Daily Real Estate News  |  July 28, 2008  |   Low-Population States Recruit for Residents
Small towns and low-population states are launching campaigns to attract residents and workers, particularly people who can fill local positions in information technology, engineering, education and health care.

Many of these "campaigns" have come about as a result of companies seeking lower-cost areas to locate. States and town often will use the Web to widely market themselves, with the costs being taken care of by nonprofit groups or private foundations.

An Iowa site calls the state "more livable than 88 percent of the U.S.," while Vermont promises "vibrant small towns and cities and growing opportunities in high technology and other information-based sectors."

West Virginia inserted postcards in newspaper ads, which asked residents to send them to friends and family as part of the campaign.

The campaigns are beginning to have success. More than 500 job seekers have moved to South Dakota for a variety of jobs since it launched Dakota Roots in October 2006, said Dawn Dovre, a state Labor Department spokeswoman.

Source: The Associated Press, Sue Lindsey (07/27/2008)