Don't expect Florida and Caribbean tourists to flock west

We have earthquakes and fires

Don Bauder, SAN DIEGO READER

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

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So, hurricane-spooked folks might head for San Diego, Los Angeles, or the Bay Area. Hold on. “We have earthquakes and fires,” says Kelly Cunningham, economist at National University. Wildfires are certainly exacerbated by a warmer earth, and earthquakes may be affected, too, along with tsunamis and volcanos.

Will storm-battered people move to the West Coast from the East? National University’s Cunningham points to housing prices. According to Zillow.com, the median home value in San Diego is $583,300, San Jose $892,400, Los Angeles $632,000, and San Francisco $1.2 million. And Florida? Miami $300,800, Tampa $185,700, and Orlando $169,700. ’Nuf said. For every home buyer coming into California, there are three moving out, says CoreLogic. San Diego’s population is still growing “because of international immigration and babies, but domestic migration is negative,” says National University’s Cunningham.