When Davida Gaffney’s lease in Oakland, California, ended last spring, she had a “come to Jesus moment.”
The 42-year-old loved living near her sister in the city, but she struggled to find a place with the creature comforts she and her 13-year-old daughter wanted. Apartments with outdoor space and in-unit laundry cost more than $3,000 a month.
Dismayed by the real estate market and ready for a change, Gaffney googled “towns that will pay you to move.” She stumbled on a program in Rooks County, Kansas that would pay her $5,000 in cash to relocate and offered a number of other benefits, including an income tax waiver, a pass to state parks and a lunch with the area’s economic development director.
“The quality of life for me working at home, raising a kid on my own, having space to develop this home, this garden, this yard – it's been huge,” Gaffney, a content marketer, said. “I couldn't afford to do it many other places.”
More than 100 programs offering people economic incentives to move to cities and states across the country have sprouted up over the last decade on the online site Make My Move. Some existed before the COVID-19 pandemic, but most sprouted up with the rise of remote work. They’ve proliferated as rising home costs and high interest rates push people further out of city centers.
