New Year, New State? Poll of Alaska families finds that most would relocate to Florida in 2023

While Alaska is making small gains in daylight, adding a few minutes each day, there are still many more dark days ahead, and when adding in cold weather and snow, and not having holidays to lighten up spirits, this is often the time that many Alaskans contemplate moving.

But it’s not just the weather that has some Alaskans thinking about moving. After another challenging year, with high food and gas prices and a summer of travel chaos, it's not surprising that many people want to pack it all in, and live somewhere completely different.

So where would people go?

FamilyDestinationsGuide.com, the kid-friendly vacation ideas site, surveyed 3,000 families to find out where families would move to, if they could hypothetically have a clean break and move somewhere else - with some interesting results!

So where would Alaskans move to, if they had the choice? Unsurprisingly, they’d be prepared to move to Florida. There are several reasons why the Sunshine State is a desirable place to live, including its lack of state income tax, sunny weather, diverse population, delicious food, and exciting attractions. Each day, it attracts hundreds of newcomers to its sandy shores.

According to the survey, residents from Maine, Connecticut, New Jersey, Iowa, Maryland, Ohio, and Nebraska also cited Florida as their destination of choice. Hawaii was a very close second with the number of residents from other states dreaming of moving on.

It’s no great surprise to see that families from some of the colder states would want a bit of heat and sunshine; who wouldn't happily trade -30ºF winter weather in the dead of winter for the warmth of Florida or the beautiful beaches of Hawaii.

The poll did reveal some surprises. Californians, for example, are happy to turn their backs on permanent sunshine and heat and move to the chilly east coast, to New York. However, New York State does offer advantages which California cannot match - these include better public transport; four distinct seasons, and more favorable time zones for employees who liaise with European-based colleagues.

And Wisconsinites would head to Arizona, which offers a sunnier climate, good job growth, a reasonable cost of living, and some incredible natural experiences, such as the Grand Canyon and the Red Rocks of Sedona.

The strangest relocation destination, though, belongs to North Dakotans, who in a hypothetical clean break survey would pack it all in and move to…New Jersey.

So what about people who are thinking of making a move beyond the United States borders?

Alaskans would head to the UK if they were to move abroad, according to the survey.

FamilyDestinationsGuide.com asked 3,000 families which would be their first choice if they were to move to an entirely different country in 2023 – a more challenging endeavor. Most chose the UK, perhaps because there’s no language barrier, plus it’s full of history, not to mention the Royal Family.

Among the reasons people would be willing to pack up and move, according to the website included better weather (16%); a healthier lifestyle (24%); better job opportunities (32%) and better pay (24%).

While the survey revealed that 14% have seriously thought about permanently moving over the past year, it also showed people would miss the most. The survey revealed what they would miss the most if they moved abroad: unsurprisingly, 40% would miss family, and just 8% would miss their friends (possibly because it’s so easy to keep in touch these days, and there’s also the prospect of making new ones). 32% said the familiarity of how things work, and 20% said American culture.

And finally, if Americans could purchase another passport from any other country, the average amount they’d be prepared to spend would be $7,155. Not a huge amount considering it would be both literally and metaphorically a passport to a new life…

To view the results on an interactive map showing where families would locate to in 2023, visit www.FamilyDestinationsGuide.com