Weizenfeld in Central -Kansas is almost ready for harvesting.
Ricardo Reitmeyer | Getty pictures
With a population of around 2,100, Neodesha, Kansas, is about 100 miles from Wichita and Topeka in Kansas and Tulsa, Oklahoma. The entitlement to fame is the 65-foot tower, which supported the drilling frame for the first commercial oil well west of the Mississippi River, the locals say.
But as an old oil town, Neodesha has been struggling with a decreasing population and an aging residential supply for years.
According to Neodesha's Mayor Devin Johnson, when the refinery, which was previously owned by Standard Oil Co.
“We saw this decline because every small community has in the past 50 years,” said Johnson. “The matter with small communities is, if they don't grow, they die.”
Last year, Neodesha teamed up with Makemymove, an online moving market that connects employees with communities, who try to attract new residents.
The incentives include tax surveys and free college
The city now offers qualified new residents incentives. B. the state income tax by 2026 together with real estate tax discounts and help with day care for working parents -as well as access to existing discounts, including repayment aid for student loans up to $ 15,000 and free collar and free college fees by the Neodesha Promise scholarship program.
Makemymove, which worked with 88 communities in the USA, creates applicants and connects them with local resources.
According to Evan Hock, co -founder and Chief Operating Officer, more than 30 people have been to Neodesha since the process of the program in 2024.
“We gave scholarships of over 1 million US dollars, and I have the feeling that I helped the community and made real progress,” said Ben Cutler, who grew up in Neodesha and is now financing the scholarship program that began in 2020 and is available for every graduate of the Neodesha High School in good position. (Neodesha's promise program will cover the tuition fees at participating universities or associate courses and vocational schools nationwide.)
“One of my most important focuses was to build the community to make Neodesha a more attractive community for young families, and I think we are making real progress in this regard – I hope anyway,” said Cutler.
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In the meantime, efforts are also made to build hundreds of new houses, apartments and duplexes in the region as well as the development of retail and business premises and the renovation of several historical buildings on Main Street.
“We have to appreciate what we have, but make sure that we make Neodesha an attractive place for people,” said Johnson.
These cities pay them to move there
Other communities across the country have increased the use of cash incentives or voucher programs for people who are willing to move, with cash incentives or voucher programs.
For example, employees who move to Topeka can receive up to 10,000 US dollars for rent for the first year or up to $ 15,000 to buy a house.
Another program associated with the West Virginia Ministry of Tourism offers an incentive of $ 12,000 and access to free coworking rooms and outdoor leisure packages for those who move into the state at least two years.
The Shoals Economic Development Authority offers full-time remote control that are ready to move to the Shoals Community in the northwest of Alabama.
“This is an inexpensive way to develop economic development,” said Makemymoves Hock. The municipalities “usually receive a return within the first year.”
“However, incentives are not the reason why people actually move,” he said. Tobility is the key, he said, but the community also plays an important role.
“You are looking for the quality of the place, you want a community connection that motivates the step,” said Hock.
“A family -friendly place to live”
Incentive programs in Neodesha and other regions are gaining steam, since residents from large cities across the country are increasingly wandering to southern and medium west, where housing costs are less serious and where the construction keeps pace, as reports show.
The annual study by United van Lines 2024 showed a growing departure from the cities and suburbs of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to “more viable” places with lower daily living costs.
Kaitlyn and Jack Sundberg with their dogs Max and Bella in front of the house they bought in Neodesha, Kansas.
Kind approval: Kaitlyn Sundberg
Kaitlyn Sundberg never expected her to move to Kansas. Sundberg and her husband Jack lived in South California, but fought to save enough for the down payment in their own house.
“We lived with my in -laws and couldn't afford anything,” said Sundberg, 27.
Sundberg's husband, who worked as an estimator for a telecommunications company, expanded his job search – considerably – and found a chance as a program manager for Southeast Kansas Inc.
When they visited Neodesha, “it only seemed to be a family -friendly place to live,” said Sundberg.
“We spent a Saturday to look for a house – there were children with bicycles,” she said, “I just cried.”
The couple moved to Neodesha with their two dogs 18 months ago before the incentive program started. Sundberg now works as the managing director of the new Early Learning Center in the city after a neighbor had taken over the job offers and proposed to apply for the position.
“Being away from the family is the most difficult part,” she said, “but I would never want to withdraw.”
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