If you're looking for a change of pace and you're tired of your one-horse town, why not
pick up and move?
"So long, stinktown!"
Sure, moving is stressful and expensive, but there are a lot of places around the world
that want to make it easy for you.
How easy?
Here's a look at some places that will actually pay you to live there.
Alaska
Do you like dark cold winters and tons of barren land?
Well, move to beautiful Alaska!
Due to the climate and remote area, Alaska is happy to incentivize new citizens to move
to the 49th state, and not just moose and bears.
The Alaska Permanent Fund takes money earned from the state's reserves of oil and gives
it back to the community.
Each and every Alaskan gets almost $2,000 from the government every year just for living
there - even babies.
New Haven, CT
When you picture Connecticut, you probably imagine rich folks discussing their latest
yachting adventures.
But the city of New Haven, home of Yale, has had its share of problems, getting ranked
the second-most dangerous mid-sized city in America in 2014.
So what's the best way to change the city's image?
Pay other, better people to come live there instead!
Yup, New Haven has a program that can offer up to $80,000 to folks who want to live there,
and send their kids to local schools.
That is, if you can dodge bullets long enough to collect.
And once you've saved that much money?
Maybe the yacht thing isn't such a pipe dream after all.
Detroit
Everybody knows Detroit is in trouble, but it ain't down yet, despite the clown attacks.
Citizens are determined to make it better one gigantic Robocop statue at a time.
And part of that is a scheme to give new residents up to $20,000 in forgivable loans if they
buy property downtown.
Even renters get a bonus $2,500 towards their first year's rent.
And longtime residents also get subsidized to stay where they are and upgrade their homes.
Though the press on Detroit is usually dire, it's a city full of wonderful architecture
and history.
It could be the next place hipsters decide to inhabit, so get in while the price is still
good.
"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Baltimore
Another city that has a bad time with crime is Baltimore.
It's listed as the seventh-most dangerous city in America, so you can see why people
aren't clamoring to start anew there.
Plus, The Wire wasn't the greatest tourism ad for the city.
But Baltimore wants to change and wants you to do it with them!
Baltimore will give you $5,000 to buy a house anywhere in the city, and if it's an abandoned
house, they'll bump that up to $10,000.
Sure, it sounds like the plot to an episode of Scooby Doo, but free money is free money.
Most of Kansas
"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
Nobody seems to be in Kansas anymore, and the state wants to change that, which is why
towns and counties across Kansas are giving away free stuff to convince people to move
to America's bread basket.
For instance, towns like Lincoln and Marquette are offering free land to anyone who wants
to build a home and settle down.
And if you settle in one of the state's 77 Rural Opportunity Zones, you'll get state
income tax waivers for up to five years or student loan repayments of up to $15,000.
Toto approves.
New Richland, Minnesota
If you like the idea of free land, but would prefer to live in a place that's freezing
much of the year, check out New Richland, Minnesota, where as long as you build a house
within one year of getting the deed to the land, you get the land for free.
The 1,200-person town has golf course and sits near St. Olaf Lake.
So, if you're a Golden Girls fan, you can build near where Rose grew up for free!
Talk about your perks.
"if I had to listen to one more story about the colorful people of St. Olaf I think I'll
explode."
"Otis T Minkee was St. Olaf's librarian."
"Kaboom!"
Pipestone, Manitoba
The folks up in the municipality of Pipestone in Manitoba, Canada don't just want you to
live there, they also want you to start a business there.
For a deposit of just $1,000, you can reserve a lot of land which will then cost you just
ten bucks as long as you build on the plot within a year.
But if you want to start a business, the perks get even bigger, as the city offers grants
of up to $32,000!
Sweet deal.
Maatsuyker Island, Tasmania
If moving somewhere in the US or Canada isn't drastic enough for you, how about Tasmania?
"Come to Taz-mania, Come to Taz-mania"
Close enough.
Maatsuyker Island off the coast of Tasmania is about as far away from the US as you can
get, and every so often they offer up the dream life for people who enjoy isolation
and meteorology.
That's because they need someone to live in and run the lighthouse, meaning you not only
get a free home out of the deal, you also get a job as lighthouse keeper!
Unfortunately, some lucky sod already claimed this opportunity of a lifetime, but keep an
eye out just in case the current resident leaves….
Or goes insane.
Pitcairn Island, South Pacific
If your true heart's desire is telling you to live on one of the most remote islands
in the world, you might want to consider Pitcairn Island, which was famously settled by the
mutineers from the HMS Bounty.
With a population of 50, the citizens want to entice new people to live on their island
paradise.
So, each immigrant gets completely free land just for showing up to this two-mile island.
So far, few have taken the bait.
As of 2015, only one person applied to move there.
Maybe it's because there's one general store in town that's only open three days a week
and you have to order anything else you need from New Zealand, which is 3,000 miles away,
three months in advance.
But if you like a nice beach and a lot of solitude, go ahead and join the fifty or so
residents of Pitcairn Island!
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