West Virginia is offering remote workers $12,000 to move to the state.
At a time when working from home has become a new normal for people during the coronavirus pandemic, an initiative called Ascend West Virginia has begun taking applications for the initiative that will start in the cities of Morgantown, Lewisburg, and Sheperdstown.
So far, according to West Virginia’s ABC 8, 2,000 people have applied for the 50 slots available in Morgantown.
Intuit CEO Brad Smith and his spouse Alys are funding the initiative to help bring economic development to the state. The outlet reports that they donated $25 million to start the initiative.
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Program participants will also receive a year of free recreational activities as well as co-working space, social programs, and professional development opportunities.
“There’s a reason that 50 years ago John Denver coined West Virginia as Almost Heaven in his hit song Take Me Home, Country Roads, and we’d like to share it with you,” according to the program’s website. “Mountain living is just within your grasp, so take a look at what we have to offer.”
The first $10,000 will be paid to chosen applicants in monthly increments. The last $2,000 will be paid upon completion of a second year in the state.
The program touts the beauty of the state as well as its relatively low cost of living. Using an interactive tool, visitors to the program’s website can compare housing and other costs to those of several major cities.
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For example, the site claims that the state’s cost of living is 95% lower than that of Washington, D.C.
“Ascend WV is more than a remote work program,” the website adds. “It is a vision of a better way of living in a place that gives you more than it takes back.”
