An $81,000 house in Oklahoma City
In a reversal to the great "Grapes of Wrath" exodus, USA Today is reporting Los Angeles residents are moving to Oklahoma, lured by low unemployment rates and affordable homes. Better tell the kids to start packing. The story interviews Hollywood producer Neal Nordlinger who moved, and is now running a software firm in Oklahoma. "It's a dream here," he tells the paper. "The selling price of a house here would not be the down payment on a house in L.A. ... People in L.A. do something for you because there's something in it for them. Here, they genuinely want to help you succeed." Jobs are also moving, and Boeing moved from from Long Beach to the state. Here's one exec: "Mike Emmelhainz, who directs Boeing operations in Oklahoma City, says his neighbors welcomed his family with a fried-chicken dinner when they moved here last year. What's more, he says, "I'm not spending what little free time I have in traffic." The piece goes on to extol the economic virtues of Oklahoma (who wants to guess this story is a PR pitch by the local chamber of commerce), while also admitting schools in Oklahoma aren't very good. And finally: "The median sales price of an existing single-family home in Oklahoma City was $150,000 last quarter — and $340,000 in Los Angeles, according to the National Association of Realtors." Above is a home in Oklahoma City that's asking $81,000.
· More Californians reverse course and head to Oklahoma [USA Today]
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