Bonjour, Riviera Life: Why Americans Are Choosing France—and Staying for the Sunshine

 

What was once a romantic daydream has become a very real relocation trend: more Americans are choosing to build a life in France, and many of them are looking south—toward the sea, the light, and the unmistakable ease of the French Riviera.

According to the latest figures from the French Interior Ministry, 15,000 Americans received their first carte de séjour in 2025, up from 13,122 the year before—a 14.3 percent increase in just one year. It’s a clear signal that France isn’t just being visited anymore. It’s being chosen.

More Than a Move—A Lifestyle Upgrade

France has always drawn students, professionals, retirees, and lifelong francophiles, but the motivations are evolving. In 2025, over half of new American residency permits (52.5 percent) were issued to students—many combining education with an enviable European lifestyle.

Beyond universities, nearly 17 percent of Americans relocated for work, whether salaried or self-employed, while 9.5 percent moved for family or partners. Another 21 percent fell into the “other” category—a group that includes retirees and lifestyle movers who simply decided life should be slower, sunnier, and more intentional.

And nowhere embodies that philosophy better than the French Riviera.

From Villefranche-sur-Mer to Nice, Antibes to Menton, the Riviera offers year-round sunshine, walkable seaside towns, world-class healthcare, and a pace of life that prioritizes long lunches, outdoor markets, and evenings by the sea. For many Americans, it’s not about escaping something—it’s about choosing balance.

Why the Riviera, and Why Now?

For Americans watching growing polarization and burnout back home, France represents stability, structure, and social cohesion. The Riviera adds another layer: safety, beauty, and a deeply ingrained culture of living well.

A morning swim, a café au lait on a sunlit terrace, and a workday that ends with a coastal walk—it’s no longer fantasy. It’s routine.

Brits Still Calling France Home

While American numbers are rising, British migration tells a slightly different story. Post-Brexit rules mean UK nationals now require residency permits, and first-time permits fell from about 8,899 in 2024 to 7,870 in 2025, an 11.6 percent decrease.

Still, the British presence in France remains strong. More than 170,000 Britons live in France as legal residents, many of them also drawn to the Riviera’s climate and lifestyle. The community is well-established, international, and deeply woven into local life.

An Inclusive Home for the LGBT+ Community

France’s appeal also extends strongly to members of the LGBT+ community, even though official immigration statistics don’t track sexual orientation or gender identity.

Legal protections, nationwide marriage equality, a ban on conversion therapy, and recognition of gender diversity all contribute to France’s reputation as a welcoming place to live openly and safely. On the Riviera, inclusive communities thrive alongside international residents, creatives, entrepreneurs, and retirees.

Pride events across the region, visible queer-friendly businesses, and a generally live-and-let-live Mediterranean mindset make southern France especially attractive to LGBT+ expats seeking both freedom and quality of life.

For some, France is also a place of refuge, offering humanitarian and asylum pathways to those fleeing persecution. For many others, it’s simply a place where they can be themselves—by the sea.

France’s Enduring Global Pull

The rising number of Americans moving to France reflects a broader shift in how people define success and happiness. Education, work, love, safety, inclusion, and lifestyle all intersect here—and on the French Riviera, they do so under blue skies and palm trees.

For Americans making the leap, France isn’t just a destination. It’s a recalibration.

And for those who choose the Riviera, it’s a daily reminder that life can be both meaningful and beautiful.