South
South Carolina tops growth ranking list for U.S. states in 2024, according to U-Haul
Americans flocked to southern states in 2024, according to U-Haul’s Growth Index, with South Carolina topping the list of moving destinations for the first time.
Arrivals accounted for 51.7% of all one-way U-Haul traffic in and out of the state, according to the report published Thursday.
Texas, which reigned as the top U-Haul growth state three years in a row, fell to second place last year. North Carolina ranked third.
“The Carolinas are a great place to live,” said Jason Hardin, U-Haul’s area vice president for the Carolinas and Georgia. “We have southern charm. We have a lot of history here. We got beaches. We have mountains. We have low cost of living.”
Coastal living without the hefty price tag found in other states, combined with warm weather and southern charm could be motivating people to move to the Carolinas, U-Haul executive Jason Hardin said. (Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
THIS SOUTH CAROLINA TRAVEL GUIDE WILL SPARK JOY FOR VISITORS LOOKING FOR BEAUTIFUL BEACHES, HISTORIC TOURS
The outlook was less sunny in the Golden State, which ranked dead last on U-Haul’s Growth Index for the fifth year in a row.
U-Haul calculates each state’s net gain (or loss) of customers using one-way rentals. The company said it sees more than 2.5 million one-way truck, trailer and moving container transactions each year across all 50 states.
Transactions from 2024 “reaffirm customer tendencies that have been pronounced for some time,” U-Haul International president John “J.T.” Taylor said in a statement.
“Migration to the Southeast and Southwest continues as families gauge their cost of living, job opportunities, quality of life and other factors,” Taylor said in the statement. “Out-migration remains prevalent for a number of markets across the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast — and particularly California.”
Florida and Tennessee ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, among the leading growth states. Arizona, Washington, Indiana, Utah and Idaho rounded out the top 10.
Americans flocked to southern states in 2024, according to U-Haul’s annual Growth Index. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
AMERICANS FLOCKING FROM MAJOR METROPOLITAN CITIES TO THESE SOUTHERN ‘EX BURBS’
U-Haul rankings don’t correlate directly to population or economic growth — after three years of decline, California’s population grew last year, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
However, the company says its Growth Index offers a look at how well states and cities are attracting and retaining residents.
Hardin said many of the people he sees moving to the Carolinas are coming from the Northeast seeking warmer weather, and from California in search of a lower cost of living.
“There’s no reason you wouldn’t want to move here,” Hardin added in a video shared by U-Haul.
Hardin also highlighted the Carolinas’ abundance of entertainment and sports opportunities, as well as a surge in manufacturing, healthcare and tech jobs.
In August, Meta announced plans to build its first South Carolina data center. The next month, Google announced a $3.3 billion plan to expand an existing data center and add two new campuses, according to local news reports.
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The state has also been trying to position itself as a global powerhouse in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing.
Kentucky
Top Kentucky Football transfer Lance Heard had minor spring procedure
There is an old saying that there is no such thing as a minor procedure when it happens to you. But that’s exactly what happened over the spring football season as top transfer Lance Heard had surgery on an undisclosed injury that was deemed “minor.”
While Kentucky did not release what exactly the big left tackle had surgery on, anytime you are down your starting left tackle over Spring is not ideal. The good news is Heard has plenty of SEC experience, starting at LSU before transferring to Tennessee.
The biggest thing for an offensive line is reps, but offensive coordinator Joe Sloan told KSR he was happy with what he was seeing.
“You’re starting to see them work really well together, and they have an opportunity to be a strength of our team.” If that comes to fruition, Kentucky will have a really good year. As for the fans, expect a different style this year in Kroger Field.
Kentucky’s offense will be different
Under Mark Stoops, the calling card became a physical offensive line, a punishing run scheme, and a ball control style. That offense will be very different this year, not because of a shift away from the run game, but because there will be a lot more chances taken.
Sometimes, that is a good thing, and other times it causes turnovers. Will Stein said he never called a play he didn’t think would score a touchdown. That aggressive style is what will define Stein’s time in Lexington. He chose a defensive coordinator known for dialing up the blitz. He has gone after nearly all the top recruits, and he isn’t backing down from saying he expects to be the best head coach in the country.
Will it work? I don’t know, but I do know it will look different than what Mark Stoops was putting out. But it all depends on the health of the key players Stein brought in, and that starts with a healthy offensive line.
Louisiana
Louisiana ranks next to last for working dads, according to WalletHub report
Maryland
Piper PA-28 crashes in Maryland, killing all three Israeli occupants | The Jerusalem Post
Three people were killed on Saturday after their single-engine aircraft crashed in a wooded area near Bowie, Maryland, according to Maryland State Police.
The three people on board were Israelis, according to Israeli media reports on Sunday, citing the Foreign Ministry.
An NBC report cited the police as saying that the aircraft was found Sunday morning after crashing near a townhouse community and local playground.
Police did not release the identities of the deceased, all of whom were declared dead on the scene.
The crash was initially reported at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday via iPhone alert, NBC cited Prince George’s County Public Safety Communications as saying.
The pilot and passengers of the small aircraft were on a training flight when the crash occured, NBC reported, noting that the aircraft belonged to a Montgomery County flight school.
The Baltimore Sun identified the aircraft as a Piper PA-28, a common training aircraft in the United States.
On Tuesday, a small jet plane carrying six people crashed into a vehicle on a highway in Laredo, Texas, authorities said.
One person was killed in the crash, named by the Associated Press on Wednesday as Austin tech entrepreneur Joshua Baer.
In addition, five first responders were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, and the passengers were hospitalized for minor injuries.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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