CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Marshall University President Brad Smith and state Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby told state lawmakers Tuesday the Ascend West Virginia program has been more successful than originally predicted.
The program offers financial incentives to attract people to West Virginia communities including $12,000 over two years along with free access to adventure recreation as part of the package. There are also workspace options and entrepreneurial and professional development assistance options.
Ruby compared entry to the program to the admission rate at Yale or Harvard. With 1,000 spots in the program open, 42,000 applications that require an average of 40 minutes to complete were received.
“These are 42,000 people that have not only raised their hand to say they’re interested in West Virginia, but they have taken the time to give us that much information,” Ruby said. “So, these are very serious candidates that come from all 50 states and 104 countries.”
Those who move to the state through the program bring their jobs, families, hobbies, and sometimes even a second breadwinner. Ruby said those selected are immediately given the tools they need to find housing and get settled into their new Ascend WV community.
“It totals $580 million, which is how much they are spending in the state,” Ruby said. “These aren’t jobs we’re creating here; these are jobs we are bringing to West Virginia. This is new money we’re bringing in and new folks who are starting families in this state.”
The program has been marketed directly to potential residents with interests in the outdoors rather than directly to industry or specific businesses. Over the two-year period, Ruby said the program has had a retention rate of more than 95 percent.
“Of those 44 percent who have purchased homes, the average home value is over $350,000,” Ruby said. “So, these are folks who, as President Smith said, are bringing their jobs and income to West Virginia, spending money, and they intend to be here for a long time.”
West Virginia supplanted states like New York and California as one of the top ten states people are moving to in the 2023 United Van Lines 47th Annual National Movers Study. Ruby cited the statistic as a developing trend for the future and not just a blip on the radar screen.
“People think about West Virginia as a top place now because of this program and all the changes going on in this state to attract people to live here,” Ruby said. “This is one of the things I’m most proud of because I think it shows the impacts of this will not just be immediate; they’ll be long-term.”
West Virginia is also going after the people who have been turned down initially for the program. According to Ruby, because they aren’t given a hard “no,” some of those 41,000 people are moving to the state and purchasing homes outside of the program.
Those not chosen for the program received a letter from Gov. Jim Justice, Brad and Alys Smith, along with a certificate through Rocket Mortgage to reduce closing costs on a home purchase and a package of wildflower seeds so they can plant their own piece of “Almost Heaven.”
First Ascent West Virginia
After two years of the Ascend West Virginia, Smith told lawmakers aa similar program aimed at keeping young people in the state has been launched.
Smith said the First Ascent West Virginia program uses the same successful components of Ascend.
“It has the same amenities as the Ascend Program,” Smith said during a legislative interim committee meeting. “They can access the co-working facilities; they get all the same social events and outdoor recreation; and we’ve added two other elements: professional mentorship and successful coaching.”