Before you reach Amanda and Ben King's RV, you have to pass a wooden fisherman in a bright yellow raincoat. He stands at the entrance to Fisherman's Cove Campground in Hunt's Cove, Nova Scotia, welcoming visitors with the sort of kitschy maritime charm that feels lifted straight from a postcard. Beyond him, a gravel road runs towards the shoreline. On quiet days, you can just about hear the Atlantic before you see it.
The Kings have lived here, on Nova Scotia’s south shore, since August 2024. Before arriving, Amanda, 45, emailed every campground in the province to find one that would host them year-round, even during the bitter coastal winters. Hunt’s Cove offers everything they need: water, electricity, sewage, and perhaps most importantly, peace of mind.
For the Kings, that last commodity had become difficult to find in the United States. The couple — a medical social worker and journeyman — grew up in small-town Indiana surrounded by cornfields and factories. But after President Donald Trump’s first term, they felt that their country no longer embodied their values. “I couldn't in good faith stay in the United States,” says Ben, 44. “The great evil that Donald Trump has brought to the United States… I cannot and will not be around it.”
Their escape to Nova Scotia was neither quick nor simple. It took four years of paperwork, thousands of US dollars in lawyer fees, and a pandemic-related border closure that left them living in a camper for five years, first in Indiana, and now in Canada.
The process upended their lives, but they claim they would do it all again. “We love it here,” says Amanda. “We don’t regret a thing.”
The Kings are part of a small but growing number of Americans seeking refuge north of the border. Trump’s return to office in 2025 prompted a fresh wave of interest in Canada among healthcare workers, retirees with ancestral ties to the region, and those with decidedly left-leaning politics.
Much of the momentum is gathering online, with communities dedicated to Amerexit: the trend of US citizens looking to permanently or temporarily emigrate to other countries. The Facebook group Moving From US to Canada has 22,000 members, while the subreddits r/AmerExit and r/Canadiancitizenship provide resources for those looking to jump ship.
Last year, the US saw an estimated 150,000 people leave the country, an exodus not seen since the Great Depression. That outflow is expected to continue this year, with expats mostly searching for a higher quality of life. Of the countries Americans are looking to for refuge, Spain, Portugal, and Canada top the list. And while there is no comprehensive data about how many Americans are seriously preparing to leave, the anecdotal evidence is strong.
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