A small town about a two-hour drive from Wichita is offering tempting incentives for people willing to relocate.

Neodesha, Kansas, in southeast Kansas has a population of about 2,300 and is looking for that number to grow through a partnership with the company MakeMyMove.

The goal? To bring people back to rural communities.

“It’s more of a, let’s stop the brain drain of these rural communities that you’ve seen for so long,” Neodesha mayor Devin Johnson said. “I feel like we have plugged the hole, and now we’re trying to fill it back up.”

The term “brain drain” refers to when young people who grew up in rural communities leave them in search for other jobs and opportunities.

The full incentives package includes up to $15,000 in student loan repayment assistance, 100% Kansas state income tax waiver through 2026, a college scholarship incentive reaching up to $25,000 and more.

New residents can also receive a one-year family pass to the Neodesha splash zone, a six-month subscription to the local newspaper, a USD 461 school activities pass, two tickets to the Neodesha Chamber of Commerce’s annual auction and dinner, and more.

Chris Bauman, the city’s community development director, said they’ve seen interest from several states.

“We’ve had some … interest from a variety of different states, New Mexico, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Texas,” he said.

More development is planned for the area. This includes more housing, renovating a historic hotel, adding a retail entertainment hub and more.

The city has also recently had a big focus on their parks and what they called the “quality of life.”

“We’ve always said that ... we don’t really have to provide every single thing that you can find in the city, but we need to be able to provide something that you can find in the city, something that will make people want to live here,” Johnson said.

Neodesha is also a “promise community,” which means they provide scholarships to any qualifying Neodesha high school graduate who attends a Pell Grant approved college.

The city has had some troubles in its past. It was previously home to the 320-acre Neodesha Refinery Site, which operated until about 1970. Over time the refinery site led to contaminated groundwater that spread to residential areas, which led to an investigation into the contamination and remedies.

The last update published by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in 2017 said that there were no significant or adverse effects in the Fall River, which is the city’s water source.

Johnson said that while there is no current threat of contamination, it’s still being monitored by BP Products North America to insure the health of the residents.

“BP continues to monitor to ensure there’s no contamination affecting the community,” Johnson said. “They have an office here and ... that was what they were required to do by the court was ensure that the safety of the town and that there’s no contamination spread.”

Johnson, who grew up in Neodesha, said that small town life has changed since he was growing up and has grown in popularity.

“My neighbors across the street and the cul de sac I live in, they moved here from Denver, Colorado, and they’re retired. And they looked at homes in all the surrounding communities ... and they said, ‘This is where we want to be,’” Johnson said. “You see that all the time.”

Neodesha (pronounced nee-oh-duh-shay, if you’re not familiar) is about a 2 1/2 hour drive south of Kansas City.

If you’re interested in participating in Neodesha’s incentives program, you can apply on MakeMyMove.com.

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