CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Ascend West Virginia program will soon be offering amenities of the New River Gorge region to those wishing to relocate to West Virginia.
The program was designed with the idea to draw new residents to the Mountain State who could work remotely in their current jobs, but live in West Virginia. Brad Smith, President of Marshall University, was one of the founders of the program and believed adding in the New River Gorge region made a lot of sense.
“Our program from day one was designed to spread the magic across the state. You could choose from a university town to an outdoor recreation area like New River Gorge, or have historic places in the eastern panhandle. We’re trying to give choices to those who choose to make West Virginia their forever home,” said Smith in a recent conversation on MetroNews Talkline.
The program offers financial incentives with $12,000 over two years along with free access to a lot of adventure recreation as part of the package. There are also workspace options and entrepreneurial and professional development assistance options. The program is not exclusive to West Virginia. Smith said there are similar programs in rural areas all across the country. The pandemic caused many to reevaluate their situation and the advancement of the work-from-home movement has made the location of “home” much more flexible for many.
In its second year, there are 142 who have moved to West Virginia as part of the program. Smith said they’ve brought 172 people with them in family members. There have been five babies born to those who have relocated and according to Smith the retention rate is 98 percent. Going into the program anything above 80 percent would have been considered a success.
“It’s the top program in the nation. It’s exceeding our expectations and our goal remains to bring 1,000 Ascenders and their family members over the next three years. The five year program will be over a thousand people plus their families,” he said.
This week, Smith and several others will travel to Seattle to spread the word of the program. He said in recent years they’ve travelled to Washington D.C., Silicon Valley, and other locations around the country to promote the program and recruit individuals to take advantage of what West Virginia has to offer.
Smith added it has spawned two other programs which will soon be unveiled. One is the Military Ascend program where those leaving the military are encouraged to make a permanent home in West Virginia with financial incentives and other benefits. The other program being rolled out is First Ascent. It will be aimed at those who were born in West Virginia, graduated from a West Virginia school, but there would be similar incentives to stay in West Virginia rather than seeking employment and a life elsewhere.
“The magic is these individuals move here, imbed themselves in our communities, they make friends, get married, have children, and buy homes. Their average salary is $107,000, ” he said.