Cities in California dominate the bottom of a list of warm weather cities considered the best for "snowbirds" and "zoombirds," according to one new analysis.
The finding is from a Nov. 8 analysis from StorageCafe, a storage unit listing site that frequently reports data on migration trends.
For the analysis, StorageCafe examined 215 U.S. cities with populations greater than 10,000 across 11 "snowbird-friendly" states, for which complete data was available, to determine top cities for "snowbirds" and "zoombirds" — retirees and remote workers, respectively, who move to warmer climates during the colder winter months.
The analysis is based on data from the following sources: U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, U.S. Climate Data, Environmental Protection Agency, GolfNow, BroadbandNow, CMS, Trust for Public Land, Campground Views and Yardi Matrix.
Analysts ranked cities across several factors including October-March average temperature; vacant housing units for seasonal, recreational, occasional or renting use; precipitation; air quality; offenses known to law enforcement as a percentage of population; total beach length within a 10-mile radius of the city; and park surface per capita in the city.
Other factors analysts considered were number of RV parks; number of golf courses per 10,000 residents; restaurants per 1,000 residents; average internet speed; median rent, median house price; average self-storage rate for a 10'×10' non-climate-controlled unit; Medicare pricing for new patients; hospitals per 10,000 residents; physicians and clinicians per 1,000 residents; and medical organizations per 1,000 residents.
Among the cities analyzed, these 20 cities are least snowbird- and zoombird-friendly, per StorageCafe:
1. Davis, Calif.
2. Richmond, Calif.
3. Antioch, Calif.
4. Concord, Calif.
5. Fairfield, Calif.
6. Pomona, Calif.
7. Oakland, Calif.
8. Newark, Calif.
9. Walnut Creek, Calif.
10. San Rafael, Calif.
11. San Bernardino, Calif.
12. Salinas, Calif.
13. Los Banos, Calif.
14. Martinez, Calif.
15. Atlanta
16. Hollister, Calif.
17. San Francisco
18. Memphis, Tenn.
19. Watsonville, Calif.
20. Stockton, Calif.
For a list of the best cities for "snowbirds" and "zoombirds," click here.