May I have the envelope, please?

AND THE WINNERS ARE…!

Nothing in California, for starters.

[CUE: sad trombone]

And it’s going to take me all night to type out the Florida names. Destination cities-wise, we “DOMINATED.”

*flexes for effect*

Florida destinations dominated the U.S. growth cities list again in 2023, with the Palm Bay-Melbourne market netting the largest number of movers in one-way U-Haul® equipment last year.

The U-Haul Growth Index found seven Florida markets among the top 25 growth cities last year. It marks the seventh year in a row the Sunshine State has had the most cities represented. Florida had four markets among the top 25 in 2022, and a whopping 10 in 2021.

Ocala, the No. 1 growth city in 2022, backslides one spot in the latest rankings. The Sarasota-Bradenton market ranks fourth just behind Charleston-North Charleston (S.C.). Austin is the fifth-ranked growth city – the first of three top-10 Texas destinations along with the College Station-Bryan market and Dallas.

But it wasn’t just FL destinations, it was the states of FL and Texas – in fact, red states overall that were the big winners in the places-people-most-want-to-live to stakes.

Texas netted the largest number of movers in one-way U-Haul® equipment in 2023, marking the third consecutive year it has finished atop the U-Haul Growth Index.

Florida ranks right behind Texas among growth states for the third year in a row, followed by North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The states people-most-want-to-leave really weren’t any surprise to anyone still trapped there.

It’s only news to the incompetent, unctuous, verminous losers running them just how low on the totem pole they can fall.

…For the fourth year in a row, California reflected the largest net loss of one-way movers. Other bottom-five states for growth are Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois and Massachusetts. New York ranks 43rd.

WHAT – ME WORRY?

Texas keeps hauling them in…

…“The lower cost of living, taxes, for those companies obviously is a huge investment for them,” Hall said. “For the employees moving with them, obviously it is a pay increase because you’re not paying state income taxes on top of that and your property taxes are substantially lower here than some of these larger cities.”

…and, unsurprisingly, a Midwest state is losing people by the boatload. When you realize which one it is that has citizens packing U-Hauls and heading south, you immediately know that, unlike years past, it’s NOT the weather driving people out of state.

…The latest report is more proof that people continue to flee the Land of Lincoln. Illinois has lost 549,000 people in the past decade when adding up the annual population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Nor chasing them from a formerly glorious lakeshore metropolis, which is now a dangerous, decrepit and broken “Sanctuary City.” Who could resist the lure of much warmer, safer, less expensive climes?

How is Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson doing? In 2023, there was a 23% increase in robberies and a 37% increase in motor vehicle theft i.e. carjackings over 2022 figures and a 16% increase in crime over all. There was a 55% increase in overall crime since 2019. So is this what… pic.twitter.com/E5BTk9w2iQ

— Reporter William J. Kelly #thatreporter (@Williamjkelly) January 3, 2024

Not Illinois residents, I guess.

Voting with their feet and a trailer hitch.

JUST IN: Florida is (still) not giving back your U-Hauls @GavinNewsom pic.twitter.com/W95oPNOOV3

— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) January 3, 2024

I’ll be curious to see what the numbers look like next year, after a full year’s implementation of such quality-of-life, citizen-friendly gems as Newsom’s noisome medical coverage for illegals…

They are going to run out of U-Hauls again, aren’t they? https://t.co/xFXeUYdecc

— Dustin Grage 🐊 (@GrageDustin) December 30, 2023

…Pritzker’s insane bail and criminal code reforms, and Chicago being “all full up.”

It’s gonna cost a fortune to one-way rent one to get out of there pretty soon.

Plan your escape well in advance if you can.