleyF ( 9395567 ) on Sunday November 17, 2024 @10:43AM (#64951891)
    You can afford more home and more land further out, so why not?

    • Re:Yes. Obviously. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by serviscope_minor ( 664417 ) on Sunday November 17, 2024 @10:47AM (#64951905) Journal

      There's fuck all around and you have to drive a lot to do anything or see anyone.

      You might not mind that or not want to see anyone, but you asked why and plenty of people want to do things and see people and don't especially relish driving.

      • but you asked why and plenty of people want to do things and see people and don't especially relish driving.

        Apparently you're wrong, because the article states these areas are the fastest growing areas in the country.

        • Both can be true at the same time.

          "People's preferences often conflict with each other, and housing, like everything, involves trade-offs... [youtu.be] People want more rooms and a backyard and their own walls, but they also want housing at a reasonable price so they can have money left over for other expenses. They want to live within a reasonable distance of work, and they want to live close to other amenities too, like transportation, parks, and services."

          And sadly, our children, who we have basically put under ho [medium.com]

      • You can find places that balance space and stuff to do.
        • Plus it's a question of what do you want to do. Not everyone wants to go clubbing in the city, a lot of people would rather balance the distance it takes me to get to shopping/groceries/etc.. and the distance it takes me to get to parks/hiking/dark sky stargazing, etc.

      • There's fuck all around and you have to drive a lot to do anything or see anyone.

        You might not mind that or not want to see anyone, but you asked why and plenty of people want to do things and see people and don't especially relish driving.

        The people you claim don’t especially relish driving, are the same people who waste an entire workweek every month commuting to “things”. Including work.

        Those who actually don’t relish driving, don’t fucking do it.

      • Moved to exurb in 2020. While it requires a car... I got a "dream house" for about 30% less than I would have paid "in town." The cost is a 7-mile trip to Starbucks, 20 miles to Costco... and the potential for an hour-long delay returning home due to the surfers or the turtles. I have a grocery store and food trucks within a quarter mile. To go drinking at a bar is 20 minutes on the city bus. The only real pain is it is an hour plus 30 minutes traffic buffer to the airport. It is not what I would have want

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by taustin ( 171655 )

        Next week, we'll have a story about all the people who moved to the boonies and hate it, and are moving back to the Big City for the very reasons you cite.

        Again.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by quonset ( 4839537 )

      You can afford more home and more land further out, so why not?

      Because it doesn't fit the narrative that people need to be caged like rats in cramped, overcrowded blocks of concrete, such as this [boredpanda.com], with high temperatures because of lack of greenspace. The narrative doesn't foresee people wanting to walk out their back door onto grass or lay out under their trees, which helps to keep temperatures down, and not bump into their next door neighbors every time they open the door.

      • Re: (Score:1, Offtopic)

        by ArchieBunker ( 132337 )

        Can you point on the doll where the narrative touched you?

      • While I'm sure you'll find a lot of people agreeing with your stance, would it also not be like that current pace of life is deemed not fun anymore? Living an hour, or one and a half hour of a large(r) city, it would seem to me, not insurmountable.

        But you'll have more room to do your thing. See more "untamed" nature happening around you on your lot. Having space to stroll around. Or have the whole family over and that not resulting in lots of infighting as everyone doesn't need to be in each other's proverb

    • The burbs are soulless and lonely and the peak of inefficiency.

      Why would I want so much house that my precious spare time is wasted on maintaining it?

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      You can afford more home and more land further out, so why not?

      Or just, afford any home! I'm a teacher, and a few years back had offers at a few elite independent schools. Most of them were in downtown of large cities. Couldn't possibly afford to live even with 30 minutes of the schools that were in Dallas or Baltimore. I would have totally ended up in places like Anna or Ennis if I chose Dallas, and... maybe somewhere in Pennsylvania had I chosen Baltimore?

    • the problem is you move to the middle of nowhere, buy a house and the job you've got goes away and suddenly you're stuck with a house and kids in school and the whole 9 yards and zero job prospects.

      Remote jobs are more common now, but they're not infinite. I've seen plenty of folks trapped in my shitty town back when I lived there, and moved to a bigger city for work. There's a reason why big cities draw people.

      The problem is our transportation network. It's not capable of supporting the population

  • Hove fun with those HOAs! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by dmay34 ( 6770232 ) on Sunday November 17, 2024 @10:46AM (#64951899)

    HOAs are great! You guys will love them! Imagine the worst most awful people on Nextdoor and now give them power to fine you and even repossess your home. You'll love it!

    Now... Home prices in the awful inner scary cities with no HOAs to protect your home values should drop aaaaaaaaany day now....

    • No, you have to go further out to find the No-HOA houses. Worth it, HOAs are trash.
    • Right, because they're so much worse than condo and apartment boards, lol.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by dmay34 ( 6770232 )

        I mean, at least condo/apartment boards make some sense. You are actually sharing spaces. HOAs exist only to give Karen's power over their neighbors. ... and racism. Of course suburban HOAs literally exist as a way to legally continue racial segregation.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by dmay34 ( 6770232 )

          Either way, if you aren't on your HOA's board (condo or suburban neighborhood) you are a fool.

    • What are you nattering on about? There are plenty of houses in the suburbs being sold without the onerous requirement of a tyrannical HOA. The last two homes I have purchased are literally 10 minutes out of town and have no HOA. I refuse to consider any property that has an HOA.

      Sure thereâ(TM)s an HOA in those developments where every third house is the same and theyâ(TM)re all built like shit by the lowest bidder. But that is not the only option out there.

    • Home prices in the awful inner scary cities with no HOAs

      The city council effectively becomes your HOA.

    • unless you're *way* out in the boon docks. Mega corps noticed that they could make a ton of money by taking over HOAs. John Oliver has a video about it. Scary stuff.

      Hell, mega corps are taking over trailer parks.

      And that's before you talk about NIMBYs. You can't really have high density housing when cars are involved. Build a 500 unite apartment where everyone needs a car and suddenly you've got all those people trying to go to work at once. NIMBYs know that so they fight against high density housin

  • It is the crime and parking, stupid... (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward

    One reason for urban flight is simple. Fewer drug-crazed people trying to kick down your door to rob your place, or come after you. Especially with the latest Tik-Tok craze of trying to kick down people's doors for views. Do you want your children playing near piles of syringes, or growing up with the word "strays" meaning bullets as opposed to a random puppy? Since many US cities do nothing to deal with crime, if not defunding police in order to ring a dinner bell for addicts to come and take up resid

    • Especially with the latest Tik-Tok craze of trying to kick down people's doors for views.

      Must be a localized thing. In a lot of places in the US, you do that and the last thing on the video would be the bullets about to pierce your chest.

    • How about Elvis shaking his hips on tv, scandalous!

  • Hmm, Lets see, Get out of town, away from the crowds of urban areas. Get away from housing developments that are just twisty tiny passages with houses all alike. Often run by Nazi inspired HOAs. Now move out, land, home that dont come out of cookie cutter. Neighbors that care or will leave you alone if thats what you want. A slower pace, more the likey a larger home for the same price. Hmm. Why would be move out of the city?
    • I suspect a lot of it is precisely neighbors that leave you alone. If you live close to people you have to somewhat do what they want you to do. If you have big dogs they will get scared and it won't be hard for them to force you to muzzle. If you want to take up blacksmithing, people will have the police on your doorstep because of the noise, etc etc. Out of the city you can do what you want to do.
  • Back to office suckers. Look at DFW area exurbs, they all free fall now, built too much, and demand is reversing.

    • Or there is actual supply, unlike pretty much everywhere except Florida and Texas.

      Needs more growth boundaries and government restricting expansion of government services and utilities.

  • Great! Let's bring new life to small town USA.

  • We've got choices, and that's good (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Balthisar ( 649688 ) on Sunday November 17, 2024 @11:53AM (#64952061) Homepage

    So not everyone wants to live in high density urban areas? People value different things? And they're able to act on their values? Good.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Roogna ( 9643 )

      This is exactly what I like to point out when people do that "But everyone needs space! And cities suck!"
      Just like there are people who want their 100 acres and to never see another person, there are also family's like mine where we adore the city. We've lived in suburbs, we've lived rural, and we've lived big city, and I will take the city every single time over anything else. In fact when we look at maybe moving we only even look at cities larger than our current one.

      Which is fine, choices are fantastic

  • I hear stories about those who bought a 2 hr commute away from the office during the pandemic. Some were told by upper management that full remote work was for reals here to stay. They made life affecting choices based on wishful thinking. Since then, employers have put on 3 and 4 day in-office mandates and have recently started to enforce them.

    The exurbs look less attractive unless you have an apartment in town (a pied-à-terre) to bunk for a couple of nights and a salary to afford that.

  • Not sure how true this is in the USA, but in Canada far-flung exurbs are about the only place near a major city where housing is remotely affordable. It's a trap, though... we're building massive car-dependent sprawl in a completely unsustainable way, and in 20-30 years time when all the infrastructure needs replacing or repairing, we're going to be in a huge financial hole. At that point, either the exurb property tax rates will skyrocket or they'll be left with crumbling infrastructure and become awful

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