When Olivia and Eric Mathewson moved from Rohnert Park to Iowa in 2021, both took jobs that paid a little less per hour. It was a small price to pay, they said, for living in part of America where the cost of living is about half what they experienced in California.
The Sonoma County natives traded a $2,000 one-bedroom apartment for an amenity-rich, $1,200 two-bedroom apartment in West Des Moines. Three years later they were able to purchase a $335,000 four-bedroom home in Waukee, the second fastest growing small city in Iowa.
The couple, soon after they were engaged, started weighing the “millennial dream” of having a wedding, buying a house and having a baby, Olivia said. It quickly became apparent that dream wasn’t possible in the North Bay.
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“We were looking at costs, and it was like, ‘How can you afford to live in Sonoma County with everything going up?’” Eric said.
They looked at homes in Sacramento, San Diego, Reno, Sparks, Denver and, eventually, Iowa, where Olivia attended college and Eric’s father had moved to several years back.
In early May, Olivia and Eric brought their 9-month-old baby, Myles, back to Santa Rosa to visit with her parents, who still live in the west county home where she grew up, near River Road, between Forestville and Santa Rosa.
Olivia’s father, Jim Olmsted said he understood the reasons his daughter and her family decamped for elsewhere: “The pay scale for the work they did was not enough to allow them the ability to get ahead of their monthly bills.”
Former Rohnert Park residents Olivia Mathewson, left, and husband Eric Mathewson visit the Iowa State Fair in Iowa. (Photo by Olivia Mathewson)
Former Rohnert Park residents Olivia Mathewson, right, and husband Eric Mathewson stand in their new home’s driveway in Waukee, Iowa. (Photo by Olivia Mathewson)
Iowa resident Myles Mathewson, 9 months, plays at his grandparents’ home in Forestville Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
(From left) Iowa residents Olivia Mathewson, left, her husband Eric Mathewson, and their 9-month-old son Myles, visit with Olivia’s parents Shelly and Jim Olmsted at the Olmsted’s home in Forestville Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
Iowa resident Eric Mathewson plays with his 9-month-old son Myles, during a visit to his in-law’s home in Forestville Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
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Former Rohnert Park residents Olivia Mathewson, left, and husband Eric Mathewson visit the Iowa State Fair in Iowa. (Photo by Olivia Mathewson)
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In Waukee, he added, “There is construction and new development everywhere. They now have a young child and have to negotiate child care, but generally it is much more affordable than it would have been in Sonoma County.”
The young couple’s move is part of an ongoing exodus of Sonoma County residents who have left Wine Country for more affordable communities in other states, according to a recent University of California report on out-of-state migration.
After an initial Press Democrat story about that trend, a number of readers who moved got in touch to share their experiences.
Out-of-county migration constitutes the biggest factor in the county’s population losses since 2016. Although the out-of-state exodus has slowed within the last two years, the state’s growing unaffordability continues to push local residents to states where they can more easily find housing.
Readers who shared their exodus stories said they moved to states including Texas, Nevada, Idaho, Iowa, North Carolina and Arizona. While many identified affordability as a big reason for their move, others also noted political, environmental and personal health reasons.
In some cases, the move was not always as simple as they’d hoped. Some residents lamented what they’d lost and described missing the North Bay and even regretting leaving.
No regrets
The Mathewsons say they have no regrets about trading California for Iowa, loving the seasons and “family-centered” living. They said there really is something to the state’s reputation as being “Iowa Nice.”
People in Iowa seem happier, Olivia said. “We attribute that to people feeling more at ease with finances overall, less stressed about day-to-day life. We’ve found there tended to be a lot of pessimism and depression among ‘our age’ friends in Sonoma County, likely due to not having a feasible future path, or always strapped for money, or just Sonoma County not being a great place for ‘younger generations.’”
Eric’s mother, Ann Mathewson, still lives in Cotati, where he grew up.
Olivia said the most difficult part of living so far away is not having her parents close to help with the baby. Before their recent visit, they hadn’t been back in a year; time and airfares are constraints, they said.
Even with a high interest rate of 6.25%, the mortgage on their $335,000 home is reasonable. A home like the one they bought in Waukee would probably cost between $750,000 and $800,000 in Sonoma County.
Buying an $800,000 home at a 6.25% interest rate would require a much higher monthly payment.
Eric said he foresees more young couples moving out of Sonoma County to lower-cost areas of either the state or nation to start their families.
The Mathewsons represent one end of the age spectrum in the Wine Country exodus. The other is represented by older residents who find it increasingly difficult to get by on a fixed income.
After five generations of their family residing in Sonoma County, William Knight and his wife moved to Henderson, Nevada.
The main reason was to be closer to their daughter, Michelle Williams, who moved there 12 years ago after her husband, Tyler, landed a job with Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. That led to a number of trips to visit his grandkids and a growing affinity for the Henderson area.
“We got to know the area and enjoyed a lot of aspects here,” Knight said in a phone interview.
Eventually, he and his wife started “penciling out” home prices and the cost of living in Henderson. The scales started tipping toward Nevada.
“To be able to retire and not have to continue paying the extra amounts in property taxes and insurance in California … there’s no state income tax here,” he said.
Knight describes Henderson as “Santa Rosa on steroids.” Though the Nevada city — located on the southeast outskirts of Las Vegas — has double the population of Santa Rosa, it has many of the same charms.
Sonoma County transplant and Nevada resident Bill Knight stands at the entrance to his home Friday, May 1, in Henderson, Nev. (Ronda Churchill for The Press Democrat)
Sonoma County transplant and Nevada resident Bill Knight stands with a Sig Cadet RC plane that he previously constructed Friday, May 1, in Henderson, Nev. (Ronda Churchill for The Press Democrat)
Sonoma County transplant and Nevada resident Bill Knight stands for a portrait near the entrance to a room that houses an office and remote control planes at his home Friday, May 1, in Henderson, Nev. (Ronda Churchill for The Press Democrat)
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Sonoma County transplant and Nevada resident Bill Knight stands at the entrance to his home Friday, May 1, in Henderson, Nev. (Ronda Churchill for The Press Democrat)
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“The people are friendly. It’s enjoyable to go out and mingle,” he said. “It feels comfortable, like it is when you go in Santa Rosa, it made me feel welcome right away.”
The downsides include intense, triple-digit summer heat and what Knight described as a scourge of red-light runners who live to avoid minutes-long stops in traffic. But the heat subsides when the sun goes down and you just have to be extra careful about those reckless drivers, he said.
Faces behind the exodus
Since the pandemic, the number of people leaving California has ramped up while the number of people moving into the state has remained flat. Last year, nearly 150,000 more people left the state than arrived.
Sonoma County continues to see a net loss of residents to other states, following a statewide pattern over the past decade. Between 2016 and 2025, Sonoma County saw a 12,100-person loss in net migration, meaning more people moved out than moved in.
The figures are a component of population change that exclude gains from births and loss from deaths, the other main factors. Overall, Sonoma County’s latest population count in July 2025 stands at 486,444, up only slightly from 485,375 in 2024, after multiple consecutive years of losses that were unprecedented in the county’s long history.
Some who have not moved away are weighing the benefits of staying put.
Sarah Penn and her husband, both retired, purchased their Bennett Valley home in 2005. They pay about $20,000 a year in property taxes.
Penn, 82, said she and her husband have four children, three of whom own homes in Santa Rosa. But they wonder whether they can afford to stay in the area now that they are on a fixed income. Also, at current home prices, her grandchildren will not be able to purchase homes in Sonoma County, she said. Talk of moving is a common topic in her family.
“We all got in at home prices that we can afford, but now we’re finding our grandkids can’t buy here,” she said. “Our taxes, even with Prop. 13, you’re still paying high taxes.”
Proposition 13, California’s landmark constitutional amendment passed in 1978, limits the property tax rate to 1% of assessed value and restricts annual assessment increases to a maximum of 2%, unless the property is sold, newly constructed, with larger catch-up increases allowed after periods where a property’s assessment dropped.
Penn said if California wants to retain retirees like her and her husband as taxpayers, they should have their property tax frozen, since they have no plans to sell or profit from their home and live on fixed incomes.
“I believe in paying taxes, I want the schools to be good, I want the roads to be paved, I want police and fire departments to be amply equipped, it’s just that they’ve overdone it,” she said. “There really needs to be a break for those people who retire and want to stay here.”
Penn said in an email she would consider relocating to South Carolina, a place where their dollar could be stretched, or returning to Florida. She’s also lived in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Italy.
Others who already made the move found varying degrees of affordability.
Gus diZerega told The Press Democrat he left Sebastopol for New Mexico in 2016 after many years. “The alternative would eventually be living on the streets,” he wrote.
“I had always rented, as life as a visiting professor sometimes required moving for a while,” he said. “Finally, about 10 years ago, a landlord basically broke every promise made to me about stabilizing rents, and the impossibility of finding an affordable alternative place led me to move to Taos, New Mexico.”
He said he misses friends and life in California, but has experienced a similar quality of life in both cities, enjoying Taos’ natural beauty. “New Mexico is so very different climatically, culturally and geographically, that I do not compare the two — like loving two very different people.”
Some who left Sonoma County moved out of the country and say they never looked back.
Margie Brooke said she and her husband left Sonoma despite loving the city and owning their home and two businesses. They resettled in Boquete, Panama, in 2016, which they said was “a simpler life, great weather, and so much less expensive.”
Former Sonoma resident Margie Brooke rides her horse to use the ATM in Boquete, Panama. (Photo by Margie Brooke)
Former Sonoma resident Margie Brooke rides her horse in a local cabalgata, or horse parade, which hundreds of horseback riders participate in, in Boquete, Panama. (Photo by Margie Brooke)
The chicken owned by a former Sonoma resident and now children’s book author Margie Brooke, named Peep, sits on the dashboard of her owner’s car. (Photo by Margie Brooke)
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Former Sonoma resident Margie Brooke rides her horse to use the ATM in Boquete, Panama. (Photo by Margie Brooke)
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“My husband is retired and we work in real estate and flip houses,” Brooke said. “We own a larger property here and have dogs, cats, chickens and horses. The people in Sonoma were great, but the costs are ridiculous.”
Brooke wrote a children’s book about the chicken she transported from Sonoma to Boquete.
Erin Stephens said she had to leave the state as a single mom with her daughter, to Surprise, Arizona, northwest of Phoenix.
“I couldn’t afford to buy anything in Sonoma County and had been paying $2,500 in rent for a two-bedroom,” she said. In Arizona she could afford a new four-bedroom home for less than $400,000.
What’s more, she said, the cost of groceries and eating out in the Maricopa County city are lower. She can afford to pay for her daughter’s extracurricular activities, including gymnastics, ballet and volleyball.
“I do miss my friends and the beauty of California Wine Country, but I love the weather here, and the affordability difference was a no-brainer to me,” Stephens said.
Seeking different political environments
Some readers cited concerns about the local tax burden, which in Sonoma County includes eight countywide, voter-approved special taxes that add 2 percentage points over the state baseline and any city levies.
Edward Kierklo said he and his wife lived in the county for eight years in Rio Nido.
“It was cheaper than renting in many instances,” he said. “It was delightful while I was still working, but things changed after retirement.”
They decided to move to Calaveras County due to rising costs. Kierklo said the 1978 Russian River Sewer Bond, which was intended to cover construction of sewage facilities and matured in 2018, cost the couple about $1,600 annually.
While he likes his new area, Kierklo said things are still uncertain living in California: “With taxes, insurance and maintenance, the future looks foreboding and less comfortable than years back.”
Will Bomar said politics and the state’s handling of business-related issues were among the reasons he decided to move to the Boise, Idaho, area in 2019. He said he owned retail stores in Petaluma, largely employing high school and college students.
He disagreed with having to pay entry-level employees $9 an hour, citing the state’s minimum wage in 2014. It is now $16.90.
“We decided then to sell our business, home, rentals and move out,” Bomar said. “Marin, Sonoma County, was no longer friendly to ‘conservatives,’ and if they knew you were, they would cause issues at your business.”
Bomar said in Idaho, the cost of living is lower as are sales, income and other taxes.
“I kept my same income, as I work remotely. I saved over $20,000 in our first year alone. Spread that out over 15 years — how long it will be for me between when I moved and when I retire — and that is $300,000 saved.”
Conversely, some now have issues with the political landscape they face in other states.
Stephens said after moving to Arizona, “It was a bit of a tough transition for me at first, with many people here (including in our neighborhood) with vastly differing political opinions than mine (there are a lot of Trump supporters) here. There are also some people here in Arizona that absolutely do not like Californians. I have seen many vehicle stickers that say things like get your California out of my Arizona.
“Despite that, however, we have made some good friends here and I feel like I have a great network to lean on,” she added.
Coming back
For Vanessa Lundeen, leaving Sonoma County was a heartbreaking lesson in “cost of living” versus “quality of life.”
The former Santa Rosa resident said she moved to Houston, Texas, with her husband for more affordable living near her family, as he continued to work for a Santa Rosa employer whose health insurance covered his health needs.
However, even with platinum-level health insurance, they struggled to find a doctor to manage her husband’s heart condition. When he died in 2022, amid pandemic restrictions, Lundeen, 49, found “the social infrastructure is nonexistent.”
“In Houston, the culture for handling tragedy is: ‘mega-church, prayer, beer, drive-through daiquiris, and guns,’” she wrote.
Lundeen also felt threatened at times. “People have ‘good manners’ only because everyone is packing a gun; you don’t walk up a neighbor’s driveway unannounced because you might get shot. There is a lack of the intellectual discourse and honest exploration of racial and economic inequalities that we value here in Northern California.”
She found a new beginning when she met the man who is now her husband, Alex Lundeen, at a conference for widowed people, and moved to live with him and his daughter in Plainview, Minnesota.
However, they soon felt pressured to leave as Alex’s daughter faced bullying in school and they said they felt unsafe in a politically conservative area.
By late 2024, they had decided to sell his house and return to Santa Rosa. They were married in October 2024, “on the way to California,” Alex, 58, said.
These days, Alex’s daughter is attending a local high school and making friends. Vanessa plans to get her undergraduate’s degree in anthropology at UC Berkeley, while her husband looks to earn his master’s degree in counseling from San Francisco State.
Alex said after spending most of his life in Minnesota, he will never return to the Midwest.
“If you’re not a Trump supporter, you will have a hard time,” Alex said in an interview.
The two said they found a better life in Sonoma County.
“Even with our flaws, this is a place that values healthcare, mental health and substantive dialogue,” she said. “I moved away for a ‘cheaper’ life, but I found that without a culture of care and safety, ‘cheap’ is very expensive.”
“We feel safe here,” Alex said. “This place is a paradise, you know?”
Still, the option to return is beyond many people’s financial reach.
Hillary Wootton said she was born and raised in Santa Rosa and returned in 2013 after leaving to travel and work several jobs, and opened a business with her husband. She ultimately left again, following the stress of the 2017, 2019 and 2020 fires, and then her husband’s death in 2022.
“Our $3,100/month mortgage was too much for my single income,” she said. By September 2022, she had sold most of her belongings and took what was left to Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Wootton said she chose the midsize city for its arts scene, proximity to airports and “excellent” cost of living. She used the proceeds from the sale of her California home and business to purchase a small home for $283,000 — larger than the one she sold for $650,000 in Santa Rosa.
While she likes where she lives, “I miss California daily,” she said.
“If I won the lottery, I’d move back in a heartbeat,” she said. “It’s not perfect, but nowhere is. I’m sad that prices in California are driving so many people out.”
Relative affordability
While the lack of affordability is driving some residents out of the county, the region still attracts those who face even higher living costs elsewhere in the Bay Area.
Christo Vandevert said he sold a 850-square-foot home in San Francisco for a three-bedroom home in Santa Rosa’s Oakmont neighborhood, escaping a mortgage to enjoy the county’s “warm summers, endless vineyards, friendly people and fresh produce.”
Vandevert said he had visited the area for decades, and chose to move with his husband after retiring two years ago following four decades as an immunology research scientist in the biotech industry. He said they value the community’s proximity to a new hospital — Sutter, opened in 2014 — and robust network of LGBTQ advocates — including two groups for seniors, Silver Guys and Golden Guys.
“We were able to pay off our mortgages and pay cash for our house here — that was necessary for retirement with a degree of relative financial safety,” Vandevert said. “Who would leave this paradise? I get that some people can’t afford to live here, which is saddening. I wish there were ways to keep them.”
Knight, the retiree who moved to Nevada, was back in Sonoma County over the Memorial Day weekend for a family tradition. He and his sister, who lives in Santa Rosa, make a special pilgrimage to the Shiloh District Cemetery, where their great, great grandfather John Cleveland Murray is buried.
Knight said he often reflects on the life he had in Sonoma County, including the 30 years he spent working for Sebastopol Bearing & Hydraulic.
“I miss the people I worked with and the customers that I served,” he said.
As it happened, within a month of moving to Nevada in 2024, his son-in-law got transferred to Texas after landing a job with a global mining company. His daughter and two grandsons are now several states away.
The couple now travel frequently to Texas — three times since last September, twice flying and once driving. “It is giving us a chance to see a lot of this country,” he said.
You can reach Staff Writer Natalie Hanson at 619-665-5887 or natalie.hanson@pressdemocrat.com and Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com.
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