An analysis ranked Lynchburg, Virginia, as the best city in the country for millennials who want to relocate this year.
The analysis gathers data from a total of 325 U.S. cities and based its rankings on each city’s jobless rate, migration statistics, property crimes, and real estate prices. The results are quite surprising since no major city like Los Angeles, Miami, or New York City joined the top 10 list.
The Best and Worst Cities for Relocation
Harrisonburg joined Lynchburg as the only cities in Virginia that were the best places for moving millennials, according to the analysis. In Wisconsin, there were three cities that made it to the top 10 (Oshkosh-Neenah, Sheboygan and Wausau). The Lafayette-West Lafayette in Indian, Ames in Iowa, Jefferson City in Missouri, Grand Rapids in Wyoming-Michigan, and Fargo in North Dakota-Minnesota completed the top 10.
If you’re planning to move into a new home in the coming months, it may be better to narrow your list of destinations to at least three places. The cost of long-distance moving services is generally more expensive during the summer and fall seasons, when more people decide to leave their home states.
The Cities to Avoid
Almost all of the worst cities on the analysis are in California, where the cost of living and home prices have been steadily increasing. Those who still want to move to the Golden State should probably avoid Modesto, Yuba City, Fresno, and Salinas. The state is also a bad choice if you are avoiding high personal income taxes.
The income tax rate in California reaches up to 13.3%, while sales taxes are also high at 9.5%. These high rates are a good enough reason for residents to flee to other states with no personal income taxes, such as Nevada and Florida.
The 2 Types of Moving
By the time you already picked a city as your new home, remember that moving to another state may require you to open new bank accounts and update your health records, aside from just collecting all your possessions and hiring a professional mover to ship them.
If you are in a hurry to move within a few weeks because of an urgent job, or simply need to do so after selling your home or terminating your rental contract, you could start by asking quotes for long-distance moving services. Put some items in a box every day before the actual moving date once you book a moving company, as this will help save money from paying professional packing services.
Doing some storage and packing before the moving date will be useful since you also need to take care of personal matters. Those who will be moving with children and pets should already keep files in a safe place, along with financial records and updated contact details.
Whether or not you agree with the analysis’ best cities for millennials this year, an interstate migration will still need careful planning. If possible, avoid scheduling a move during weekends since rates are often higher regardless of any season.
