Young people don't move as much as they used to, a trend the New York Times called the "Go-Nowhere Generation." But whereas the Times went searching for clues in psychology and culture, we did our best to pin the answer on math and economics. You responded with hundreds of amazing comments that revealed a population that is still, in fact, going somewhere.
Getting around is cheap. Moving is expensive. It requires money (which is tight) and jobs (which are few). The most popular places to rent are getting prohibitively expensive. The cheapest homes are in the suburbs of the Sun Belt, left abandoned many miles of road (and tanks of gas) away from work.
We received hundreds of comments and testimonials from readers on moving in America. Here are the stories of the non-movers. And here are the stories of the movers:
THE 'HUNKER-DOWN' GENERATION
'Priced out of San Francisco'
My girlfriend and I moved from San Francisco to Berkeley after getting priced out of SF. Because of the housing crash and the second tech bubble, rent in SF has sky rocketed. I haven't seen any official data, but it seems like the going rate for a 1-bedroom is around $2,300. I work as an editorial manager and she's a teaching artist, but $2,300 is just too much. When looking for an apartment in the East Bay, we looked at both Berkeley and Oakland, but settled on Berkeley. - Patrick Castrenze
'THE COST OF LIVING IS GOING TO DROWN US'
My husband and I just found out we are expecting our 3rd child so we're moving to the middle if nowhere Kansas from Los Angeles. I already have one kid in private school because public is horrible and the cost of living is going to drown us. We bought a house for 15k in kansas, we couldn't rent for a year for that here. Wish us luck! - Charlotte Elyse Whittaker
'I am lucky'After graduating from the
University of Oregon last June, I moved from Portland to Los Angeles to
try and find a job in the entertainment industry. At the time that I
left, Portland had a burgeoning entertainment industry of its own
(thanks to a number of tax incentives
created to draw thrifty film crews to shoot in Oregon), but I opted to
move to LA because I felt that the job prospects would be better and,
more importantly, I specifically WANTED to be further away from where I
grew up.
'It's not about reluctance to move, but a lack of purpose'
It's not that I don't get along with my parents; we
get along great and they've been very supportive of my decision to move.
I just wanted to get out and see the world while I'm still young and
unattached.
I've had fairly steady freelance work as a
production assistant in the 8 months since I've moved. I've also had my
fair share of loneliness and general angst trying to get set up as an
adult in a completely new place, but I don't regret my decision at all
because at the end of the day, I'm doing what I've always wanted to do. - Truman Capps I'm 53 and have moved four
times between three U.S. coasts over 30 years, but I moved FOR a job,
not to get a job that might or might not be there.
FROM MY PARENTS IN VIRGINIA TO THE PLAINS OF MONTANA
It's that simple. It's not about a reluctance to move, it's about a lack of purpose to move.
In large part, young people move, and have moved to advance their
careers, or their spouses career - both jobs and spouses are in short
supply. - Bob Foolery
Carrying all my possessions across 2,000 miles of prairie may sound
like a Steinbeck-ian pursuit of a better life, but it really was
desperation, to take any job that would have me, even if it meant hiding
myself away on a dusty frontier. The damn place doesn't have a Taco
Bell.
I plan to be a moving young adult for those charts again in
another year, hopefully to a place that doesn't think falafel is some
brand of waffle-mix.
'I FOUND A JOB 2,000 MILES FROM MY HOME'
Using the money I saved in Korea, I'm paying for school and the
downpayment on a condo. My parents are signing for me and my fiancée in
order to bring the interest rate down to 3.25%. A two bedroom apartment
in and around Boston is $1,500 to $2,500 but with a 3.25% interest on
the condo and I'll only pay $1,500.
I am lucky enough to have
had a full tuition scholarship (so no debt), left the country (and saved
a lot), returned with jobs, and have parents who helped me to signed a
condo. - Kevin ThaiWhen I graduated from
college, I moved to Japan to teach English. I ended up living in South
Korea and France after that, teaching English and paying off debt.
The cost of living is going to drown us'
I moved back to the US for graduate school right after the economic downturn. I
could not find a job after graduation, moved in with my parents, and
worked part-time as an admin assistant. Finally, I found a job 2,000
miles away from my home state. Moving without a job, but with tens of
thousands of dollars in debt, would have been highly irresponsible. When
I took the train through North Dakota in order to get to my new job, I
got to hear about lots of disappointments from recent migrants.
I should add that while I got my license when I was 16, I've never
owned a car. However, I it hasn't affected my mobility; I've been to
most of the states, lived in four cities in the US, and had extra pages
stapled in my passport to hold all of the visas. - Marielle BrownI moved overseas after
college and never went back. Five countries and nearly 10 years later,
I'm still not going back. Many Americans don't realize it, but there are
plenty of growing economies in the world with opportunities to be had,
many in countries with much better
healthcare, social services, and political situations than the US. As a
member of the internet generation, it seems absurd to me that I should
be locked into working full time in one place for a big company just to
get health insurance - why would I do that when I can live abroad and
have a lot more flexibility to move around, work freelance or part time,
and not have to worry about life's basic necessities as long as I earn a
decent income? I've also been able to learn two foreign languages and
have countless amazing experiences. There are many options for young
people to move abroad, from working holiday visas to teaching English to
the Peace Corps. It's a big world out there, go see it! - Alanna Krause
The cost of living is going to drown us'I second what Alanna said. I
moved to Brazil seven months ago and am very happy with my choice.
However, I don't think it's nesscarily the right option for everyone. I
don't mean to suggest that she was implying that either but I just wanted
to add that there is aslo a lot to be said for staying where you are
and helping to improve it. The problem I found was that real chance
comes slow. Having the time to wait on the world around you to change is
not always a luxury that not everyone can afford. Sometimes there are
no parents' basements to boomerang back to and relocating becomes a
matter of survival. - Chesney Hearst
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.