Survey: 44 percent of Bay Area residents are considering moving

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A new survey found that a large percentage of people living in the Bay Area are now considering moving out.

In the survey of close to 1,500 people, 44 percent said they are considering the move. Seventy-seven percent cite high housing costs as the reason.

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The cost of living comes in a close second.

Fifty-one percent of people say traffic congestion makes them consider relocating. Forty-five percent cite quality of life.

The CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership Group, the company that conducted the study for the Bay Area News Group, said it's been a long time coming across the state.

"They are tired of the high cost of housing, high cost of living, and the high cost of terrible traffic commute. We've neglected these issues for decades. Not just in the Bay Area, but throughout California. And the people have said enough is enough," said Carlo Guardino.

Another 6 percent of people said they have definitive plans to leave the Bay Area.

A few other stats worth mentioning: African-Americans and renters were more likely to call it quits and pack their bags within the year.

Twenty-three-year-old Talia Gonzalez has a good job in Oakland at a commercial real estate firm, but she doesn't live in Oakland.

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"I live in Hayward just because it's way too expensive to find any housing in Oakland," said Gonzalez.

She's not alone. Twenty-six-year-old Brian Bulaya takes Amtrak from Sacramento to his job in San Francisco -- a more than 2-hour commute.

"Two and a half. That's not including the drive to the station and like walking as well, so maybe three hours door to door," said Bulaya.

He's living at home with his parents.

"Just saving money, trying to cut costs," Bulaya continued.

These are two young adults saving as many more say they're being squeezed out.

Seventy-one percent of those who said they're likely to move out of the Bay Area are African-American.

"If you have been at the bottom for a long period of time in terms of economics and your ability to get good jobs, steady employment, good housing, so you start from a lower point in terms of what you have so you need to get out of here is realized much quicker than other groups, ethnic groups in particular," said Oakland NAACP President George Holland.

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Gonzalez worries about what the results could mean long-term.

"This is such a historical place... it shouldn't have to change just on the basis of housing," said Gonzalez.

"There needs to be like more community efforts to make sure that individuals who grew up here who know the city especially here in Oakland are able to actually stay here, make sure that their kids are here and their grandkids as well," said Bulaya.

Holland says minorities are moving to the outlying suburbs.

"Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakland, Stockton, Tracy," said Holland.

He encourages people to stay even if they're struggling financially.

"Once you move you lose, because you can't afford to come back here for the most part," said Holland.

Holland says it's having a real impact on religious communities as well and that Oakland churches are seeing their membership numbers go down.

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