Surprising 'cuddly' reason why so many seniors are relocating to the south

Seniors aren't only pulled to the southern United States for warm weather and golf; it turns out their grandkids are also a strong motivator for them to migrate south.

These older Americans, sometimes referred to as 'baby chasers,' relocate so they can have an active presence in their grandchildren's lives.

That's true of David Held, a retired New York City police officer who moved to Florida to see his seven-month-old granddaughter more regularly.

'I said, "I don’t want to be Grandpa on a screen,"' David told The Wall Street Journal.

David and his wife Cynthia, both 62, watch their daughter and son-in-law's baby two days a week, a welcome help for the new parents amid the rising cost of childcare.

Between January 2020 and September 2024, the price of daycare and preschool rose about 22 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Gillian, the baby's mother, considered moving back to New Jersey to be nearer to her parents. But that would have almost certainly meant downsizing, as homes in Monmouth County where they used to live have risen 27 percent over the last two years, according to Zillow.

So, it made more sense for her parents to move down to Orlando. Cynthia ended up falling in love with a 55-and-over community in nearby Port St. Lucie.

Older people fleeing northern states for southern states for their grandchildren is a more cuddly reason than some of the other more well-established pull factors, including lower taxes and lower costs of living.

And this isn't a phenomenon that exists just among seniors.

Last year, Texas, Florida, and North Carolina were the most popular destinations for domestic migrants, according to newly released Census data. Together, they saw a net gain of some 366,000 people.

South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama are also states that Americans are moving to in droves. 

Meanwhile, many residents waved goodbye to California, New York, and Illinois. Those states recorded the biggest exodus, which added up to a whopping loss of 540,000 people.

Every year, housing-research firm Zonda studies the migration patterns of Baby Boomers who are specifically moving closer to their Millennial children.

The company's Baby Chaser Index shows that 25 percent of Baby Boomers have plans to retire near their children and grandchildren.

'As Millennials seek to establish roots and grow their families, they are gravitating toward markets that offer a blend of affordability, job opportunities and lifestyle amenities,' said Ali Wolf, Zonda's chief economist.

She continued: 'Meanwhile Baby Boomers are beginning to make moves that reflect their changing needs.'

Austin, Texas, has been the top destination for older Americans looking to be closer to their children's families for four out of the last five years, according to Zonda.

Charleston, South Carolina, and Jacksonville, Florida, were the next most popular in Zonda's rankings for 2023.

Wolf first heard about this trend from home builders six to seven years ago when they would tell her: ‘We sold a house to a millennial and then we sold a house to their parents.’

This exact scenario unfolded for Alonzo Emery’s daughter and son-in-law, who moved 10 years ago with their two children from San Matteo, California, to Austin.

Emery, 73, and his wife Mary came two years later when a third grandchild with medical complications was born.

Emery, a former Arizona State University running back, told The Journal he gets to attend his 14-year-old grandson’s football games.

Him and his wife are learning dance moves from their 11-year-old granddaughter.

The couple now lives in the Austin suburb of Georgetown, which is among some of the fastest growing cities in the US. And eight of the ten fastest growing cities are in Texas.

The median age of repeat home buyers hit 61 this year, a four-decade high, according to the National Association of Realtors.

The most common reason for selling was the desire to be closer to family or friends.

At the same time, the median age for first-time home buyers, 38 years old, reached a more than five-decade high.

With older Americans having most of the nation's wealth thanks to decades of rising stock prices and home appreciation, they are much more flexible than their kids when it comes to living anywhere in the country.

That's likely why there isn't a widely observable trend of younger Americans relocating so they're closer to their elderly parents.

Longtime homeowners also have the benefit of being able to sell their fully paid-off homes to buy new ones without taking out a crushingly onerous mortgage.

This isn't true of Millennials, who are just getting into the housing market when the median price is over $420,000 and the 30-year-fixed mortgage rate is 6.78 percent.

Of course, there are instances where older Americans moving closer to their children isn't such an easy prospect.

For example, retired professor and author Michelle Herman and her husband are looking to move from Columbus, Ohio, to the New York City area to help take care of their future grandchildren.

'Financially it makes zero sense,' Herman told The Journal.

There can also be disagreements over how much childcare the grandparents are expected to do. 

That's why Herman, who contributes to a parenting advice column, recommends that families should hammer out a concrete deal before anyone decides to sell their homes and move.

'I actually have known people who’ve done this and came back because it didn’t work out,' Herman said.