We hear all the time about the number of people moving to Tampa. While longtime locals wish it would stop, it won’t. Sure the hurricanes scare some but take it from this northerner who moved to Florida 10 years ago… for the second time. Life in the frigid north is miserable. Snow looks cute on postcards, but when your toes are frozen for 4 months straight and you have to spend an hour shoveling out your car to get to work on time, it’s not as cute.

There are people, however, leaving Tampa behind. That number is much smaller than those coming in. But I was curious to see where those who are ready to leave Tampa behind are moving to. Here are the numbers for 2022 according to Redfin for both the cities folks are moving to AND leaving to come to Tampa.

• #10 City People LEFT Tampa to Move To: Greensboro, NC

• #10 City People Left To Move TO Tampa: Denver, CO

  Talk about a lifestyle change.  As someone who grew up in the cold and snow, I get it.  Plus who wants to be a Broncos fan their whole life?

• #9 City People LEFT Tampa to Move To: Savannah, GA

• #9 City People Left To Move TO Tampa: Seattle, WA

  This was the longest relocation on the list.  From the extreme northwest to the southeast, this is a long U-Haul ride.

• #8 City People LEFT Tampa to Move To: Tallahassee, FL

• #8 City People Left To Move TO Tampa: San Francisco, CA

  I lived in Northern California for about 6 or 7 years. It was a great place to live for a few years.  Everyone should.  You get to see the parts of Cali that are really spectacular that most tourists from the east coast overlook.  California’s best places have nothing to do with the Golden Gate Bridge or the Hollywood sign.  When you live near San Francisco, you have a bunch of great weekend road trip possibilities like wine country in Napa, the mountains of Lake Tahoe and the ocean views in Monterey.  But I could never have spent the rest of my life in Cali.

• #7 City People LEFT Tampa to Move To: Chattanooga, TN

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR9cLDT5Elo

• #7 City People Left To Move TO Tampa: Miami

  This can’t be a big surprise to many.  Miami can be a fun spot to visit, but do you really want to live there?  It’s chaotic and ridiculously overpriced.

• #6 City People LEFT Tampa For: Jacksonville, FL

• #6 City People Left To Move TO Tampa: Philadelphia, PA

  Go to any Tampa Bay Lightning game against the Flyers and you’ll see all the transplants.  Philly has its rough spots, but I’ve generally had fun there.  But the cold and snow are a disqualifier for me and apparently lots of Pennsylvanians who left in 2022.

• #5 City People LEFT Tampa For: Greenville, SC

• #5 City People Left To Move TO Tampa: Los Angeles, CA

  Take everything I said about San Francisco and add to the fact that Southern Californians are loopy.  LA is fun to visit, but unless you’re trying to break into the entertainment business, not sure why one would stick around.  Apparently they aren’t.

• #4 City People LEFT Tampa For: Knoxville, TN

• #4 City People Left To Move TO Tampa: Boston, MA

  This one I can speak to firsthand.  Most of my adult life I’ve lived in the Boston area.  I love Boston.  But my hatred of snow and cold far outweigh the pros.  Cost of living is high.  Traffic is a mess.  I love to go back to visit family and friends a couple times a year… but there’s a reason Floridians don’t move to Massachusetts.

• #3 City People LEFT Tampa For: Ocala, FL

• #3 City People Left To Move TO Tampa: Chicago, IL

  Spotting a trend here?  People who leave Tampa stay somewhere in the southeast.  But the incoming Tampa folks are escaping the cold.  And in this case, wind.

• #2 City People LEFT Tampa For: Sarasota, FL

  The shortest move on the list.

• #2 City People Left To Move TO Tampa: Washington, DC

  Another frigid climate exodus.  Plus I don’t think I’ve ever been to a city with a worst traffic problem than DC.  Orlando is close.

• #1 City People LEFT Tampa For: Asheville, NC

• #1 City People Left To Move TO Tampa: New York, NY

  As Huey Lewis said, New York, New York isn’t everything they say.  But unlike Huey, lots of New York City folks have someplace they’d rather be.  And that’s Tampa.

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