America, Stop Moving West - Burgess Powell - Medium

It’s one thing to retire to the South or West.

Miami, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and to a lesser degree Austin and Salt Lake City, have one big thing in common: From a human survival standpoint, they’re terrible bets.

Neither Miami, Phoenix nor any Southern or Western city will be abandoned overnight.

Just like Las Vegas created the “sin city” brand and the New York State Department of Economic Development owns the “I Love New York” slogan, Austin = big tech and Miami = crypto thanks to marketing dollars.

campaigns from climate insecure locations is that they’ve done their research: Northern cities should follow Miami and Phoenix’s examples to become desirable millennial and tech hot spots.

Though much of Miami/Austin/Phoenix/Las Vegas’ appeal is cultural, one fact does set them apart: They are notably cheaper than the larger cities to which they oppose themselves.

Though real estate investment groups are often blamed for the lack of affordable housing, the real problem is restrictive building laws — especially in desirable, liberal, and highly regulated cities.

For the climate-friendly but less glamorous northern cities like Albany, Worcester, and Pittsburg, a successful marketing campaign could make them the climate-proof cities of the future.

For New York, Boston, and Seattle, continuing to build affordable housing will be critical to attracting young people.

Within my lifetime, we will see a mass migration from the South and West toward the North, not because these places will become unlivable hellholes overnight.