The state’s ‘best kept secret’ is paying people $10,000 to move there and it offers the best comfort food and nature trails

AMERICANS could earn up to $10,000 just for living in a different location, as a southern state is recruiting workers to move and work remotely in one region.

The program, called Remote Shoals, seeks to attract remote workers to Shoals, Alabama, which spans Colbert and Lauderdale counties — about two hours northwest of Birmingham.

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Remote Schools was first launched in 2019 by the Shoals Economic Development Authority with the goal of encouraging remote workers to live and work in the area.

The area encompasses the cities of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia and Sheffield, and has been touted as a region with a high quality of life and low cost of living compared to other major centers such as Nashville, Tennessee or Atlanta, Georgia.

SILK boasted The Shoals as a region defined by its “space, rhythm and community”.

New residents can find competitive housing prices, a strong community with international students and other remote workers, as well as cultural activities like music and arts festivals.

‘TOP SECRET’

The area, called “Alabama’s best kept secret,” is also known to a variety of fine dining and Southern comfort food options like Stagg’s Grocery, Rivertown Coffee, and Trowbridge.

Outdoor lovers will also be pleased to find a variety of activities such as hiking, water sports, fishing and more in the nearby rivers and lakes.

New residents can always take a stroll along 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 serve as physical mascots for the university, whose athletic teams are known as the Lions.

People can also find historic 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 US$10,000 for workers interested in moving to the region – the amount varies depending on their annual income.

Specifically, those who win between $52,000 and $62,399 per year would only receive about $6,000.

Remote workers with annual incomes 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 could receive $9,000.

Anyone who takes home $124,800 or more each year will receive the full $10,000.

To qualify, program participants must be U.S. residents age 18 or older and live outside of The Shoals.

You must also be self-employed or a full-time remote employee and willing to relocate to the region within six months.

If selected, participants will receive 25% of the funds before moving, another 25% after the first six months of residence in the area and the final 50% after completing one year.

Workers must spend approximately 75% of a year in the region and maintain their professional status to receive the full amount.

In February 2022, the program successfully recruited 50 people to move and was renewed for a fourth round of funding.

“While the numbers prove the program is a success, the true success can be seen through the stories of our Remote Shoals residents,” said Mackenzie Cottles, marketing and communications specialist at Shoals EDA, he 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 for these people.”

Including family and partners, the program has helped 102 people from across the county and Belize move to The Shoals by February 2022.

They received more than 2,300 applications at the time.

Currently, Remote Shoals is interviewing candidates for the program on a bi-monthly basis.

O next round of applications is scheduled to open on May 1.

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