Incoming! Oklahoma Gets Influx Of Residents

Americans are a migratory bunch, and in the past when they've moved they've typically headed westward. But in 2009, relocators showed surprising patterns, according to research Atlas Van Lines. Among the surprises in Atlas's research: Oklahoma, for the first time in five years, is now seeing more arrivals than departures.

"Moving trends have really migrated to the Southwest--and to the Southeast," Kerri Hart, an Atlas Van Lines spokeswoman, tells HousingWatch. "It's hard to say what's driving this. Certainly jobs are a factor, but there are some states like South Dakota and North Dakota that have low unemployment and are still seeing more people move away."

Sorry, Yanks. People are moving to southwestern states like Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, and to mid-Atlantic states like Maryland, Washington DC, or North Carolina.

But we were a little bit stumped on Oklahoma. So we poked around, and found that when it comes to old-school as well as renewable energy sources, Oklahoma is a major job creator.