Tax Breaks, Child Care and Free College: How a Kansas Town is Enticing People to move there

With a population of about 2,100, Neodesha, KansasIs rooughly 100 miles from wichita and topeka in kansas and tulsa, oklahoma. Its claim to fame is the 65-foot-tall tower that supplied the drilling framework for the first commercial oil well west of the moissippi river, locals say.

But as an old Oil TownNeodesha has struggled with a decreasing population and an aging Housing Supply For years.

When the Refinery Formerly Owned by Standard Oil Co. Closed in 1971, “The population was cut in half over night,” According to Neodesha’s Mayor, Devin Johnson.

“We have seen that decline as every small communication has over the last 50 years,” Johnson said. “The thing with small communities are, if you are not growing, you are dying.”

Last Year, Neodesha Partnered with MakeMymove, an only relacation marketplace that connects workers with communication trying to attract new residences.

The Town is now offering Qualify New Residents Insantics – Such as Waiying State Income Tax Through 2026 Along with Property Tax Rebates and Help With Day Care for Working Parents Including Student Loan Repayment Assistance Up to $ 15,000 and free college tuition through the Neodesha Promise Scholarship Program,

Makemymove, which has worked with 88 communities across the us, screens applicants and connects them with local resources.

Since the program launched in 2024, more than 30 people are in the process of moving to neodisha, according to Evan Hock, MakeMyMove’s Co-Founder and CHEF Operating Operator.

“We’ve Awarded Over $ 1 Million in Scholarships, and I Feel Like We are helping the Community and Making Some Real Progress,” Said Ben Cutler, Who Grew up in Neodesha and Now Funds the Scholarship Programs, Which started in 2020 and is available to any graduate of neodisha high school in good standing.(Neodesha’s Promise Program will cover tuition at participating colleges or associate degree programs and vocational schools nationwide.)

“One of my key focuses was helping build the communication, to help in any way i could to make neodsha a more attractive community for young families, and i think wenK we’re making some real evils Certainly hope so anyway, “Cutler said.

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Meanwhile, efforts are also also underway to construct hundreds of new homes, Apartments and Duplexes in the Region, Along with the Development of Retail and Commercial Spaces and Commercial Spaces and the Renovation of SENOVAN OF SENOVATION Main Street.

“We’ve got to cherish what we’ve got but make sure we make neodesha an attractive place for people to come,” Johnson said.

Other Communities Across the Country Have also been upping the ante with cash inconvenience or voucher programs for people willing to move.

For example, workrs relocating to TOPEKA can receive up to $ 10,000 for the first year or up to $ 15,000 to put toward buying a home.

Another Program Affiliated with the West Virginia Department of Tourism is offering a cash incentive of $ 12,000 Along with access to free coorking spaces and outdoor recreation packages for that who move to the state for at least two years.

The Shoals Economic Development Authority Offers $ 10,000 in Cash to full-time remote Employees who are willing to relay to the shops community in Northwest Alabama.

“This is a cost-effective way of Doing Economic Development,” said makemymove’s hock. The Communities “Usually get a return Within the first year.”

However, “Insenients are not the reason people actually move,” He said. Affordability is key, He said, but communication also plays an important role.

“They are looking for quality of place, they want a communication connection, that’s what is motivating the move,” Hock said.

Inventural programs in Neodisha and other regions are gaining Construction is keeping up with the demand, reports show,

United Van Lines’ Annual 2024 Study Found a growing shift away from the rights and suburbs of new york, los angeles and chicago toward more “Livable” Locations with Lower Day-to-Day Living Expenses.

Kaitlyn Sunderg Never Expected That She Would Move to kansasSunderg and Her Husband, Jack, Lived In Southern California but Struggled to Save Enough for the Down payment on a home of their own.

“We We We WERE LIVING with My in-Laws, and We We WE WERE Not Afford Anything,” Said Sundberg, 27.

Sundberg’s Husband, Who Worked as an Estimator for a Telecom Company, Expanded His Job Search – Significly – And Found an options as the program for Southeast Kansas Inc,

When they are visited Neodesha, “It just see like a family-friendly place to live,” Sundberg said.

“We spent a saturday looking for a house – there was kids riding bikes,” She said, “I just cried.”

The Couple Moved to Neodesha with Their Two Dogs 18 months ago, even before the innocent program launched. Sunderg now works as the Executive Director of the new early Learning Center in Town after a Neighbor Brother over the job posting and suggested She apply for the position.

“Being Away from Family is the Hardest Part,” She Said, “But Iold Never Want to Move Back.”

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