A conservative Mexican family California To Idaho However, he found it difficult to “fit in” and faced “judgmental attitudes” and gossip, so he decided to return home.
Their stories resonated with many and highlighted the problems facing the conservative state, but some faced ridicule from their families for moving to a Republican state in the first place.
Despite Idaho’s attractive values and lifestyle, rising home prices have made it difficult to afford a home. From 2021 to 2022, Idaho was the most popular relocation destination for Californians, influencing demographic trends.
Conservative Latino family regrets moving from California to Idaho
In one popular TikTok video, a conservative Mexican family shares their experience of moving from California to Idaho for political reasons, only to eventually decide to return to California.
“After living in Idaho for three years, we decided to move back home,” the family said. “We wanted to move to a conservative state, but we also wanted to see what it meant to fit in.”
They continued, “It means we have to be critical. We have to gossip about others. We have to make our kids forget how to say please and thank you. We have to badmouth the new people who moved here in search of a better life.”
When asked why they initially moved from California, they said, “We left California because of politics, but we forgot that there were other politics to consider.”
The family’s confession drew mixed reactions on social media.
Many in the comments section related to this family’s story, with one person writing, “I moved to Idaho a few years ago and I feel the same way. Honestly, I don’t really talk to people here. You’re so right!”
“I want to move to California! I live in a very conservative state and I really hate it,” another commenter said.
A third added: “I feel the same way!! I moved from California 11 years ago and still feel the same way.”
However, some X users criticized the family for choosing to move to a Republican-leaning state.
“This video is super awkward and just attention seeking. Conservative content creators are my biggest pet peeve,” another wrote.
Another person said, “Wait, so they [have] They have lived under the illusion of inclusion, but Idaho has given them [are] Isn’t it white?
“Until you actually meet a racist conservative outside of California, you guys just wanna be conservative,” a third person scoffed.
Idaho has become a haven for conservative Californians
The Mexican family is one of many conservative Californians who have left the state for Idaho. Russell Petty, a 70-year-old lawyer who moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, from La Cañada, California, a few months ago, was amazed at how comfortable everything was.
“It’s really amazing,” Petty said. Independent. “It really is. First of all, the people are incredibly kind and polite. It’s like being transported back to another era.”
He likened his experience to the idyllic small town of Mayberry featured on the 1960s Andy Griffith Show. “For a while I thought they were making fun of me,” he added.
Another Californian, Brendan Kirkpatrick, 55, moved to Idaho because he was frustrated with California politics and was particularly concerned about the state’s handling of immigration and homelessness, which he felt represented a decline in law and order.
Kirkpatrick also praised Idaho for its lenient approach to mask mandates and COVID-19 restrictions. “It’s a combination of all of those things,” he said. “I don’t think it’s any one thing that’s causing it.”
Immigrants from California, Oregon and Washington who move to the Gem State are called “cattle.”
Migration of people from the West Coast to Idaho has become so common that the Gem State has earned it the nickname “the Cattle” (California, Oregon, Washington). Independent.
Jason Krafsky, a real estate agent with John L. Scott Boise, told the publication he moved to Idaho from Seattle in 2021 during the pandemic, attracted by real estate opportunities, and has helped many West Coast people relocate since then.
“I would say 70 percent of the people we know are from California and have moved here in the last five or six years,” Klafsky noted.
Real estate agents say their clients and new friends feel the California, Seattle and Portland they once knew have changed. And the reasons for the move aren’t just political: The economic fallout from the pandemic is also playing a big role.
“It’s mixed into the cake,” Kurafsky added. “I don’t know anyone who is saying, ‘It’s over,’ for purely political reasons.”
Idaho’s housing market is one of the most overvalued due to an influx of new immigrants
In 2021-2022, Idaho ranked among the top five destinations for Californians to relocate to, significantly influencing California’s overall demographic trends.
“They moved here because their values aligned here,” said Nicholas Kontos, chairman of the Bonneville County, Idaho, Republican Party. Independent.
But an influx of new immigrants has driven up housing prices, making Idaho less attractive.
By mid-2023, Idaho had one of the most overvalued housing markets in the country, but prices have begun to fall from their pandemic peaks.
“The housing market here is through the roof,” said former California resident Brendan Kirkpatrick. “Even if I sold my house in Southern California a week ago and moved here, I still couldn’t afford it.”
