so just like every generation

people come for the action and opportunities when young, then after some years they get tired of having to deal with it all the time and move to the suburbs or florida

Sounds normal. As people grow their family they typically head to the burbs for the boring life

Columbia, SC ranking No. 2 is surprising

DC, and noted by the stats, has it worse than most places.

The city has a long tradition of being a temporary career way point and people come with the intention of leaving after a stint.

I don't think DC has the staying power of larger cities as it has neither the culinary and cultural appeal of ATL, Austin, NYC, Philly, nor the nearby outdoorsy benefits and general prettiness of say Denver, SF, Seattle, or Portland.

It has a tough combination of very high standard of living without a lot of the baked in benefits of other American cities. Unless you work in a specialized industry based here (NGO, Government) it's hard to keep people around.

It also has good, but not great wages like you see in tech centers like the Bay Area. (Lawyers excluded).

I've lived all over the world and I noticed as my values in life changed so did my desired in living location. When my wife and I decided to start trying to have kids we realized our home was plenty large enough, five bedrooms, but we had outgrown what DC had to offer, and wanted a large fenced yard for dogs and kids to run and play in just outside our house, garage, swimming pool, large patio, deck, neighbors far enough away that we could blast music or play movies on the side of our house with a projector, camp out in the backyard, let the kids ride bikes through the neighborhood without fear of constant stop sign blowers, plant a huge vegetable garden and a reading grotto with a goldfish pond, etc. This was our new dream and we sold our house and purchased a house just a little over the border in MD to make it happen. Your comment makes me believe you would find our life boring, I might've thought the same thing when I was young, but it's more full now than it ever was and I make it even more full by volunteering three days a week at outpatient substance abuse centers as a former addict counselor/life helper-outer, two days per week as a hockey coach, rest of the week as a husband taking his wife out for date night. Sure, our house isn't stuck two two other homes like our old house, we don't have much going on outside our windows that isn't feathered or furred, I haven't even seen a cop car or firetruck once in my neighborhood in the seven years we've lived here other than during Halloween and on their annual drive through the neighborhood blaring holiday music with Santa on top tossing candy to kids, and we now have to drive or bike five minutes to get groceries, but other shopping is actually closer, schools are better, and I can honestly say there hasn't been a single\ instance where I thought I missed something about living in DC, but that's me and my value system, and not everyone is the same, thankfully. If boring is being able to walk outside your house onto your pool patio to enjoy the sun and water then lie in a hammock in your own backyard while reading a book, no noise except some birds and squirrels and with only your own wife and kids to bother you, I'll take boring.

Gen Z is flocking in, but Millennials are fleeing according to the map stats on that page with migration for that group at -11,559. Overall migration change was only +665 during that time.

i ain't reading all that
i'm happy for u tho
or sorry that happened

Yeah sounds very boring IMO. Enjoy it tho.

Does your HOA forbid paragraphs?

Describing cyclical moving patterns primarily due to the cost of housing running up against perceived needs for starting as family as "fleeing" is... unique.

Like, I can't say that I've ever seen anyone crossing the 14th Street Bridge with everything they've ever owned strapped to their car and driving like they're trying to outrun some natural disaster. Just normal insane driving.

Cheaper than Charlotte or Charleston. I'd pick Greenville over Columbia though.

Yeah but 2nd in the whole country?! In Gen Z net migration? More than NYC, Chicago, LA? Or even places like Denver, PHX, Nashville, Austin?

Always taking these types of articles with a dubious grain of salt. But it's a big college town with a large military base. Perhaps some higher level of transience not being accounted for in the data bumping it up.

So "gen Z" is flocking to the city with the most colleges per sq mile in the US. That's a dumb metric, but likely true.

No, but the Adderall does.

Ah yes the culinary mastery of Atlanta with its absolutely gorgeous highways of Buckhead.

the avocado toast industry is safe here for another decade at the least

Why yes I certainly prefer the culinary mastery of Zatinya and the beautiful vistas of the Beltway.

... Or the rich cultural history of Bethesda and the hip young vibe of Arlington. Who doesn't love the vibrant urban scene of H and 14th street all built in the last 15 years.

Denver actually has a similar reputation to DC regarding transplants/transient-ness. It’s the only other place I’ve really ever even been where someone saying they’re from “here” gets a “wow, really?” response.

You came here to lead, not to read.

A woman shrieks in the back of an uber black. The baby is crowning. The driver has a look of panic on his face. It isn't the birth happening. That's routine as DC's millennial residents head for the suburbs with the birth of their first child

The dad asks what is wrong. Why are the police blocking Westmoreland circle. In the distance, they can clearly see a dispute between the Maryland and dc border guards. Things should be in place. Uber black is supposed to cover the bribes needed to flee the District of Carjackers (renamed in 2024 by Dictator Obama in honor of his supporters). Maryland had thrown off the yoke of liberal taxation oppression and put the great Hogan back in power to restore law and order. DC was cracking down on the exodus of dinks to fund violence interupters and basic 6 figure guaranteed income for drug dealers. The uber speeds forward. There is nothing for this new family in the rear view mirror. The future and survival lies across that border...

That might be true, at least Denver you have world class skiing and rock climbing nearby.

I guess if you really like museums, and find the Blue Ridge mtns to be better than the Rockies maybe DC gets the nod. Edit: you have shit for taste if you think any mtns this side of the Mississippi are better than anything out west.

Denver ain't my style. I could not live in CO, way too many hicks for my taste. Frankly even VA has too many hicks for my taste so there you have it.

Chocolate City is now the 2nd best thing I've read about DC.

Denver is a terrible city. The draw is the outdoors, and frankly I think a lot of people move to Denver and find that that is overblown - it’s a plains city, you still have to drive to the mountains! Big controversial opinion here but I actually think the best city/outdoor activity ratio is actually Boston and its immediate suburbs like Cambridge.

I don’t live in Denver, I live in a much smaller city in Colorado now. I’d move back to DC in a heartbeat over moving to Denver proper, because the truth is that for a 9-5er most of the time you’re in the city anyway so that’s the place you really gotta like. I also would take DC type transient-ness (job based) over the Denver type (ski bros 🤮). Of course, DC is my home and I was the token local of the friend group there so I’m biased. Now I’m just another transplant.

If you think the center of atlanta isnt a mess of highway disgust, you are alone on that theory. Its by far the ugliest city on the east coast

This is just a list of college and intern cities, of course people under 25 will be moving to them

> This is the number of people between the ages of 18 and 24 moving into the city from a different state.

I'm guessing this is the reason, since someone who grew up in Bethesda or Fairfax is getting counted whereas someone who grew up in Evanston or Long Island and moves to Chicago or NYC isn't.

I'm a skier, and I agree with you. I'd take a number of other cities if skiing and mountaineering were my thing over Denver. SLC or the Northwest mostly for cultural reasons, and the skiing is simply much closer. I also hate Vail Resorts as a business and refuse to ski at their resorts if I can help it.

You may have a different opinion but I personally would not be satisfied with the skiing in New England. I also am not a fan of ticks and Lyme disease.

I can't disagree with you there.

I would say however Atlanta is much more of a leading city for White Southern and African American culture and society, art and music relative to DC.

People are going to come on here and say some shit about Howard, Wale, and Duke Ellington, lol ok.

I only recently found out that VR bought Liberty/Whitetail/Roundtop! I went to those as a child but didn’t ski past high school until I moved to Colorado. Can’t imagine paying Vail $ for… that… not that I ski Vail resorts out here either lol

> When my wife and I decided to start trying to have kids we realized our home was plenty large enough, five bedrooms, but we had outgrown what DC had to offer

look at this guy affording a five bedroom house in dc

Gen Z is “flocking” to major college towns? Who could’ve guessed

Yeah, also Snowshoe WV and Seven Springs, PA. All I can say is that those people and those resorts deserve each other.

If you do ski around DC again I recommend Wisp, MD or Timberline WV

You’re really acting like DC has nothing appealing to it? Just tell us you hate it here and stop spewing on this nonsense brah

I like the cheap symphony tickets, hockey and baseball teams.

I like the decent selection of traditional French restaurants, and the Asian food is minimally acceptable with the exception of Vietnamese which is good.

I like the 3 intl airports within an hour.

The rest of it is average, overpriced, and most of all the people who think it's great simply can't tell the fucking difference.

I hear the kayaking is good but that's not my sport. The skiing minimally acceptable, and the general outdoors is just ok, but is also infested with Lyme disease.

Then leave homie lol

That's where I got stuck. I read it four times, sure that I must have misunderstood.

Or I can shit all over it. Which is also fun.

Wait til they see costs of living in DC.

Yeah, I guess I'm just another statistic

Great point.

I feel like there are some substantial shifts going on in the country, i always wonder what the political ramifications will end up being at the national level.

move to NOVA, you nerds. it's cheaper. and you'll help Virginia be less purple and more blue.

>The states with the highest gains in overall population are Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, and South Carolina. These states are the most popular picks for each generation – except for Gen Z

Yet Columbia, SC is the 2nd city on the list. Fascinating. Guess SC's just booming. No regrets leaving SC or Columbia tho (where I grew up. Moved to DC for a while, now in Richmond)

[deleted]

Yeah between boot camp and freshman these types of analyses are kinda suss

> ATL, Austin, NYC, Philly, nor the nearby outdoorsy benefits and general prettiness of say Denver, SF, Seattle, or Portland.

None of those cities save NYC and SF can touch the walkability of DC’s urban core.

I don’t believe it from what I’m seeing here these days

You have a weird definition of fun. Maybe now I get why you don’t like DC

Well congratulations you can go to your grave defending the honor of this city, symbol of gentrification and nouveau riche mediocrity.

The city can drink. I would be proud of its highest in the nation alcohol consumption, it's impressive.

Exactly...I don't know anyone who moved to Cola just because lol

Username definitely checks out

Also to cities where low level associates need to move to while Sr management lives in suburbs and exburbs

ACS data also is an incomplete survey which misses a lot of relocations, particularly of those during and immediately after college (so, all the Gen-Z relos and some millennial ones). A lot of the data is inferred from USPS mail-forwarding and other voluntary data sources — many young people don’t change their mailing addresses formally or switch their driver’s licenses (if they have them).

You seem miserable lil homie. Go outside and smile bud. 👌🏾👌🏾

Wait until they get thier six figure starting salary.

You're telling me. I moved from #2 to #1. I know Columbia is quickly changing for the better but I didn't think it was that fast.

Atlanta has an excellent food scene. Until a few years ago it was clearly better than DC's

Based on your opinions on DC food I don't think you get out enough

Ok.

Haha I probably spend more money on restaurants than 99% of the residents here. My own money too, not expense account. I dined at Paul Bocuse last year. My favorite overall restaurant in DC is Marcels for food alone.

The restaurants here are ok. Largely overpriced and concept over substance. A good example of how DCs restaurants are not as good as comparing a place like Le Bernadin in NYC to well any restaurant in the city for price ambiance and food.

You can say well there Little Inn. That place is a nearly an hour away from city. It's literally the same distance as Baltimore and you want to tell me that's a DC restaurant?

So your gauge on a city's dining scene is restaurants in the tier of Le Bernadin? Very relatable. I don't think about Little Inn or any of the overpriced chef-of-the-moment spots. I just noticed you called out the Asian food scenes in DC and it seemed like maybe you hadn't explored the suburbs much — for me, the close suburbs may as well be in the city since DC will never be able to expand its borders like other cities.

If you think Rockville / silver Spring Chinese or any of the Japanese food period in this city is anything other than average relative to Philly, NYC, SF, LA.

Then I don't know what to tell you foodie.

I spend a lot of time in Honolulu I suggest you go there if you want to know what good Japanese food is like in America.

Flushing NYC for Chinese. LA for Korean.

Our Vietnamese is not bad. I'll give DC that. I've lived here over 20 years with a car I've been to basically to every Japanese and Chinese place in the area worth going to.

There are a couple scenarios where I would be happy to move back to NC (went to college down there). I cannot imagine ever moving to SC though, that state government is crazy and will never change.

Certainly DC doesn't have the options you could get in NYC, SF, or LA for Asian food. I'm not being unrealistic here. Just the original point that DC can't match the overall culinary scenes of Philly, Austin, or Atlanta feels a bit pessimistic to me. I'd say you can have opinions within that tier, but I really feel that DC's grown into that tier in the last decade.

Edit: Just to clarify where I'm coming from, I think DC punches above its size for the balance of variety and quality. You can get solid Vietnamese, Korean, Yemeni, Afghan, Thai, South Indian, Jamaican, Szechuan, Ethiopian, Salvadorian, and so on all within a pretty achievable distance in DC, as well as a handful of good fine dining options. So they don't have the best of everything and there's a nascently Miami-esque hype chef scene that falls flat and the bakeries and pizzarias are lacking, but it feels pretty on par to cities like Atlanta and Austin and Philly for the overall accessibility of good eats in a way most people would live. Plus Menya Hosaki is the best ramen on the east coast.

Philadelphia is as walkable as Washington, DC and has a way more vibrant downtown

Gen Z interns don't have much of a choice, now do they? Zoom calls aren't exactly a great way to get started networking in a field.

I don't disagree, general intl cuisine has excellent coverage. Like I said I am pleased with the traditional French options which is uncommonly good. I actively dislike the new high end dining scene in DC, as I think you can get away with quite a lot of high concept low quality with these customers here.

That said with japanese in particular I am deeply frustrated by the continual failure to maintain any standards or quality with places like dakaiya completely falling apart (change to frozen gyoza and dishwater for broth). This i believe is due to both a lack of genuine pride in their craft by ownership and the vast majority of diners having no standards. The constant stream new Asian fusion garbage and simulated Japanese cuisine is truly remarkable.

I need to try menya hosaki. Thanks for the tip.

I'd definitely share your cynicism on DCs high end scene. I stopped even bothering with it after a while. The customer base skews towards people who are fine throwing money away as long as they're at a hyped place or trying to impress their Hinge date and that leads to some totally worthless places with way too much concept. Hope you enjoy Menya Hosaki, it's legit.

The Korean food in Annandale & environs is pretty good.