West Virginia paid digital nomads to move there during COVID. Many are staying
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West Virginia paid digital nomads to move there during COVID. Many are staying
By Scott Neuman
Friday, July 24, 2026 • 5:00 AM EDT
CANAAN VALLEY, W.Va. — When Ashley Eklin received a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in 2022, her outlook on life changed forever.<br>"That was my pivotal moment," says Eklin, who was living in the Chicago area at the time. "I decided to take a huge leap of faith and just chase some dreams."<br>Those dreams included a change of geography. A work colleague knew that Eklin had always wanted to live out East and suggested she look into Ascend West Virginia. If Eklin was willing to relocate to the Mountain State, the program would give her cash and other incentives to build a life there. She was game — and after a lengthy application process, she was accepted.<br>"I literally had never been to West Virginia. I hadn't even visited, and I bought a house. I didn't even see my house until the day I moved here," she says.<br>That was three years ago. Eklin moved with her two "fur babies" to Inwood: population 3,400. Located in the state's eastern panhandle, the region offers affordability within reach of the D.C. metropolitan area. Four months ago, her fiancé, also from Illinois, joined her.<br>It's been the perfect move, she says. "I am developing my kayaking skills and taking some incredible photography on my hikes," and — far from the light pollution of a big city — "learning about astrophotography."<br>An uphill battle for the Mountain State
Ascend West Virginia is one of dozens of relocation initiatives across the country that emerged around the time of the pandemic, when millions of Americans shifted to remote work and began looking for a change of scenery. Programs in states including Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky have offered these workers financial incentives to relocate to places where they'll have a lower cost of living in the long run. Many of the largest are still operating.
Related Story: NPR<br>In return, the thinking went, new residents could boost sagging local economies.<br>West Virginia, in particular, has long struggled. Its population has fallen by more than 4% over the past decade alone, making it the only U.S. state with fewer people today than in 1950. It ranks among the nation's highest in poverty. But the state offers a substantially lower cost of living than nearby Washington, D.C. It also has rugged mountains, whitewater rivers and extensive forests — a combination that is nearly impossible to find elsewhere.<br>Ascend West Virginia launched in 2021, the 50th anniversary of John Denver's rural anthem "Take Me Home, Country Roads." The iconic song was already being used to anchor the state tourism department's award-winning "Almost Heaven" promotions.<br>"What we recognized is that West Virginia has some of the highest density and highest caliber of outdoor recreation in the entire country," says Danny Twilley, an assistant vice president of economic and community development at West Virginia University who was instrumental in creating Ascend West Virginia. "We've seen what that's done in other parts of the country. So we're like, how do we replicate that?"<br>One way is with cash. West Virginia began offering successful applicants $12,000 paid out over two years. There is no specific income requirement, but participants must demonstrate an ability to sustain themselves in the state.<br>Evan Starr, a professor at the University of Maryland, says the money is really about marketing. "It gets you to say, 'Hey, I've never thought about living in Cumberland, Maryland,' or 'I've never thought about living in West Virginia.'"<br>Unlike many programs that rely at least in part on taxpayer funding, Ascend West Virginia's initial $25 million budget came from the private Wing 2 Wing Foundation created by former Intuit CEO Brad D. Smith and his wife, Alys. "Where the state leaned in, it was natural because the tourism department was already advertising West Virginia," Smith says.<br>A native son, Smith built a career over more than three decades in 10 different states and four industries before returning to West Virginia, where he now serves as president of his alma mater, Marshall University. "When I graduated, I didn't have a choice. I had to leave," he says, because of a lack of economic opportunity in the state at the time. He wanted to make sure other West Virginians had the option — and an incentive — to stay.<br>The success of Ascend West Virginia has already spawned a collection of spinoffs aimed at luring out-of-staters and retaining local talent. First Ascent is designed to keep West Virginia college graduates from leaving the state; Teachers Ascend seeks to recruit classroom teachers; and Ascend Heroes is meant to attract military veterans.<br>For Abby Snyder and her husband, Colin Scott, the financial incentive was appealing, but their decision-making was more complex than that. After several years of...