We're staying put.
That's the message from recent statistics which show that the Mountains has one of the lowest "moving out" rates of all local government areas.
In fact, the Blue Mountains was the second of all greater Sydney areas, with just 5.7 per cent of residents moving away from the local government area (behind Sutherland with 4.3 per cent and just ahead of Penrith with 5.8 per cent).
The more extraordinary thing about these statistics is that they are for the 2013-14 year, the year of the bushfires which forced several hundred people to find new places to live.
Susan Templeman, who lost her Winmalee home in the fire, admitted she and husband Ron Fuller wondered at the time whether to leave or stay in the area. They chose to rebuild in Emma Parade.
"I'm not at all surprised to see the statistics," Ms Templeman said. "They closely match what my family and many others affected by the 2013 fires have said. Why would we leave? Amazing natural beauty, amazing neighbours and an amazing community.
"When you get off the train in the evenings, after a long day working in the city, that first deep breath of Mountain air is the best reminder of why you live up here."
The mayor, Mark Greenhill, said he had no doubt that the beautiful environment and close-knit community were important factors which encouraged people to stay.
"We all know that living in the Blue Mountains is just different to living somewhere else. It is in the people and our surrounds," Clr Greenhill said.
"We have also avoided some of the coldness and remoteness you see in many parts of Sydney. Neighbours still care about each other and look out for each other. People acknowledge one another in the street.
"It is a warm and beautiful place to live. We are very lucky. And that is why we fight so hard for things like our local environment plan.
"The fact that we rate so well in this report shows that people are voting with their feet for what we have. It is too precious to lose."
ABS demographer Andrew Howe said the Mountains population figures had remained fairly consistent over the past few years.
"In the normal ebbs and flows over the years, there was no obvious impact of the fires on the population in the Blue Mountains," he said.
