oregon. it's popular.

Like many Rogue Valley residents, I came here in search of something better. I wanted to leave the faster pace of California for Oregon, where I could afford to stay home with my children when they were babies. Oregon was less expensive and I could stay home if we left California. The Bay Area home prices were starting to climb rapidly in the late 90's, so that's when we left.

Turns out, we weren't the only ones. Many here were already choosing the traffic-free towns of Oregon over the metro areas of the north and south. I thought the migration was big then. But today, in 2016, it's even bigger. For the third year in a row, Oregon is the number one state in the nation for movers, according to United Van Lines moving company. Over 70% of their moves interstate are to Oregon. That is HUGE!

Why? The top two reasons cited are the cheaper cost of living and the expanse of open, green space. The latter is definitely true and hopefully will continue to stay that way despite the pressure of a population boom. The cheaper cost of living? It's still less expensive, but as towns like Ashland and Jacksonville know, it's getting less so.

Here are the top 10 inbound states for 2015, according to United Van Lines:

1. Oregon

2. South Carolina

3. Vermont

4. Idaho

5. North Carolina

6. Florida

7. Nevada

8. District of Columbia

9. Texas

10. Washington

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