Originally published on April 29, 2021, by Kathryn Hamilton for NAIOP.
Thinking of packing suitcase, grabbing your laptop and setting up shop in a new locale? You’re in good company! One-fifth of adults in the U.S. moved during COVID-19 or know someone who did, says Pew Research, whether for health and safety reasons, or simply because the space demands of full-time work from home increased the urgency for more square footage.
Since the onset of the pandemic, countless office workers have fled crowded apartments in the urban core and are spreading out in more remote, spacious locations dubbed “Zoom towns.”
These hot spots have some things in common: roomy homes and yards, lower costs of living, and proximity to outdoor activities, like hiking trails or the waterfront. Ownerly published a list of top Zoom towns, and some cities are offering incentive programs to attract remote workers: