Population growth in California and Florida, states that anchored the Sun Belt boom on each coast, slowed dramatically from 1990 to 2000.
People can see good things in almost any place.
There is already evidence that retirement migration is shifting away from Florida to the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee. The old Sun Belt is growing largely because of immigrants. Then, as jobs declined in the North and companies moved to the Sun Belt, people followed the jobs. In a way, you can stay where you like to be. Back-office operations for major banks and telecommunications companies have pumped new life into states such as North and South Dakota and Nebraska.