Some Families That Exited California Are Coming Back to the Golden State

Coree Ray’s family relocated to Idaho from Southern California in 2021 after selling their home of two decades, sharing their journey on the social media platform TikTok.

Ray and her spouse, Melvin Galang, had long discussed moving, primarily for a shift in surroundings. The pandemic ultimately motivated the conservative family to take the leap.

Despite this, the mother of six, who creates dance videos on TikTok with her 11-year-old twin daughters, felt there were several challenges in Idaho. They made the decision to return to the Golden State earlier this year.

According to Ray, while Idaho is visually stunning, it lacks the lifestyle offerings that California provides.

“We anticipated that the Idaho Falls community would be more open and consist of parents raising kids similar to us,” she expressed, referring to the state’s fourth-largest city, which has a population of 68,000. “We looked forward to forming enduring friendships.”

However, that expectation did not materialize.

Related Stories

With nearly 700,000 followers on TikTok, Ray struggled to forge friendships. She attributes this challenge to being both a Californian and not being part of the Mormon community, which has a strong presence in Idaho Falls, under two hours from northern Utah.

“Idaho Falls appears very polite on the surface,” she remarked. “Yet, they tend to be reserved with newcomers.”

Her daughters also encountered bullying at school.

Despite some less-than-ideal experiences, Galang was satisfied at Teton Toyota and cherished his colleagues. They also had positive moments, including Ray’s oldest daughter meeting her future partner and her middle daughter loving Boise and planning to remain.

“So, while there were beneficial experiences and we are grateful for our time there, it’s simply time to return home,” she concluded.

In April, Galang returned to Rancho Cucamonga, a suburb in Los Angeles County, to secure housing and commence his position. Ray stayed behind in Idaho Falls with their twin daughters to sell their seven-bedroom house. A few months later, they reunited with Galang in California and ultimately sold their Idaho home in December.

Now back in the Golden State, Ray expressed newfound appreciation for things previously taken for granted: the climate, entertainment, and variety of choices.

“The stores are endless, and if one store doesn’t have what I need, I can quickly drive to another location with more options,” she mentioned.

They are also thrilled to return to a more competitive environment for her daughters, who excel in performances and athletics.

“Here in California, they face more challenges and have a broader selection of training centers,” she commented.

This includes over 17,000 individuals who migrated from California to Idaho in 2023, alongside more than 2,600 who made the opposite journey from Idaho to California.

Joel Kotkin, an urban studies fellow at Chapman University in Orange, California, remarked that while some individuals do return to California, it requires considerable resources to make the return.

“Reentering California is considerably difficult when it comes to housing,” he noted in an interview with The Epoch Times.

Particularly challenging is purchasing a home in California, he said, “unless you have substantial income or retained equity from the house sold before the move, providing you with enough funds to secure something here.”

Even though some people are returning from Idaho to California, Kotkin believes that states with superior weather and job prospects have a lower return rate.

“Individuals shift to Idaho not for career purposes. They transition to Texas, Nevada, or Arizona. I doubt those individuals will return in significant numbers,” Kotkin commented.

San Franciscan Returns

In northern Idaho, Juanita Garcia wrote a letter to the editor published in September 2023 in Coeur d‘Alene Press, a local newspaper, stating her intention to return to San Francisco after residing in the resort town of Coeur d’Alene for three years.

She explained that she moved there in 2020 after selling her $800,000 home due to pandemic-related concerns, as she found issues regarding homelessness, drugs, and crime in San Francisco troublesome. However, while living in Coeur d’Alene, she encountered other challenges in the city of 57,000.

“I feel more liberated here than in Coeur d’Alene,” Garcia remarked.

San Diegan Turned Idahoan

Some Californians who transitioned to Idaho have no desire to return, such as a local politician serving in the town that Garcia found challenging.

Coeur D’Alene City Councilman Dan Gookin shared with The Epoch Times that he left California in 1991 due to a noticeable shift in the state’s political leaning to the left. He found other states appealing due to their lower cost of living, reduced taxes, and fewer regulations.

A native of San Diego and the creator of the “For Dummies” book series, Gookin initially relocated to Issaquah, Washington, where he appreciated the sense of community. Two years later, he sought a more small-town atmosphere, moving his family to Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, located about five hours east.

“We visited Coeur d’Alene and instantly fell in love,” Gookin, 68, recalled. “As long as it had internet and FedEx, I was satisfied. We enjoyed the intimate community feel and how familiar everyone seemed with each other.”

Gookin, who has held a position on the city council since 2002, raised his four sons in the North Idaho town that he continues to cherish. For Gookin, the sense of belonging to a tight-knit community outweighs any weather-related complaints.

“No other place compares to this, so the weather isn’t a major concern for me,” he stated.