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Vermont Will Give You $10K If You Move There and Work Remotely (fastcompany.com)
If you've been dreaming of moonlight in Vermont -- and getting a re-location subsidy -- "the time has come to make your maple-syrup-coated dreams a reality," reports Fast Company:
[F]or those who relocate this year and can prove that they have full-time remote jobs, it's possible to get paid back for moving expenses, internet bills, or membership in a coworking space... The program offers up to $5,000 a year for two years.
For the state, the program is one way to try to address its shrinking population. "We're the second-to-smallest state in the nation, and we're also getting older, so we really need to make sure there's more of a workforce here," says Joan Goldstein, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Economic Development, which is running the Remote Worker Grant Program. The entire state has a population of a little more than 600,000, roughly the size of Louisville, Kentucky.
Vermont also recognized that a growing number of Americans work remotely -- nearly two-thirds of companies today have remote workers, and one recent survey found that hiring managers think it will continue to become even more common -- and that many city dwellers elsewhere are struggling with rent on increasingly overpriced apartments... The median home value in Brattleboro, roughly two hours from Boston, is less than $200,000; a one-bedroom apartment a short walk from the local co-op (and a small coworking space) goes for $850 a month.
The budget for 2019 is $125,000, and will be given out "on a first come, first served basis."
Vermont also recognized that a growing number of Americans work remotely -- nearly two-thirds of companies today have remote workers, and one recent survey found that hiring managers think it will continue to become even more common -- and that many city dwellers elsewhere are struggling with rent on increasingly overpriced apartments... The median home value in Brattleboro, roughly two hours from Boston, is less than $200,000; a one-bedroom apartment a short walk from the local co-op (and a small coworking space) goes for $850 a month.
The budget for 2019 is $125,000, and will be given out "on a first come, first served basis."
I have a few questions:
1) is there surfing in Vermont?
2) will I have to wear socks when I go outside in December?
3) is pot legal?
If you can't answer "yes" to all three of these questions, it's going to take more than $10k to get me to go there.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Here's the original: https://slashdot.org/story/18/...
Wish /. could get some editors at some point. This shit has been going on for decades now.
Velociraptor = Distiraptor / Timeraptor
Just phone up Trump, I heard he's got a few million extra Mexicans and Hondurans he can send up in a hurry if they need extra people.. ;-)
you think excessive taxation might have something to do with it ??
95% white, and the least religious state in the country.
Also - Howard Dean. Yeeeeaaaaahhhhh!!
Now if only i didn't work for a power hungry ignoramus who won't let anybody work from home.
Because, you see, "IF I ALLOT IT FOR ONE I'D HAVE ALLOW IT FOR EVERYBODY." OMG no not that!! Heaven forbid! Treat your employees like responsible adults?? OH NOOOOOOOOOOEEEEESSSSS
Not everybody lives in the 21st century. Some of us are stuck in the mid-late '80's.
Back around 2004 there was a Slashdot poster who used to shill for investing in gold in his signature and I seem to recall it was the same fellow that led me to learn about the Free State Project.
Gimme 20K a year in UBI and 40 acres and a mule, and I'm there, dude!
What's the internet speed and cost?
that extra 25 people every two years is really going to make a difference.
Is that a typo? Because that only covers 12.5 people, which doesn't sound newsworthy.
I assume it's $125,000,000?
Why would the government cut the budget up that much rather than just letting business do it?
The trouble is the proof with the government, but with business it's either a contract or a job meaning it is based on a product or management.
The problem with the government doing it is that it is mandated before, then a budget is made, then it's a shitshow to get through it and once it's gone it's over with and done for and the taxpayers funded an experiment for nothing. With business it is a shitshow for HR or the procurement department, but at least they have a product to count on not another set of paperwork that proves "employment and remote".
I don't understand it, why not just have everyone get a base salary and let those that want to work earn? There's plenty of money, the real desire is control or progression of a linear story (both failed in all examples of history).
Not often I get to see Vermont in the news. Yay. I'm a multi-generational native (yes, my family makes maple syrup).
In the hopes of dispelling some myths and inaccurate stereotypes, I'm happy to answer questions. I happen to live in a tiny ( under 4000) rural town, and on top of that, on the outskirts of it. Despite that I have 50/25 Mbit DSL. If I lived in the center of town I'd have the option for 100Mbit, 500Mbit, or even 1GBit FttH. So being rural doesn't necessarily mean junk internet... although it can, so check before you move.
In under an hour I can be in Vermont's largest "city" (Burlington). If I need a proper city experience, in just about 2.5 hours I can be in Montreal which honestly I enjoy a lot more than our next-closest big city, Boston. The border isn't an issue, since living near the border makes it easy to get a NEXUS card, which is basically fast-lane across the border for $50/5y and includes PSA pre-check at airports and Global Entry.
Yes, we have farms and cows and cheese and maple syrup and all that. We also have kick-ass skiing and lots of other great outdoor activities. Oh, and if you're not used to it: NO BILLBOARDS. It can be quite the pleasant shock for those new to the area... and jarring for us natives when we travel outside of the state.
The communities can be quite tight which is a nice thing... you really get to know the people in your area, and feel less anonymous than living in a city. People are quite generous and helpful with all sorts of things. Towns love to put on gatherings and events that bring everyone out for some reason or another. There's amazing food, and the proliferation of farms provides no shortage of fresh, high-quality produce and meat if you like to cook (or even if you don't, the better restaurants will use the local farms. Some BnB's even have their own gardens). People really care about the environment here... organic farming, trees, conservation, recycling, renewable energy, etc. Heck, even my house produces more solar power than I consume. You can find many die-hards who are truly "off the grid", self-sufficient and doing the whole homesteading thing. There's even a yearly festival/event/gathering called Solar Fest (not just about solar) if you're really into that.
Older crowd can be a bit conservative (not all, plenty of ex-hippies and all that... we're the source of Ben & Jerry's, Bernie Sanders, Bill McKibben, et al) but the younger generations lean strongly liberal. We currently have a republican governor but oh well... our Lieutenant Governor is progressive/democrat so he keeps him in line.
Home prices are all over the place, depending on where you live. You can get a sub-$100K home all the way up to multi-million dollar mansions (I know of a $10M one specifically). Places like Shelburne, Charlotte, and a few others with properties on Lake Champlain are popular with rich active/retired doctors, lawyers, and 2nd vacation homes for crazy rich people elsewhere.
So yes, worth considering. Questions? Ask and I can try to help.
They might give me $10k, but then they'd suck down about $9,000 in income taxes the first year. And another $9,000 the next year.
For as over populated as it's becoming, I'll stick with my income tax free state.
If Vermont wants to improve their population problems, they should focus on fixing their tax structure. Or contribute some to global warming!
I suspect not everyone will get the full $5K/yr and they can stretch it to a few more people. And what would you do about it? You have to move there first so they don't pay in advance. They probably won't get 10 takers.
In Pittsburgh, $800 a month plus utilities gets me a duplex with a backyard, a garage, 2 bedrooms, etc. in a middle class nice neighborhood. $10k is not enough to make me to go to Vermont. Guessing is this aimed more at West Coast people.
Once there is sufficient money behind this, I'll buy a couple buildings, move in a few thousand H-1B remote workers, and charge them California rates of rent.
I can probably fit 20-30 of them in a 2 bedroom apartment. /s
My ex-wife moved there, don't want to incur into the risk of meeting her by chance.
Holy shit, let's do some basic math.
125,000 / 5,000 = 25 people!
If you take the full 2 years, that's 12.5 people that can relocate to Vermont!
That should raise their population and drive business immensely,
PROS: Vermont is beautiful, co-ops are decent, there are a few nice days, and most people are nice. CONS: disease carrying ticks.
I spent 5 miserable years living in the cold frozen $hithole that's New England.
I'd rather die than go back. Vermont is only slightly better than Assachusetts.
I'd rather move to Alaska and get paid to live there for life.
What's "wrong" with Vermont is that they'd like to have more jobs attracting people there. Rather than trying to attract more companies, they've decided to try to attract people like me, who can take our jobs with us wherever we want to go.
That's an interesting idea because they don't have to provide infrastructure for the company headquarters, but they get us spending our money in Vermont. Essentially they would be exporting tech work to the rest of the country. It's an interesting idea. We'll see how it turns out.
How many conservatives would need to move there to turn the state red?
I have a few questions:
You forgot to ask the most important question, that will shut down Vermont as a possible option to live over California:
4) Do they have human feces covering the sidewalks and outdoor walls in major cities?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
My father-in law was born in Brattleboro, He grew an orange tree in the yard at his home near San Diego so his mom could pick fresh oranges when she visited. Richard E Warren was one of the best men around, he would help anyone who asked or those who needed help and didn't ask.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE CONSEQUENCES FOR YOUR LIES AND PROPAGANDA NAZI FAGGOT KEN DOLL
Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING. Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
Nazi homosexual recruiter RAY MORRIS pushing debunked Nazi propaganda even after corrected, #ROPE
A doorbuster is a deeply discounted item which is only available in limited quantities. The idea is that you use it to entice a lot of people to visit your store, but you only have to sell (at a loss) a small number of your doorbuster item. The people who missed out will browse the store (not wanting to have wasted their time and gas getting there), and hopefully they buy enough stuff to offset your losses on the doorbuster.
With a budget of $125k/yr and an enticement of $5k/yr per person, only 25 people will get the money. I suspect the process of confirming you qualified for the program will be long and dragged out, so you won't actually know if you'll receive the money until long after you've moved to Vermont and set down roots there. That way they're hoping to entice a few thousand people into moving there, while only having to pay 25 of them.
I'm sure they are doing other, probably more traditional things to try to attract companies.
*THIS* program is testing a different approach.
My brother has raised his family in VT. His daughters work in VT. Your personal reputation is everything. Since the state is so small everyone knows everyone.
The quality of your work and personal relationships will generate repeat customers. Crappy work means who will not get customers.
The quality of life can be rather high. My brother goes water skiing before the start of the work day. His company SMALL had a ski racing team. Employees wearing their ski gear from the 99's. Crime is very low. His granddaughter hunts deer and wild turkey and brings the meat to the table.
I'd move to Verrrrrrrmont (it's cold!) rather than commute from San Jose to Palo Alto.
I agree, the name does suggest an emporium where one can rent appropriate visual materials, and make use of a small, private cubicle with plenty of boxes of tissues handy...
On a similar theme, most people are aware that flight crews keep a sharp eye out for couples trying to get in a toilet together to gain a membership of the Mile High Club. Well, lads and lassies, if you go in there by yourself, you can simply take out an asssociate membership!
I live in Keene, New Hampshire which is right next Brattleboro, Vermont. First thing I'm going to say is Vermont is a socialist hell hole. It's nice to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. If you want to move from a conservative hell hole or one socialist hell hole to another move to Vermont. Vermont does have some benefits like a low cost of living, but you can get that in NH too with a community that is working toward expanding freedom- not taking your rights away. If you want freedom don't move to Vermont. If you want to live in a socialist hell hole Vermont might have a lower cost of living, but it follows Massachusetts, New York, and California with a lot of it socialist bullshit. I'm in one of the worst places in New Hampshire when it comes to freedom, but at least its still New Hampshire and the cities have limited control here. Unless the state government has authorized cities to pass ordinances said ordinances aren't legal. So if a city like Keene wants to ban smoking they can't do it unless the state has passed a law authorizing them to do so. Keene recently did pass an ordinance to ban smoking for 18-21 year olds, but they couldn't go any farther just as an example. So yea- Keene is a socialist hell hole, but the overall freedom migration movement is undermining it and in coming years we'll be fixing a lot of this shit. No human being should be owned by another. Not at any age.
Hey Bernie,
Can you just send me the $10k?
Or are you gonna discriminate against me because of my geography?
It should be free money for all.
I am from there and on some days I couldn't find it.
Very small pilot schemes require a relatively large overhead per unit of service delivered, thus will not look cost-effective. Trials have to be sufficiently large. Also if the trial is too small then there is no way to measure, in a statistically significant way, the results.
Sorry but $10K is not work the hassle of relocating, selling, buying, resettling ... not even close.
i assume dennys needs help.
I live in Australia so the comparison "Same population as Louisville, Kentucky" is of no value. Also of no value is repeatdly commenting that it's a socialist paradise but providing nothing beyond "I say it is so".. Like Loiusville, the perspective taken by the writer appears to be local, and meaning is possibly unique to the individual.
Vermont needs to be more of a sanctuary state.
They have all their needs:
- shitty roads
- endless snow
- cold weather all the time
- lots of hills
- Trees! They can practice their fire skills like they do around Los Angeles
- Lots of soft whites ready to trust you
Vermont is a waste land. No infrastructure. Nothing but trees and tiny 2 lane roads. Many of them are dirt roads - more so than any other state I've been to. Cell signal? Ha! (all the towers are in neighboring New Hampshire) You think you are gonna get fibre or even cable to your door? Think again. The only internet you will have is the internet you bring with you or build yourself. Shopping is another big issue. Prepare for your SO to punch you in the face every day of your stay there. I'm not just talking about malls or frufru shit like that. I'm talking about groceries, furniture, parts for your car, food for your dog - you name it. Also lets not forget that this state is fucking famous for its shitty winters. You better have a fucking fat UPS stack backed by solar panels and a generator, and MONTHS worth of supplies and fuel to support heat and continuous run on the generator on hand at any time. You never know how long it will take them to dig you out when the next big storm hits.
If you are the kind of person who is GREAT at disaster planning with the serious funds required to do so, you never leave your house anyway, and don't like people, Vermont just might be the place for you. Just beware that you'll have to have everything you buy shipped in since there aren't any local stores to not have what you need anyway.
Think I'm kidding? Spend a week there. Bring a booster for your cellphone if you want to be able to call out.
BTW, you wanna know why they are looking for telecommuters? Because THERE ARE NO FUCKING JOBS IN THE STATE. The whole population is PISS POOR. They are hoping to improve their shitty tax base.
$10,000? Over a 2 year period? LOL - better add another 6 zeros to the end of that and payable UPFRONT if they want someone like me to move there. Oh, and city officials? STAY THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY when I build the infrastructure you failed to build. Idiots.
If they were serious then they would have had a much larger pot of money, as it is it sounds like a publicity stunt.