EP 489 Americans on the Move in the Wake of the Pandemic

There are short and long term trends as it relates to migration across America.  For years, the south and the southwest have been gaining population while the Midwest and Northeast have been stagnant or losing ground.  And even in places like New York City, some tragic event or spate of bad governance may drive people away, but they are soon replaced by others.  And the factors involved in these moves are both personal and part of a larger story. In the wake of the pandemic many of these considerations have been scrambled.  If you are no longer tethered to an office, but can work remotely, that presents an array of options for you and you can focus on climate, cost of living and other elements of desirability. And while there’s clear evidence that places like Texas and Florida have made themselves havens for attracting businesses in the recent period, perhaps the winners in the next migration cycle will be those who can induce individuals to pick up and leave.  And some smaller cities are doing just that with cash incentives.  It’s a great topic for this podcast and we have a terrific guest, Steve Malanga, the senior editor of City Journal and George M. Yeager Fellow at the Manhattan Institute.           

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