EDITORIAL: Why Californians flee their state for Nevada

If you want to know if policy matters, look at how people vote with their feet.

California has more natural advantages than Nevada. It has a mild climate and a massive coastline with access to the Pacific Ocean. This has helped make it a hub of trade and a desirable place to live. Landlocked states can’t build oceanfront property. The weather, especially in Southern California, is desirable. It has hundreds of thousands of acres of productive farmland and access to significant water resources from Northern California. Its water system includes power-producing dams, too.

As people flocked to California, major industries grew. Those included Hollywood and technology. Its once-prestigious university system gave many of its best students top-notch educations. Unsurprisingly, California draws millions of tourists annually to attractions such as its beaches, Disneyland and Yosemite National Park. Dozens of songs are based on the appeal of California.

Nevada has its own virtues, but the state’s success has long relied on problem-solving and creative marketing, especially for Las Vegas. The desert has its own beauty, but it’s not as popular as ocean beaches and balmy weather.

Yet, Californians keep moving here. Almost 158,000 of them have since 2020. That has been 43 percent of Nevada’s new residents during that time. It was happening pre-COVID, too. Between July 2017 and July 2018, more than 50,000 people moved from the Golden State to the Silver State. Census data from 2022 shows more than twice as many Californians have moved to Nevada as Nevadans moving to California.

These new residents aren’t low-income individuals with few options either. A new report from Placer.ai found the Las Vegas area is attracting those with higher incomes. Its analysis showed that “between December 2019 and December 2023, the median (household income) of incoming residents was 20 percent higher than the median HHI of the local population.”

This is counterintuitive. But Nevada has one major advantage over its bigger neighbor. It hasn’t been governed like California. Nevada has relatively low taxes, a business environment that is relatively friendly and a lower cost of living.

Leftist policies are systematically crippling California. It has high income and sales taxes, but residents don’t get much for their money. In part, that’s because powerful public-sector unions largely control state government. Homelessness and crime is rampant. Building restrictions and mandates, such as requiring rooftop solar on all new homes, have made housing increasingly unaffordable for all but the wealthy. Its regulations have driven energy prices through the roof.

Welcome ex-Californians. But please try not to help turn Nevada into the state you just left.