Lincoln County recruiting new residents to the area

LINCOLN, Kan. (KSNW) — Lincoln County has utilized the Make My Move program to recruit people to the county.

“Over the past year or so, we’ve really been talking a lot about ‘How do we recruit new people into the community?’ I feel like traditional economic development has been, you recruit a business, the business creates jobs, and the jobs is what pulls people into the community,” Executive Director of the Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation Kelly Gourley said. “Now in this day and age, when workforce is so tight, it’s hard to kind of recruit a business in when you don’t necessarily have the workforce.”

They received many more applicants for the program than they expected. Their goal was to attract five new residents, but they received over 1,000 applications, which is one-third of their population.

“We are looking to have a stronger community, a stronger economy,” Gourley said. “People is what drives the economy. Vacant buildings, downtown, vacant houses, school districts where you’re losing kids, that’s not an indicator of growth. If we want to grow, we have to figure out how to have more people.”

They are using the program to counter a downward population trend.

“Lincoln County’s population has pretty much been pretty consistent with most of rural Kansas and, frankly, rural America,” Gourley said. “Unfortunately, we’ve been losing population for about 100 years. This is really, in my mind, a golden opportunity for small towns. Even though we’ve been losing population for a long time, over the past year, there are people who have been moving here. They want to live here. They want to be a part of the community. And so I’m just really excited about what the future holds for small-town Kansas.”

One new resident, Tasha Jablonski, has already moved in. Three others accepted the offer, and county officials are still going through the remaining applications.

“The day after I moved here, I went for a walk, and it just was so quiet, and it was so peaceful,” Joblonski said. “And you could hear the birds, and you’re so drowned out by all the noises of a big town that was the first shock for me.”

Lincoln County’s incentives for new residents include:

$4,500 in cash

$5,000 cash bonus if spouse or partner is hired for a local, qualifying job

100 percent state income tax credit through the 2026 tax year if they move within a Rural Opportunity Zone

A free lot to build a new home within the City of Lincoln

$500 credit for high-speed internet service

One year free membership at Post Rock Fitness

A dozen farm-fresh eggs each month for a year

A welcome potluck dinner with new neighbors and local leaders

An outdoor adventure like mountain biking, bird watching, boating or hunting area tour

Tea with Marilyn, the Mother of Lincoln County tourism

“A variety of different things to kind of help people not only with the financial part of making the move but also the social aspect,” Gourley said. “How can we make sure that when somebody moves here, we get them connected with the community in a way that is something where they feel very welcome? Our idea is [that] by the time they get here, they already know their neighbors. They already have contacts. They already, if they have a question, they know who to call and kind of figure those answers out, and they feel like they’ve already kind of got a network of friends.” 

Gourley says they have been marketing their assets.

“We have an opportunity in small-town America to kind of just take advantage of who we are,” Gourley said. “You know, that we know each other.”

Gourley says the program offers a great return on investment.

“They’re bringing their income from somewhere else in the country,” Gourley said. “They’re bringing that money into our community, and they’re buying groceries. They’re going to restaurants, they’re putting kids in the school district, and more kids in the school district means more state funding for our schools.” 

One of the benefits of a small town, Gourley says, is the affordability and the safety.

“Our kids are safe, you know. They can ride their bikes to the pool, and you don’t have to worry about them as a parent,” Gourley said. “You know, I think that’s been lost in a lot of places, and I think there’s just a genuine interest in that kind of place. Affordability is another big thing that we hear a lot about. Housing prices in urban areas are just going crazy. I think there is a lot of people who are kind of looking at the costs that they spend in housing, and they look at, hey, I’m a remote worker, I don’t have to live here anymore, so why can’t I move someplace that’s more affordable. Now you can maybe actually afford to do what you want to do to, travel more or take advantage of all those things that you can’t take advantage of now because housing is so expensive.”

Jablonski says she feels safe in Lincoln.

“I feel that my kids are safe here,” Jablonski said. “I know my neighbors, and that was a big important thing for me in Tennessee. You’re not just a number in a million people. We’re looking forward to actually making a difference. And that my voice and opinion and what I do matters.”

Financially, Jablonski says they are saving thousands of dollars each month on rent.

“We want to thrive,” Joblonski said. “We could never thrive there. We just maintained all the time. We have big goals and dreams for our family and the children. And we can do all of that here. We want to buy land is a big thing for us and travel all over the world, which is important but also expensive. We’ll grow our homestead here and have a home base, and then be able to travel wherever we want. If you’re looking for a lower cost of living and a better change of pace, Make my Move is a good program to look into.”

To apply for Make My Move, click here.