FILE - People sit and lay on the beach in Hollywood, Florida, U.S., on Thursday, June 25, 2020. (Photographer: Jayme Gershen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
As colder temperatures make their way to parts of the U.S., people known as "snowbirds" will likely begin traveling to warmer climates.
"Snowbirds" is a term given to people who live in states that have harsher winters and temporarily relocate to states that don’t have their typical seasonal changes, such as parts of southern Texas or Florida.
Storage Cafe, an online service that allows people to search and compare self-storage units across the country, compiled the top snowbird destinations for the 2026-2027 season.
Map: Top 20 cities in the US for snowbirds
For the full list, click here.
Florida and Texas are top states for snowbirds
Dig deeper:
Florida and Texas continue to dominate the top snowbird destinations for the 2026–2027 season, claiming 88 of the top 100 spots nationwide, Storage Cafe found.
While Florida leads in total options with 63 cities in the top 100, Texas follows with 25 destinations that appeal strongly to budget-conscious winter visitors.
Arizona remains the strongest alternative outside the top two states, securing six spots among the highest scorers.
Central Florida emerged as a major hub for non-coastal snowbirding, taking three of the top ten national spots with Winter Haven (No. 1), Lakeland (No. 2), and Lake Wales (No. 10).
Texas dominates the list when it comes to value, accounting for 14 of the top 15 most affordable snowbird destinations.
Cities in the Rio Grande Valley—such as McAllen (No. 3), Mission (No. 4), Brownsville (No. 7), and Harlingen (No. 8)—combine low costs of living and modest housing prices with a warm, subtropical winter climate.
For travelers who prefer traditional coastal locations, Florida cities like Vero Beach (No. 5), Hollywood (No. 6), and Clearwater (No. 9) offer premium oceanfront options.
The Source: Information for this story was taken from Storage Cafe’s data, which ranked nearly 500 U.S. cities based on seasonal housing availability, average rental rates, health care access, internet speeds, self-storage availability, and overall cost of living to determine which cities make a long-term winter stay seamless. This story was reported from San Jose.