Florida has become increasingly popular with college graduates, with metros in the state seeing some of the highest net gains of college-educated Americans, according to research from HireAHelper.

Metropolitan areas such as North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Jacksonville and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, were among the most popular destinations for college graduates looking to relocate in 2023.

North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton topped the list of attractive Florida metros, seeing a net gain of college-educated Americans of 135 percent.

Jacksonville also ranked highly, with an 81 percent net gain.

Miranda Marquit, consumer advocate for HireAHelper, suggested that a higher cost of living in other states and a growing job market in Florida could be why so many are flocking to the Sunshine State.

“Florida cities that saw an influx are also cities that have seen big gains in their job markets in recent years. Tampa, especially, is known for its increase in available jobs.” she told Newsweek.

“Florida has a lower cost of living and the cities where college-educated millennials and Gen Z-ers are moving have good job prospects.

“Add to the fact that these areas have a lower cost of living than places like California and New York, and they seem more attractive. You can get paid reasonably well and your dollar goes further.”

When it came to those places with the highest net losses of college-educated Americans, California dominated the list with three metros in the top five.

“Recently, big-tech layoffs have been in the news, so California might not be as attractive to job-seekers,” Marquit said.

The report also highlighted states that were popular among degree holders.

Washington State, South Carolina and Nevada where the first, second and third most popular states.

HireAHelper’s study suggested graduates may have been enticed by the absence of state income taxes in some of those states, such as in Washington and Nevada.

The study drew on 2023 data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey and Annual Social and Economic Supplements.

The typical prices of homes and rent in Florida are much more affordable than in many of America’s most popular cities.

Redfin puts average rent prices in Florida at $1,917 for apartments and $2,400 for housing rentals. Average house prices in the state are $392,306 according to Zillow.

Meanwhile, the average New York rent currently stands at over $4000 a month, whilst average home values in the city to be in excess of $746,000.

Rent in San Francisco was more than $3,400 a month and the average home value was $1.2 million.

Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about the housing market? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com

Hunter Ensley’s best at-bat Saturday might have been lost to memory by the time Tennessee baseball’s onslaught ended at Florida.

The Vols outfielder battled through a nine pitch at-bat in the fourth inning, crushing the ninth offering off the wall for a two-run double. It was the first of three monumental swings for the redshirt junior, who came back with another two-run double and three-run homer in the sixth inning to swing the Vols to a series win at Florida’s Condron Ballpark.

No. 3 Tennessee (39-9, 17-7 SEC) demolished Florida (24-23, 10-14) 16-3, scoring the final 16 runs to win the finale.

Ensley was 3-for-4 with seven RBIs Saturday as Tennessee kept pace with Kentucky in the SEC East standings. UT won the opener 6-2 before falling 4-3 in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader.

Hunter Ensley leads Tennessee’s 11-run sixth inning to win series at Florida

Tennessee trailed by one entering the sixth Saturday. It led by 10 when the top half of the inning ended.

UT’s sixth-inning assault spanned 14 hitters and 73 pitches from three Florida pitchers. Ensley had the two largest swings with a two-run double and the three-run homer for a five RBI inning.

The inning started with a Kavares Tears walk and a Dylan Dreiling double. Dean Curley single in Tears to tie the game 3-3 before Ensley put Tennessee ahead 5-3. The Vols scored three more on a Blake Burke walk, a Billy Amick sacrifice fly, and a dropped third strike with a throwing error that allowed Tears to reach. Curley singled in another run before Ensley slugged his homer.

AJ Causey continues to be a star long reliever for Vols

AJ Causey worked three innings of great relief before a rocky start to the eighth. He hit a batter then gave up a single to put runners on the corners with no outs. The Vols reliever got a strikeout and a double play to get out of the threat.

Causey was on for the third time in four relief appearances. He had seven strikeouts in four scoreless innings, including setting down 11 straight. He allowed four hits and walked none before departing in the ninth.

It marked the third time in the past four weekend that Causey allowed one run or less while throwing four or more innings with at least six strikeouts.

Tennessee’s bottom of the order had a terrible Friday doubleheader

Curley singled to right in the second inning of the series opener Friday to score a run. That was the biggest contribution from the hitters in the bottom five spots of UT’s lineup in the first two games.

CHASE: Inside Blake Burke and Christian Moore’s homer-bashing, record-trading chase for Tennessee baseball

The players in those spots went 3-for-32 with 20 strikeouts in the doubleheader. They had five walks and three hit by pitches. Reece Chapman’s sacrifice fly in the opener was the only RBI beyond Curley’s RBI single. Chapman struck out five times in six at-bats. Ensley had four strikeouts.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida wildlife experts recently released dozens of eastern indigo snakes into the wild with the hopes of restoring native ecosystems.

The Nature Conservancy, in coordination with several groups, took part in the release that happened in conservation lands along the Apalachicola River in the Florida Panhandle.

The eastern indigo snakes are designated as a threatened species and is the longest native snake in North America, growing up to eight feet long.

Biologists say the species disappeared from large stretches of the Southeast in the 1980s but could be on the verge of turning the corner with recent conservation efforts.

“With increasing numbers of snakes released over time and successful reproduction, the indigo is gaining momentum to return to the landscape where it belongs,” Michele Elmore, a biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said in a statement.

The 41 snakes were bred and raised for two years at a facility operated by the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens.

MASSIVE BURMESE PYTHON CAUGHT SLITHERING THROUGH SWAMPS OF SOUTH FLORIDA

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that the bluish-black-colored snake loses more than 5% of its habitat every year due to various causes, including fragmentation, where a road or other development splits its territory.

The snakes released into the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve are just a few years away from being able to reproduce and could live longer than 20 years.

According to biologists, they are not dangerous to people or pets and have a diet that consists of small animals, including other snakes.

“This project continues to be one of the gold standard conservation projects in Florida, and we are grateful for the many partnerships that contribute to our mission, values and shared goals,” Brad O’Hanlon, a reptile and amphibian conservation coordinator at the FWC, stated.

UNIVERSITY RELEASES ‘SPY’ PYTHONS IN EVERGLADES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND INVASIVE SPECIES

The Nature Conservancy group says during the past year several snakes from previous releases have been spotted, including two wild-born hatchlings from released offspring.

“With the recent news of the indigo hatchling discovery at ABRP, we can see that our combined efforts are paving the way toward the ultimate goal of a self-sustaining wild indigo population,” Dr. James Bogan Jr., the director of Central Florida Zoo’s Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation, stated.

Researchers conduct surveys on foot and with the help of trail cameras located near burrows and other high-traveled areas.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service says it plans to reintroduce 600 snakes in Alabama and Florida as part of the restoration program.