Towns in rural America are attempting to revitalize their increasingly anemic communities by incentivizing people to move out to the countryside.
Cash grants, student loan pay offs and free land giveaways are just some of the enticements smaller communities are offering to a younger generation of Americans looking to leave the big city.
Numbers show that 54 per cent of the population in 1910 lived in rural communities, according to a report by real estate website Zillow, which dropped to just 19 per cent in 2010.
But its not just communities in the idyllic plains of the American country side that are offering these programs.
A few surprising cities and even states also say they will help you payoff homes and financial obligations if you agree to live in their communities.
Here are some of the places around the United States Country Living Magazine says you may want to consider for your next move:
Harmony, Minnesota
Cash grants, student loan pay offs and free land giveaways are just some of the enticements smaller communities are offering
Towns in rural America are attempting to revitalize their increasingly anemic communities by incentivizing people to move out to the countryside
The Harmony Economic Development Authority incentivize people to build homes in this town with a cash rebate program worth between $5,000 to $12,000, with no restrictions on age or income level.
Marne, Iowa
The programs are designed to get a younger generation of Americans looking to leave the big city
Nineteen per cent of American in 2010 resided in rural America, a stark contrast to 54 per cent that lived in small communities in 1910
Officials in this Iowa town, located just 45 minutes away from Omaha, will give you free land to build a house if it’s at least 1,200 square feet.
Tribune, Kansas
A few surprising cities and even states also say they will help you payoff homes
Tribune, Kansas is looking to draw a younger generation of Americans to one of its least populated counties in the state, offering to pay off up to $15,000 worth of student loans over five years with the Rural Opportunity Zone program.
‘We knew we needed young people in our community, and so we were looking for opportunities to bring them back,’ said community development director Christy Hopkins.
‘Since beginning the ROZ program, Greeley’s population has increased by 55 people—25 of them being direct program participants benefiting from the student loan incentives.’
Curtis, Nebraska
If you build a single-family house in Curtis, Nebraska within a certain timeframe, you can get the lot of land it’s built on for free
The land could be located in the town’s Roll’n Hills addition or near the Arrowhead Meadows Golf Course
Curtis, Nebraska offers newcomers lots of free land to build a single-family house within a certain timeframe, which can be placed in the town’s Roll’n Hills addition or near the Arrowhead Meadows Golf Course.
Baltimore, Maryland
A surprising addition to this list, Baltimore has two programs that will help people looking to move to the city with buying a home
A surprising addition to this list, Baltimore has two programs that will help people looking to move to the city with buying a home. If you qualify, the Buying into Baltimore program offers residents a $5,000 forgivable five-year loan.
The Vacants to Value Booster scheme offers $10,000 for a down payment and closing costs if you purchase property considered to be distressed or formerly distressed.
New Haven, Connecticut
New homeowners can count up to $80,000 worth of perks if they decide to build a home in New Haven, Conneticut
New Haven, Connecticut is by no means a small town, but city offers home-owner incentives that qualify it for the Country Living list.
New homeowners can count up to $80,000 worth of perks including a $10,000 forgivable five-year loan for first-time buyers. It also offers $30,000 of renovation assistance, along with paying up to $40,000 towards college tuition.
Alaska
The whole state of Alaska offers a myriad of different programs that aims to draw people towards the biggest state in the union
The whole state of Alaska offers a myriad of different programs that aims to draw people towards the biggest state in the union.
State-wide interest rate reduction programs for energy-efficient homes along with incentives for veterans and live-in caretakers of physically or mentally-disabled residents are also available.
Colorado
The Rocky Mountain state offers a program that will help you finance your first home if you suffer from a permanent disability
A down payment assistance grant is also available for everyone that offers up to 4% of a first mortgage, with no repayment necessary
The Rocky Mountain state offers a program that will help you finance your first home if you suffer from a permanent disability. A down payment assistance grant is also available for everyone that offers up to 4% of a first mortgage, with no repayment necessary.
Wyoming
Wyoming offers residents who look to own a refurbished home an incentive through the Rehabilitation & Acquisition Program
The state also has another program that will assist individuals looking to repair old homes that need more than $15,000 worth of repairs
Wyoming offers residents who look to own a refurbished home an incentive through the Rehabilitation & Acquisition Program, which brings foreclosures and abandoned houses back on the market for low income families after being restored.
The state also has another program that will assist individuals looking to repair old homes that need more than $15,000 worth of repairs.