SHOAL THING
State’s ‘best kept secret’ is paying people $10,000 to move there and it offers the best comfort food & nature trails
How much you receive depends on your annual income
AMERICANS can get up to $10,000 just by moving to a different place but they have to meet a few requirements.
The program, dubbed Remote Shoals, is looking to attract remote workers to the Shoals in Alabama, which encompasses Colbert and Lauderdale counties – around two hours northwest of Birmingham.
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Remote Shoals was first launched in 2019 by the Shoals Economic Development Authority with the aim of encouraging remote workers to live in and work from the area.
The area spans the towns of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, and Sheffield, and has been touted as a region with high quality of life and low cost of living compared to other major hubs like Nashville, Tennessee or Atlanta, Georgia.
SEDA has boasted The Shoals as a region defined by its “space, pace and community.”
New residents can find competitive home prices, a strong community featuring international students and other remote workers, as well as cultural activities like music and arts festivals.
Read More on Alabama
'BEST KEPT SECRET'
The area, called Alabama's "best kept secret," is also known for a variety of fine dining and southern comfort food options like Stagg's Grocery, Rivertown Coffee, and Trowbridge.
Lovers of the outdoors will also be pleased to find a variety of activities like hiking, water sports, fishing, and more around the nearby rivers and lakes.
New residents can always take a stroll around the Tennessee Valley Authority trails in Muscle Shoals to visit the lions at the University of North Alabama in Florence.
A habitat for the two lions is located on the college campus - the lions act as physical mascots for the university, whose athletic teams are known as the Lions.
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People can also find historical sites like Hellen Keller's birthplace in Tuscumbia or the iconic Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield.
HOW TO QUALIFY
The program offers up to $10,000 to interested workers to move to the region – with the amount varying upon your annual income.
Specifically, those earning between $52,000 and $62,399 each year would only receive around $6,000.
Americans to score little-known $725 payment for a year - there are no strings attached but you must meet the criteria
Remote workers with an annual income between $62,400 and $84,199 would receive $7,000.
Those earning between $83,200 and $103,999 annually would take home $8,000, while workers earning between $104,000 and $124,799 can receive $9,000.
Anyone taking home $124,800 or more each year will receive the full $10,000.
In order to qualify, program participants must be a US resident 18 years or older living outside of The Shoals.
You must also be self-employed or a full-time remote employee and be willing to relocate to the region within six months.
If selected, participants will receive 25% of the funds ahead of the move, another 25% after the first six months of living in the area, and the final 50% after completing one year.
Get Paid to Move
The Shoals in Alabama isn't the only place looking to pay workers and families to move. Here is a list of the top regions in the US willing to pay for people to relocate:
- Tulsa, Oklahoma: $10,000
- West Virginia: $10,000
- Noblesville, Indiana: $5,000
- Evansville, Indiana: $5,000
- Topeka, Kansas: up to $15,000
- Kentucky: up to $8,800
- Rochester, New York: $10,000
Workers must spend approximately 75% of one year in the region and retain their employment status to receive the full amount.
As of February 2022, the program successfully recruited 50 people to move and was renewed for a fourth round of funding.
"While the numbers are proving that the program is a success, the true success can be seen through the stories of our Remote Shoals residents," Mackenzie Cottles, Marketing & Communications Specialist for the Shoals EDA, said at the time.
"Seeing our Remote Shoals residents find their place in The Shoals community is truly something special and we are grateful to be able to offer The Shoals as a home to these folks."
Including family members and partners, the program helped 102 people move to The Shoals by February 2022 from across the county and Belize.
They had received over 2,300 applications at the time.
Read More on The US Sun
Remote Shoals is currently interviewing candidates for the program on a bi-monthly basis.
The next round of applications is set to open on May 1.
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