Moving from bad to great

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Our rent in L.A. was $1,500 for a tiny, 650-square-foot apartment with no amenities," says Brown, 29, a native New Yorker, actress and New York University graduate. She and Shuman, a 28-year-old musician, began looking at Austin, Detroit, Portland, Oregon, and Columbus, Ohio, before settling on Atlanta.

"There's a great arts community here [in Atlanta], and it's a growing city with lots of entrepreneurs," said Brown, who is now working several jobs and plans to open a business. Also, the dollar stretches much further in their new city, giving them breathing room.

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Brown and Shuman are part of a wave of people migrating from coastal cities to "secondary" cities - drawn by a lower cost of living, lighter tax burden, job growth and a better chance to buy a home they can afford.

Nashville, Sacramento, Atlanta, Phoenix, Austin and Dallas are among the top-10 cities with the largest influx of new residents, according to new data from the Redfin real estate brokerage.

Not surprisingly, high-cost cities from which people are fleeing include San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Washington.

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