A conservative family who moved from California to Idaho have returned due to difficulties ‘fitting in.’
Melvin Galang and Coree Ray made the return trip to the blue state in April, taking to TikTok to announce the U-turn. Both cited ‘judgmental attitudes’ and gossip as reasons for fleeing.
They first moved to Idaho in 2021, leaving the LA suburb they called home and taking along their two twin daughters for the ride, as well as Coree’s four kids from other relationships.
But they quickly found that in the Gem State, not everything that glitters is gold.
A statement on 51-year-old Coree’s TikTok explained why – and despite the claims of commenters, it is unclear whether racism played a part in their decision to leave.
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Melvin Galang and Coree Ray made the return trip this past April – taking to TikTok to make the announcement
They cited ‘judgmental attitudes’ and gossip as reasons for fleeing, after leaving a suburb a half hour’s drive from LA. They took along their twin daughters
‘We decided after 3 years in Idaho, we are going back home.
‘We wanted to move to a Conservative state, but we realized what it would mean to fit in,’ it continued.
‘It would mean we would need to be judgmental. We would need to gossip about others. Have our kids forget how to say please and thank you. Talk bad about new people moving here for a better life.
‘We left California because of politics[,] but forgot there are other kinds of politics to consider…’
An accompanying video showed the family dancing outside their seven-bedroom home in Idaho Falls, which boasts a crime rate 26 percent lower than the national average.
In contrast, the City of Angels has a crime rate 52.4 percent higher than the national average, with roughly 370 crimes daily, just under a quarter of them violent, per statistics from the FBI.
The Golden State has been battling problems with rising homelessness and open drug abuse in its major cities in recent years.
Homelessness jumped 6 percent to more than 180,000 people in California last year, federal data shows. Since 2013, the numbers have exploded by 53 percent.
These numbers help explain why Idaho – a landlocked locale located 450 miles from the Golden State – surfaced as a top relocation choice for Californians during the pandemic.
This proved particularly true between 2021 and 2022, when spikes seen during the first year of the crisis persisted and worsened in many cases.
The family had moved to a seven-bedroom home in Idaho Falls, which boasts a crime rate 26 percent lower than the national average
Despite playing home to breathtaking landscapes and a low cost of living, Idaho is isolated – and home to several tight-knit communities. Idaho Falls, seen here, is no different
The family’s story thus resonated with many, bringing attention to some of the more lesser-known challenges that come with living in a conservative state.
Despite playing home to breathtaking landscapes and a low cost of living, Idaho is isolated – and home to several tight-knit communities scattered about the sprawling state.
Idaho Falls, despite being one of state’s biggest cities, is no different, with a population of around 65,600 according to the US Census.
People mocked the family for moving to Idaho in the first place, with one top commenter remarking, ‘The video was so cringy and attention-seeking. Conservative content creators are my least fav.’
Another sniped, ‘Y’all want to be conservative so bad until y’all actually meet racist conservatives not in California.’
Someone else added: ‘Wait, so they [have] been living under the illusion of inclusion, and then Idaho reminded them they [are] not white?’
Homelessness jumped 6 percent to more than 180,000 people in California last year, federal data show
The City of Angels sports a crime rate higher than the national average by a whopping 52.4 percent, with an average of 370 or so daily crimes, just under a quarter of them violent, per statistics from the FBI
Other users were kinder to the family about their choice to move, despite transplants like them driving up the state’s home prices.
One such person wrote, ‘I feel this so much!! Moved from Cali 11 years ago and I still go through this.’
Another added: ‘I so wish I could move to California! I live in a very conservative state, and I absolutely hate it.’
Between 2021 and 2022, Idaho ranked among the top five destinations for Californians relocating, significantly impacting California’s overall population trends.
‘They moved here because their values match here,’ Nicholas Contos, chair of Idaho’s Bonneville County Republican Party, told The Independent last month.
Fellow Californian-turned-Idaho transplant Brendan Kirkpatrick said: ‘The housing market is through the roof up here,”
‘I could not afford it if I left a week ago to sell my house in Southern California and move here.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to the couple for comment.
