Would you move to a city that helped pay off your student loans?
Like many small towns, Niagara Falls, N.Y., has been bleeding residents for decades, as young people move away in search of excitement and jobs. But the new local director of community development, Seth Piccirillo, has a plan to woo young people back: He’s offering new graduates and young professionals help paying off their student loans … and all they have to do is move to Niagara.
Why does Niagara Falls need young people so badly? Its population was around 100,000 nearly 50 years ago, but it has been cut nearly in half since. “We’ve lost a lot of talent, a lot of brain power,” Piccirillo tells ABC News. “For 50 years we’ve been asking ourselves: How do we keep our young people?” The question is even more critical now, because there’s a danger that in the next census Niagara Falls’ population will drop below 50,000, causing it to lose some forms of federal assistance.
How will paying graduates’ student loans help? Here, a guide to the town’s sweetheart deal, and others like it:
Full story at The Week.
Photo: CC by Jeremy Wilburn
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