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U.S. NEWS Thursday 13 June 2019

Some rural states double down on attracting new residents

By LISA RATHKE The Wyoming effort is based
Associated Press in part on the Dakota Roots
BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) program in South Dakota
— With jobs unfilled and started in 2006 to help na-
young people moving tives move back by helping
away, some rural states are them find jobs. South Dako-
doubling down on efforts ta has since expanded the
to attract new blood by ex- assistance to anyone who
panding programs that of- wants to relocate there,
fer incentives to live there. helping about 4,800 peo-
Over the past decade, ple and their families so far.
states including South Da- The state’s labor and regu-
kota, Maine and Vermont lation secretary, Marcia
have lured new residents Hultman, said in an email
with financial incentives or that Dakota Roots makes
job help in areas that need job seekers “aware of the
a boost. Vermont launched great career opportunities
its program last year, and and quality of life South
it’s already beefing up for Dakota has to offer while
2020. Vermont’s existing growing the labor pool for
program seeks to entice our state’s businesses.”
new residents by paying In Nebraska, the cham-
them up to $10,000 over ber of commerce in North
two years to move to a Platte has had “mild suc-
state with an aging popula- cess” with helping employ-
tion of about 626,000 and a ers recruit workers, accord-
low unemployment rate. So ing to the North Platte Area
far in its first year, the pro- In this May 15, 2019, photo, Jonathan and Beth Dow stand in their backyard in Bennington, Vt. Chamber of Commerce.
gram has pulled in 33 new Associated Press The program has helped
remote workers and their come to work for local firms. hard time expanding. and pretty immediate. I attract 13 professionals, in-
families — amounting to a A $5,000 grant was instru- Instead of offering financial wouldn’t give it up for any- cluding four attorneys, a
total of 87 new residents. mental in getting Beth Dow incentives, a three-year-old thing. Our life is just so much physical therapist, a brew-
“This far surpassed our ex- and her husband to move private nonprofit organiza- better,” Eric Smith said. master and a minister to
pectation of how success- from Colorado to Vermont. tion called Live and Work Wyoming, which faces the area since it started a
ful it would be,” said Mi- “Moving across the coun- in Maine markets the state some of the same challeng- year and half ago.
chael Schirling, secretary try is really expensive and I and its jobs to prospective es as Vermont, has helped Matt Christie, who grew
of the Vermont Agency of don’t think we would have residents. This year it will be about 70 people return to up in a rural area, said he
Commerce and Commu- made the jump without focusing on luring back for- the state since 2015 by as- was ready to get out of his
nity Development. Even knowing we could get reim- mer Mainers. sisting in their job searches. Boston suburb when he ap-
though Schirling is now op- bursed,” said Dow, a com- “There are lots of jobs in It takes a special mindset plied to the Vermont pro-
timistic about the effort, mercial property claims ad- Maine to take advantage to live in Wyoming, said Ty- gram. He said the Vermont
some wonder if the rela- juster. Dow now works from of if you want the quality ler Stockton, of Wyoming’s house he and his wife pur-
tively small number of new her Bennington home and of life that we have to of- Department of Workforce chased and the tiny com-
residents will make much of the couple recently signed fer,” said Nate Wildes, ex- Service. munity of South Strafford
an impact. a lease to open an art gal- ecutive director, who said “Wyoming is a little different quickly felt more like home
Economist and recently re- lery, which they dreamed businesses are noticing the than a lot of other places. than any of the other cities
tired University of Vermont of doing in Denver but said campaign is working. There are a lot of towns he recently lived in across
professor Art Woolf says they couldn’t afford to do It helped draw Eric and with very few people, and the West Coast and in the
Vermont would need to out there. Elizabeth Smith to Maine, then it’s a long way to cul- Boston area.
increase its population by Rural areas across the when they wanted to get tural hubs,” he said. “I’m so pleased that I did it,”
several thousand to make country have been losing out of the Philadelphia sub- About a year after the effort said Christie, who moved in
a sizeable difference in the residents as people move urbs, change their lifestyle was launched, Wyoming’s early January.
state’s economy. to areas where there’s and be closer to wilderness. economy had a downturn, Their now-toddler son has
Either way, Vermont is look- more economic opportu- It wasn’t hard for Eric Smith, so the program was put on blossomed since they
ing to keep recruiting. Start- nity and more to do, Woolf 32, a computer engineer, the back burner. The state moved to Vermont, where
ing in January, instead of said. to get a job once they is now reworking it. Christie goes to town and
just accepting applicants Woolf said in areas with moved in late 2016. Eliza- “What we’re doing is ask- school board meetings and
who work remotely for out- stagnant populations, tax beth Smith had already ing the people in Wyoming has joined the energy com-
of-state companies, Ver- revenues grow slowly while worked remotely as a food what skill sets they need mittee. “This is roots, this is
mont will pay up to $7,500 demands for services rise, scientist. and then trying to find those the beginning of roots and
in expenses to people who and businesses have a “The change was profound people,” Stockton said. it felt really nice,” he said.q