UNITED STATES

It has green forests and bike friendly cities, and—despite the rain—it’s the top destination for people who moved out of state in 2014. (CNN Money)

Map your favorite parts of this most favorable state.

Teachers, scroll down for a short list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit.

Discussion Ideas

• Read through the results of the United Van Lines survey of where Americans moved in 2014. Where were people moving to? Where were people moving from? Map your results using our MapMaker Interactive.

  

  

 

• This poll surveyed thousands of people who used United Van Lines, “the largest household goods mover,” to move from one state to another. What are the limits of this survey? How could pollers improve its accuracy?
  • The survey did not include people who used other moving companies, such as U-Haul or Mayflower, in their interstate moves. The survey also did not include people who did not rent transportation at all, but moved their belongings on their own.

 

• Why do you think so many people are moving to Oregon?
  • “[C]urrent migration patterns reflect longer-term trends of movement to the southern and western states, especially to those where housing costs are relatively lower, climates are more temperate and job growth has been at or above the national average, among other factors,” said Michael Stoll, economist, professor and chair of the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Unique amenities such as outdoor recreation, arts and entertainment activities, and green space protection likely continue to propel Oregon to the top of the list for the second straight year.”

 

• Why do you think so many people are moving from the northeast?
  • The same economic patterns that seem to drive migration south probably drive movement from the northeast—generally higher cost of living, higher unemployment, and colder weather.
  • Retirement! “United Van Lines found the Northeast region also had the highest number of people leaving for retirement with more than one in four respondents indicating retirement as the reason for relocation. The Mountain West had the highest number of retirees moving to the region with nearly one in three individuals surveyed saying they relocated there to retire.”

 

TEACHERS TOOLKIT

CNN Money: Everybody is moving to Oregon

United Van Lines: 2014 National Movers Study

Nat Geo: Oregon 1-Page Map

Nat Geo: Where Did Americans Move in 2014? (interactive map includes inbound and outbound state markers, as well as ideas for layers linking origin and destination, such as climate zones and population density)