Dust Bowl Reversed: Californians Head to Oklahoma

By Colleen Chen, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The 1930s Dust Bowl and the Great Depression left Oklahomans fleeing for better opportunities in California, but now it appears the roles have been reversed.

With Oklahoma City receiving titles such as recession proof and having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, the shift is natural.

Bijan Babollah with Coldwell Banker Select Broker is all about selling homes. Tuesday, he was helping Emily and Stephen Diver finish up the purchase of their very first house. As Babollah works on the local market, he also has ads in California where the headlines scream troubled economy.

"We do have ads in Sacramento, Los Angeles area for all the people relocating to Oklahoma area," Babollah said.

There was another headline in The Sacramento Bee that has brought attention to a noticeable shift of Sacramentans deciding to call Oklahoma home. That's the best kind of advertising the Chamber of Commerce could ask for.

"It seems like a long time ago, everyone was leaving but now they are coming back," said Jill Harrison with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.

In the last three years, 10,555 Californians have relocated here to the Sooner State. Babollah said his business reflects those numbers.

"I would say probably 20 percent of my business has been from the west and California," he said.

Babollah said the reasons for the relocation are the growing downtown skyline, the bustling crowds of Bricktown and most of all, the low cost of living.

"They can get a house probably half of what they pay there," Babollah said.

Texas and California rank as the top two states for residents relocating to Oklahoma.