Westward, No?

Westward migration in the U.S. seems to be slowing, as jobs dry up overcrowding begins pushing people away.

1 minute read

September 25, 2009, 11:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"After two centuries of westward expansion, with California being a choice settling spot (there was no more continental west, after all), general U.S. migration patterns now are changing.

It seems parts of the West have become what the settlers were leaving: too crowded, too expensive and lacking in opportunity.

The general pattern reversed over the last decade, with the main out-migration occurring in California, according to a study released Wednesday by the University of Kansas School of Business."

These trends are based on data through 2006.

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