Across the country, a powerful and sustained shift is reshaping the real estate landscape: young professionals and families are moving to America’s heartland, drawn by affordability, opportunity, and quality of life. While some headlines focus on high prices in coastal cities, a deeper look reveals a positive and transformative trend — one that Albert Dweck of Duke Properties believes is essential for a healthy, diversified housing ecosystem.
Realtor.com’s latest data shows five heartland cities leading the nation in attracting out-of-market home shoppers: Grand Rapids, Nashville, Oklahoma City, Austin, and Birmingham. Each of these metros offers a combination of attainable home prices, strong job markets, and vibrant local cultures — factors that continue to pull newcomers from major hubs such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.
For Dweck, the takeaway is clear:
“Affordable markets are creating new pathways for mobility and homeownership. This trend isn’t a departure from strong real estate fundamentals. It’s a sign that people are making smart, value-driven decisions — and that’s good for the entire country.”
Affordability: The Catalyst Behind a National Migration
With mortgage rates lingering above 6% and inflation weighing on household budgets, affordability has become the leading force shaping where Americans choose to live. Despite significant price growth in some heartland cities in recent years, these markets remain accessible compared with coastal metros.
Consider the contrast:
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The typical home in New York City costs over $762,000.
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The typical home in Nashville lists for approximately $536,700.
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Birmingham, the most affordable of the group, offers median prices under $300,000.
This difference isn’t just financial — it’s transformational. It allows young workers to own homes sooner, build wealth earlier, and establish roots in supportive communities.
Dweck sees this as a refreshing correction to decades of coastal concentration.
“When people can pursue careers and homeownership without being priced out of their ambitions, we create stronger families, stronger cities, and a stronger economy.”
Thriving Local Economies Strengthen the Trend
Affordability alone doesn’t drive migration — opportunity does. And these heartland metros are booming with job growth across sectors.
Nashville’s unemployment rate sits at 3%, while Birmingham’s is an impressive 2.5%, both well below the national average. Austin continues to attract Fortune 500 expansion, with Tesla, Apple, SpaceX, and Amazon growing operations there. Grand Rapids has become a regional hub for manufacturing, food production, and healthcare.
These are not temporary hotspots — they are cities building enduring economic engines.
For Dweck, this represents an important national shift:
“Jobs follow talent, and talent follows affordability. When emerging cities offer both, you see sustainable momentum. This is how new economic hubs are born.”
Affordable Cities: Rising Prices but Continued Value
While the influx of newcomers has pushed prices upward — Nashville up 45% in six years, Grand Rapids up 44%, Austin up 36% — these markets still remain significantly more attainable than their coastal counterparts.
Even with price growth, households relocating from New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles find dramatically better purchasing power, larger properties, and a better quality of life.
A recent buyer story from Nashville captures this perfectly: A finance professional relocated for work, seeking a lower cost of living, a slower pace, and a chance to buy a home. The city delivered all three.
This is exactly the type of mobility Dweck sees as critical to long-term housing stability.
“Affordability creates options. Options create optimism. And optimism fuels real estate — whether you’re renting, buying, or investing.”
Quality of Life: The Heartland Advantage
Beyond economics, the heartland cities topping the list offer something invaluable: livability.
Vibrant downtowns, growing art and food scenes, strong schools, friendly neighborhoods, and shorter commutes all contribute to their rising appeal. Nashville’s culture is world-famous. Austin blends tech innovation with creative energy. Grand Rapids offers a blend of affordability and Midwest charm.
These are communities where newcomers feel welcome — and where long-time residents take pride in growth.
Dweck believes this is essential to understanding the trend:
“People want stability, community, and opportunity. Affordability brings them in, but quality of life makes them stay.”
What This Means for the Future of U.S. Housing
According to Dweck, this heartland momentum signals an exciting evolution in real estate.
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Cities across America are strengthening, not weakening.
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Talent and innovation are diffusing, creating new centers of economic power.
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Housing opportunities are expanding, not contracting.
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Investors can diversify, tapping into rising regional markets with strong fundamentals.
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Young professionals can build wealth earlier, thanks to more attainable entry points.
This trend isn’t a short-term reaction — it’s a long-term rebalancing.
“The story here is one of possibility,” Dweck says. “We’re seeing a new chapter in American mobility — one where people have more choices, more affordability, and more paths to a better life.”
A National Housing Landscape With Room to Grow
While challenges remain — from affordability constraints to supply shortages — the rise of America’s heartland markets offers a profoundly positive outlook: homeownership is still within reach, opportunity is spreading, and cities across the country are flourishing in new ways.
For Duke Properties and for Albert Dweck, this is exactly the kind of momentum that strengthens both communities and investors.
“Housing isn’t just about buildings. It’s about people, mobility, and the future we build together. And right now, the future looks very promising.”