The phenomenon of celebrities deciding to move their entire families out of Hollywood is nothing new. California is experiencing a crisis that has generated one of the largest exoduses in its history. High taxes, skyrocketing crime rates, rising housing prices, and the need for a private life are some of the reasons why many of the stars and citizens leave the Golden State.
"Hollywood is a place full of opportunities, especially if you're an actor or an artist, but it's not necessarily the healthiest environment for a family," psychologist Carmen Harra told Fox News.
Recently, actor and film producer Mark Wahlberg explained in an interview that he moved from California to Nevada to give his four children "a better life."
I moved to California many years ago to pursue acting and only made a couple of movies in all the time I was there. So, to be able to give my children a better life and follow and pursue their dreams, whether it's my daughter as an equestrian, my son as a basketball player, my youngest son as a golfer, this made a lot more sense for us.
However, Wahlberg is not the only celebrity who chooses to trade a stroll down the walk of fame for a quiet park or a quiet and safe city.
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried and her husband, Thomas Sadowski, live on a farm in upstate New York with their two children and a menagerie of animals, including horses, cows and goats. The actress bought the farmhouse and moved there with her family full time during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Seyfried told The New York Times that she began looking for homes outside of Hollywood when she was 22, because she needed "a center of gravity, a place to feel safe" and that she "wanted to establish a boundary between her career and her home life."
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts and her husband, Danny Moder, live on a ranch in Taos, New Mexico with their three children. The actress bought the rural property in the 1990s to use as a vacation home. However, they decided to pack up their belongings and move when their twins were born.
"Los Angeles is a showbiz town, and I'm a terrible celebrity. I find it difficult, it's the beast that needs to be fed," Roberts said.
Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves
Matthew McConaughey and his wife, Camila Alves, currently live in Austin, Texas, with their three children. In April, Alves told Fox News the reason why they both prefer to raise their children in Texas, rather than Hollywood:
It really embodies our belief system, especially those I grew up with, like going to church every Sunday and saying 'Yes, ma'am' or 'No, sir,' being polite. I grew up saying those things, coming from a farming family.
The model added that "Children have a private way of growing up. So from that perspective, it was very important, plus the security that comes with it:
We lived in Malibu for many years and having the paparazzi outside our door every day, every day, when that becomes normal, you don't realize how much that actually affects the things you do until you actually go and see it.
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban opted to buy a house in Nashville, Tennessee. Although the couple also has a home in Los Angeles, they moved their family to Music City. The actress admitted to being happy in Nashville, "That country music community is a very warm community.... Keith is very protective and feels that way about Nashville; if it's his home, it's our home."
"I'm lucky to have fallen in love with a guy who lived in this city, because I was destined to go there. I'm very, very happy to live there." Kidman described her daughters as "Nashvillians," although she noted that they also have "a lot of Sydney in them."
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are one of the most recognized couples in Hollywood. Before having their children they decided to settle down outside of Los Angeles for the safety and privacy that the city certainly does not offer them.
The couple lives in Pound Ridge, New York: "We don't live in Los Angeles. We live on a farm in New York. And we don't lead a wild and crazy life. It is not that difficult. It's not a big deal," Reynolds said. "I think it's keeping a boundary that there is this world that is work and the world that is home, that's not the Hollywood life."
