Ascend West Virginia
By Olivia Miller
Photo by Ascend West Virginia.
In April 2020, Governor Jim Justice and West Virginia University (WVU) President Gordon Gee announced a bold plan to attract remote workers to the Morgantown area, the Greenbrier Valley and the Eastern Panhandle—the Ascend West Virginia program. The brainchild of Brad and Alys Smith, the couple looked to WVU and the state to bring the program to life. Ascend West Virginia capitalizes on the untapped potential of the Mountain State’s outdoor recreation opportunities, vying to establish West Virginia among states like Colorado and Utah that evoke thoughts of boundless opportunities to play in epic mountains and rivers.
The program sounds almost too good to be true, centered around the ideals of community, purpose and connection and offering a $12,000 stipend, a year of free outdoor recreation, coworking space and community building efforts all to live in West Virginia.
You could say it almost sounds like heaven.
The announcement of this unique chance to live, work and play in the Mountain State was heard around the world. Within 36 hours of the announcement, 2,000 people applied to the program, and a total of 7,500 individuals applied for their chance to relocate to Morgantown before the deadline closed. The applicants came from all 50 states and more than 70 countries. The West Virginia Department of Tourism told WOWK TV in Huntington that within three days, there had been 65,000 inquiries about moving to the state through the program.
Needless to say—a bold response to a bold plan was received.
The program, implemented by WVU’s Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative (OEDC) alongside the West Virginia Department of Tourism, has attracted new residents across the country by leveraging outdoor recreation for economic prosperity.
“It’s all about community, purpose and the outdoors,” says Danny Twilley, assistant vice president of economic, community and asset development. “A core human value is a sense of belonging, and we believe when you connect people—to each other, to a community, to a state—and show them the quality of life you can have in West Virginia through outdoor recreation, it is a recipe for success.”
It is no secret that West Virginia’s population has been steadily decreasing over the last decade. According to the U.S. Census, the state lost nearly 60,000 people out of 1.8 million between 2010 and 2020. A common topic of discussion among long-term West Virginia residents and expats is the brain-drain. As remote work has become more commonplace as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the program offers a new way for lost Mountaineers to return home.
In September 2021, the state opened remote worker applications for the Greenbrier Valley program while also welcoming the first group of 53 workers and their families to the Greater Morgantown Area. They are relocating from 21 states and the District of Columbia and as far away as Berlin, with the greatest number coming from California.
In total, an estimated 110 people have moved to West Virginia through the Ascend Morgantown Area opportunity. Most significant others of the transplants also had remote roles in other companies, and a handful of partners are now students at WVU.
“Ascend members are building their lives here,” says Emily Huguenin, director of Ascend West Virginia. “The cost of living compared to the big cities some are relocating from makes putting roots down here much more accessible—like homeownership or starting a business—which has already happened for some of our Ascenders. Ascend is about integrating these remote workers thoughtfully into our communities, and that’s happening.”
Despite being tasked with relocating during the coronavirus pandemic, the Ascend team has been pleased with how the Ascenders have settled in and found opportunities for connection and community despite initial challenges.
“A few of our participants have been very involved in the local music scene and others are showing interest in volunteering for trail work with the OEDC to help create more connection with neighbors, like they’ve been a local for decades,” says Huguenin.
So, what are the new Ascenders up to? According to Paris Winfrey, Ascend Morgantown’s experience coordinator, the new Ascenders and their families are quickly integrating and becoming involved in the local community—participating in local boards and councils—while others are grouping to benefit nonprofits around town.
“The feedback from participants has been really enthusiastic,” says Winfrey. “After living here for a few weeks, one of our participants mentioned she has been baptized in kindness, and everyone around her has lent a helping hand when needed.”
Making the program available in additional locations is still in progress, and the Ascend team says many new developments are coming to fruition. Thirty-two Ascenders and their families are moving to the Greenbrier Valley area and are already falling in love with the charm, outdoor adventure and culture found there. The program is so successful in both the Morgantown area and the Greenbrier Valley that applications have reopened to welcome even more Ascenders and opened for the first time for the newly minted Eastern Panhandle region. A second exciting development in this new round of applications allows program applicants to apply year-round on rolling admissions, giving those applying the flexibility to do so when they feel the time is right for them. The Ascend team, in true West Virginia fashion, says the door is always open.
While there are many other remote worker programs popping up across the country, the Ascend West Virginia program remains unique in its own right.
“Ascend West Virginia offers one of the most unique arrays of benefits focused on community, purpose and outdoor recreation,” says Huguenin. “Our program is the only one we are aware of that is working in multiple locations throughout a state, which really broadens our impact.”
To ensure the program’s success in the long run, the Ascend team is actively working with local convention and visitors bureaus, government officials and economic development groups. Not only will the program benefit future Ascenders, but it strives to make outdoor recreation more accessible for current residents while sealing the deal for future residents.
“A part of our effort is making West Virginia the premier state to live, work and play. Our outdoor recreation resources provide us with something that is valuable, rare and hard to imitate, thus making it a competitive advantage,” says Twilley. “The OEDC, in partnership with the state tourism office, local communities and land agencies, is actively working to increase access to our tremendous outdoor recreation assets.”
What’s next for Ascend West Virginia? Twilley explains that building off the success of Ascend, the team is currently developing a program designed to keep graduating West Virginia college students in the state. This retention would have an incredible impact on individual lives, communities and the Mountain State as a whole.
“A program like Ascend has a lot of direct impacts, but the indirect impacts often get overlooked,” says Twilley. “A program like this is building off the work of so many by shouting from the top of our mountains to let the world know that West Virginia is one of the best places to live an outdoor-driven lifestyle where community matters and our people are special.”
