Definition: Zoom town

A town within the U.S. that increased in population due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As remote work became commonplace, many people moved from the big cities to small towns nearby, to towns with a lower cost of living as well as to vacation destinations. With Zoom towns springing up all over the U.S., home prices rose quickly. The following towns (in alphabetical order) have been cited as Zoom towns at one time or another. There are many more. See Zoom videoconferencing.

Bellingham and Bellevue, Washington
Boise, Idaho
Burlington, Vermont
Carmel, Indiana
Cary, North Carolina
Centennial, Colorado
Fremont and Carlsbad, California
Frisco, Texas
Kingston, New York
Olathe, Kansas
Roanoke, Virginia

The Pandemic Changed Everything

This 2021 issue of PC Magazine highlighted many cities with good Internet service and comfortable living. If a job entails viewing a computer screen all day, it may make little difference where the computer is. In developed countries, the COVID pandemic dramatically changed the workplace. (Image courtesy of PCMag.com.)