Should I Stay or Should I Go?

By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo

A recent op-ed in the Hartford Courant focused on the results of a new Gallup Poll concerning percentages of Americans who would prefer to live in a state other than their own if they could. The poll found that nearly half of Connecticut residents would like to move, which placed us in the number two spot nationally. Illinois had the greatest percentage of residents wanting to leave (exactly half of its residents). Maryland, Nevada and Rhode Island completed the top five slots.
At the other end of the list are Montana, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon and New Hampshire, which rules out the most obvious reason to leave in my mind: the weather. Residents of Montana, Maine and New Hampshire certainly didn’t have it any easier than Connecticut this past winter, so why exactly do half of us want out?

It’s expensive here, for sure. Connecticut ranks sixth on the country’s list of most expensive states to live-in, but Hawaii ranks first on that list, so that reason can’t be the driving force either. Let’s be honest, there’s a long list of areas for the nutmeg state to improve in. The Cato Institute gives Governor Malloy an F grade for his economic policies, the Department of Commerce ranks Connecticut dead last in economic growth, our state has the fourth largest number of debts per capita ($27,540), and our debt and pension liabilities are a higher percentage of the GDP than any other state in the country. Our state government has a long history of corruption; our probate court system is considered “a national scandal”, www.topretirements.com ranks Connecticut dead last on its list of great states to retire in… need I go on?

Even with all of the above to consider, the Courant op-ed writer surmised that the lack of good urban centers is the biggest single reason people leave the state. This conclusion is supported by another recent poll ranking New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles as the top three areas in the country to attract new residents last year. I certainly can’t think of any other state with as much disparity between the quality of its towns and the quality of its cities.

Yes, there are plenty of things that make life in Connecticut less than ideal, but another Gallup poll asked our residents if they planned to move out-of-state within a year, and only 16 percent responded in the affirmative. One of my favorite Trivial Pursuit questions asks, “What do the majority of Americans live within 25 miles of?” Answer… their hometown. So there you have it.