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Would you move to Tulsa for $10,000?

2:09 PM EST on November 14, 2018

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Unless you are one of our commenters from Tulsa who likes to butt in and remind us that they live in the superior city in Oklahoma, there's something about that town that rubs us wrong. Maybe it's that smugness, or perhaps the fact that the city was home to one of the most violent acts of racial terrorism in our country's recent history, and they still haven't truly come to terms with it.

You can choose why you dislike Tulsa, but would you move there if somebody paid you? A local foundation is willing to give other people $10,000 to try it out for a year. From Thrillist:

The George Kaiser Family Foundation and the City of Tulsa have launched Tulsa Remote, which will provide a $10,000 grant and other benefits to 20 remote workers or entrepreneurs who live outside Tulsa County and are willing to relocate to the city. (Friendly aside: This website has previously said Tulsa is an underrated city with an impressive beer scene.)

If selected, you'll get $2,500 to put toward moving expenses and receive a $500 monthly stipend, with a $1,500 lump sum given at the end of the year. That could go a long way in a city where the average rent on a two-bedroom sits at $658, according to the personal finance site Nerd Wallet. That's especially true since participants have the option of living in a fully furnished apartment in the arts district with 33% off the base price and free utilities at the start of their time in Oklahoma.

Grantees are provided with a co-working space at 36 Degrees North, which Tulsa Remote calls a "basecamp for entrepreneurs." There will also be meet-ups with other grantees, discounted rent, "community office hours," and skillshare workshops. The only catch is must already have a job where you can work remotely, and you have to commit to working in Tulsa for an entire year.

For as much as I like to rile up Tulsans on this site, there's a lot about their city that I legitimately enjoy. There are a few good museums, some nice bars and restaurants and breweries, and some sections of town are really pretty.

But what's going on where you gotta bribe people with ten grand to move to your city? It ain't normal, and has to look pretty suspicious to outsiders. That's some shit they'd pull in a place like Toledo. Have some dignity, Tulsa, and attract people the old-fashioned Oklahoma way- high-paying jobs in the oil & natural gas field. When coastal elites read about this, they must think "Wow, Oklahoma is really that awful that they are paying people to move there." This kind of stunt is bringing the rest of our property values down.

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