I'm a conservative who moved from California to Texas during the pandemic, but I only stayed 2 years before moving back to Orange County.

Courtesy of Heather Nickens

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Heather Nickens, a 52-year-old radiation therapist who moved from Orange County, California, to Dallas in 2022 after growing frustrated by California's pandemic restrictions and high cost of living. But Nickens only stayed in Texas for two years before returning to California because she missed the weather and access to nature.