Work-from-home orders and job losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic prompted more Americans to pack up and head to other states in 2020.
Among those who rented one-way U-Hauls to relocate, Tennessee was the top destination state last year, according to a new report by America’s biggest moving equipment rental company.
In Tennessee, arrivals accounted for 50.6% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in Tennessee, up 12% over the previous year. Meanwhile, departures rose only 9% over 2019 in Tennessee.
“I’m seeing a lot of people from California move [to Tennessee] because they’re attracted to our lifestyle,” said Jeff Porter of U-Haul Company of Nashville. “Tennessee also has no income tax, plenty of jobs and is business friendly.”
Cathy Billings is among the former Californians who moved to Tennessee, where she is now working as a manager at the Pruett’s Market on Signal Mountain. After living most of her life in the San Francisco Bay area, she was intrigued by where one of her cheese suppliers, Sequatchie Cove Cheese, came from and decided to head to Tennessee to check out the Chattanooga region.