“My wife couldn’t even go shopping at Winco without being accosted,” he said. “Something has to change when you don’t feel safe in public.”
Billy Joel’s classic tune “Movin’ Out” could be an appropriate theme song for the many individuals in the High Desert and California who have packed up and relocated to places like Oregon, Michigan, Arizona, Texas and Idaho.
The Golden State continues to rank No. 1 as the state that has waved goodbye to more residents, about 143,000 last year, than welcomed those who have moved here, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report.
And despite the state losing 3.5 million people to other states from 2010 to 2015, many demographic experts said there is no mass exodus from California.
But this story is not so much about the amount of Californians leaving, but about why so many longtime High Desert residents have moved out of the Victor Valley.
Mike and Velvet Ambuski from Hesperia are among those who have relocated because they wanted to live in an area with less crime, better jobs, friendlier people, improved services, less traffic and a more politically conservative atmosphere.
The Ambuskis began their relocation road trip two weeks ago when they drove from California to Velvet’s home state of Michigan, a move Mike Ambuski calls, “One of the best things we’ve ever done.”
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