In July, comedian Joe Rogan announced on his podcast that he was leaving L.A. and heading to Texas.
âOne of the things that I love about Texas is the fact that itâs so wild,â Rogan said on a podcast episode. âYou can do a lot of shit here.â
Rogan has cited everything from L.A.âs high taxes and homelessness problem to overpopulation and the stateâs handling of the pandemic as being among his reasons for fleeing. Late last year, he bought a $14.4 million mansion in Austin, and now, as other celebs and businesspeople lead the charge, it looks like social media influencers are following suit.
When the pandemic hit and JhĂĄnneu Roberts, a sustainability YouTuber and influencer, realized she could live in a two-bedroom apartment in Texas for the same price she was paying for a studio apartment in California, the decision was easy.
âWith everything being shut down and youâre paying so much in L.A., itâs like why not live somewhere where you can get more space for either the same amount of money or less money,â she says.
If thereâs a place in Texas that is spiritually closest to L.A., itâs Austin. Sixth Street is famous for its lineup of bars and clubs, but drive 40 minutes west and soon youâre in Dripping Springs, a more low-key town in the Hill Country that has hiking, swimming, and wineries. For Roberts, Austin was everything she was looking for: a major city with young people and warm weather.
Because her job is online, she says not much has changed in her career since she moved. She can work from anywhere and if something comes up in L.A., she can simply fly back.
She can see herself moving back to L.A. once the pandemic is over, she says, but in the meantime, sheâs happy saving money in Austin. Itâs also helpful that Texas doesnât have income tax.
Kyle Hjelmeseth, founder and CEO of G&B Digital Management, says thereâs more money to be made for influencers in L.A., but thereâs still an âearning opportunityâ in Texas.
âThe spend in Los Angeles is so much higher than the spend in Austin,â he says. âAlthough things are changing and thereâs more money that is being spent regionally, itâs definitely something that every influencer has to consider ⌠. The money, if youâre a brand and youâre trying to reach the Austin market, typically itâs not as lucrative as L.A.â
On top of that, Hjelmeseth says thereâs a chance an influencerâs audience will change with a move, but typically followers are invested in an influencer for things other than where they live.
When Lauryn Bosstick, also known as the Skinny Confidential, was pregnant more than a year ago, she says she started craving a calmer place to live.
âEverything about L.A. was high cortisol,â she says. âFrom the sounds to stepping outside, even taking a walk was just so much cortisol.â
She, her husband, and daughter moved from L.A. to Austin at the start of 2021 because Bosstick wanted to be surrounded by nature and have a home that felt more like a âsanctuary.â
âI know itâs a trend, but I really love it here,â she says. âI feel like itâs everything right for my family.â
Bosstick and her husband will still have to fly to L.A. to interview their podcast subjects in person, but Austin serves as a âmore peaceful and more zenâ place for her family.
In 2020, Tesla announced its plan to build a factory in Austin and even though Tesla still has operations in California, Musk now lives in Texas, too. He said that he believes Silicon Valley has âoutsized influence in the worldâ and feels California has grown complacent.
In June 2018, actor Scott Eastwood, son of Clint Eastwood, announced on Instagram that heâd left California for Texas because he âcouldnât take the crowds anymore.â
Eastwood told Flaunt he fell in love with âsimple thingsâ Texas offered.
âI think thatâs why people who come to Texas really can fall in love with it,â he said. âThereâs more community, people are more neighborly, people are nice. It slows life down a little bit. Itâs not this fast-paced living in a big city like New York or Los Angeles.â
RELATED: Elon Musk Says He Lives in Texas Now Because of Californiaâs âComplacenceâ
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