We left California for Texas to escape sky-high prices and COVID restrictions. We love the slower pace of Southern life and will never go back.
Jennifer and Chuck Balek moved their family of seven from California to Texas in April 2021. The couple said California's high prices and strict CO...
Jennifer and Chuck Balek moved their family of seven from California to Texas in April 2021. The couple said California's high prices and strict COVID response sent them fleeing. The couple loves how friendly Texans are and said they would never go back to California. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with couple Jennifer Balek, 38, and Chuck Balek, 43, about their experience moving their family from Camarillo, California, to Rockwall, Texas, in April 2021. The following has been edited for length and clarity.