On the eve of America’s birthday, actor Kirk Cameron announced he has fled California for Tennessee.

The “Growing Pains” star said his decision to abandon the West Coast was sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and solidified by the political and cultural disunity present across the Golden State.

“It’s pretty clear that California has been moving in a particular direction for a long time,” he told the Washington Examiner.

Cameron, 53, also took to his Facebook account last week to talk about his move to the Volunteer State.

He joked that the policies in California are making state Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) the “U-Haul employee of the year” as many are choosing to leave the Pacific Coast and head to other states.

“As Pastor Jack Hibbs has reminded us, we can all be Tennesseeans and join in on the parade of praise and of repentance, fasting, and prayer, asking God to have His hand of mercy on your state — whether that’s California or New York or New Hampshire or Minnesota or South Dakota, wherever you are.”

Cameron said in a separate interview that he discovered Tennessee has become a haven for “a lot of California refugees,” including many “creatives” looking for a new place outside of Hollywood to establish community.

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“It’s shocking how many Californians are here,” he reflected. “And when I see them in the grocery store, I tell them, ‘Don’t California our Tennessee.’”

Cameron’s sister, Candace Cameron Bure, is also now living in Tennessee. She left California, she said, because she did not feel safe living in the Golden State anymore and is much happier in Tennessee.

“It’s because I’m not on guard,” she said of her peace in Tennessee. “I’m with a lot of like-minded people. It’s not about the celebrities. … It’s really about the music and the heart … the conversation.”

Cameron, for his part, encouraged Californians who have experienced “serious economic problems and division” to consider relocating to the Volunteer State, where people value “God, family, and country.”

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