Ohio is trying to lure Los Angelenos to the Buckeye State with a marketing blitz showcasing a better life out east.
JobsOhio, the state’s economic development arm, is spending heavily to get the message to Californians through the radio and social media.
The state has also been throwing cash into attracting talent and companies, offering incentives up to $15,000 per worker since the start of the year.
One says: “If you like working twice as hard just to stay right where you are, go for it. But if you’re ready to build, lead and live, and I mean really live in the heart of it all, Ohio is the second most affordable state to buy a home. Your move.”
After moving from Santa Monica to northeast Ohio in 2024, realtor Katie Madio said everything in her life changed for the better.
She said: “I wish someone would have told me before I moved back to Northeast Ohio from Santa Monica, California… just how much I would love and appreciate this beautiful area.”
She said what stood out most was the people—“good people in Ohio.” She also pointed to Cleveland’s arts scene saying she and her husband were “pleasantly surprised how much art & entertainment they found, along with four seasons, green space, and a tight-knit community that made the move feel like home.”
She added: “Moving to Ohio, I thought I would miss the constant sunshine and beach days but I love all four seasons, fall and summer being my favorite, and the ability to enjoy outdoor adventures year around. We have plenty of diverse parks to explore for your nature fix.”
Palmer Luckey, who runs defense giant Anduril Industries, moved his whole business from Orange County to Columbus after growing sick of the Golden State.
He has now added 4,000 jobs and $910 million in investment to the city.
The California exodus has been hampering the state under Gavin Newsom’s administration, with the Post uncovering the sheer scale of those who have left.
California lost roughly 216,000 residents to other states in a single year. One in three says they’ve seriously considered leaving.
Last week a UCLA quality-of-life index also showed Los Angeles has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade.
The score sits at 52, below the midpoint, and has fallen 12% since 2016. Housing, utilities, groceries, taxes, all rising at once, squeezing from every direction.
Reddit threads about moving from California to Ohio are pulling in hundreds of comments, with people weighing in not like advisors—but like survivors comparing notes.
One former Angeleno said the shift still feels surreal a decade later. “You’ll love the cost of housing,” she wrote, adding that even when locals complain, “it’s way better than California.”
One commenter who returned to Columbus after several years in Los Angeles said the difference is measured in daily life.
“Being able to drop the kids off with grandparents, even for a few hours, has been so, so helpful,” he wrote.
The tradeoff, he argued, is clear: “LA has the weather. But traffic, the job market, the housing market, it’s all worse.”
That calculation shows up again and again. “It’s just too expensive,” another user wrote bluntly, describing a relative who spent nearly 20 years in Los Angeles before moving back to Ohio.
Others frame it less as an escape and more as a reset. “People are refreshingly real,” one commenter wrote, contrasting Columbus with what they called Los Angeles’ “constant need to impress.” The difference, they said, is practical: “It’s just an easier place to live and get around.”
And for some, the payoff is tangible. “We have everything here we couldn’t have there,” another former Angeleno wrote after two decades in Ohio, pointing to a home, financial stability, and a “safe, walkable community.”
Rick Caruso, the developer behind some of LA’s most successful destinations, including The Grove and The Americana at Brand, says he understands exactly why ads are targeting LA.
After decades of building places that drew Angelenos in, Caruso says his company is now actively scouting projects in cities like Nashville, Austin and across Florida.
“We’re looking to either buy or build… we’re definitely doing it,” he said, signaling a clear pivot beyond Los Angeles.
Just as telling is what he’s pulling back from. “We’re intentionally not doing anything in L.A. City right now,” Caruso said, pointing to rising costs, uncertainty and what he calls “poor management of the city.”
Instead, he says, they’re focusing on places that are “clean and safe and well-managed… and business-friendly.”
That shift helps explain why outside campaigns are gaining traction. “Smart from their perspective,” Caruso said.
But for Los Angeles, he calls it “a sad commentary… LA is vulnerable.” His bottom line is blunt: “People vote with their feet… cities are no different.”
Danny Brown, a Beverly Hills luxury broker, says even clients who can afford Los Angeles are starting to question why they stay.
He points to a system buckling under pressure—sky-high housing costs, visible homelessness, sanitation issues tied to encampments, slow permitting, and policies like Measure ULA dragging down deals.
“When the great state of Ohio is recruiting Angelenos to migrate to the Midwest, you know our city has lost its way,” Brown said.
He says the city’s promise to fast-track rebuilding in the Pacific Palisades hasn’t materialized. “There’s 200 homes being built… but there’s 6,000 more with no permits,” he said, warning the timeline could stretch decades.
On housing policy, he’s even more blunt. Measure ULA, he argues, has “decapitated” the high-end market, with sales over $5 million plunging by more than half.
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