Meet the Dallas-area Woman Shepherding a ‘Move to Texas From California!’ Migration

Prosper resident and real estate agent Marie Bailey knew when she created her “Move to Texas from California!” Facebook page last year that she’d catch grief from local folks. But she doesn’t shy away from her page’s mission, which proudly reads, “Welcome to the movement.”“These people are going to move here either way,” Bailey told me earlier this week. “I’m not convincing them to come here. I’m just helping them be smart about it.”The native Californian has facts on her side: The Texas Realtors’ most recent report shows more than 63,000 people moved to the state in 2017 from California. That’s about double the influx from Florida, the next closest state. From 2012 to 2016, an average of 8,300 Californians relocated to the D-FW region each year, according to a NerdWallet analysis released in April.But those same numbers stoke the “Don’t California My Texas” backlash brewing in North Texas, primarily among long-timers already riled up about skyrocketing growth in their once-sleepy communities. From their seat at the local coffee shop — or more likely, on their social media platforms — they lambaste what they label as incoming West Coast liberals likely to destroy everything they love about the Lone Star State.Earlier this month, a KERA Radio report about the California migration, which referenced Bailey’s by-invitation “Move to Texas from California!” Facebook page, again sent the outrage meter through suburban roofs across North Texas.  Continue reading...