Remote work has changed the way people think about where to live.
When the COVID pandemic forced most people to work from home for long stretches, it opened up the potential of remote work from wherever employees wanted to live.
A new effort hopes to entice remote workers to relocate to central Indiana.
“Remote work has effectively freed millions of workers across the country to choose a home base independent of where their employer is,” said Evan Hock, chief operating officer with MakeMyMove, an Indianapolis-based economic growth platform. “If you think about historically, ever since the Industrial Revolution, people have had to move towards opportunity. Now, we’re kind of seeing that in reverse. They’re able to move toward a desired lifestyle.”
Johnson County is one of 11 counties included in a new effort between the Indy Chamber, Central Indiana Regional Development Authority with support from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
Together with MakeMyMove, an online relocation marketplace, the organizers hope to recruit 50 new households to move to central Indiana by the end of May. Incentives for movers include up to $5,000 in Indianapolis music and sports experiences, and co-working and networking perks for remote workers provided by 16 Tech Innovation District.
Potential enticements include tickets to sporting events such as Indiana Pacers or Indiana Fever games, passes to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, seats at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra or vouchers to fitness classes.
“With any program like this, the things that matter the most are identifying what kind of passions that person has and how this area can help connect them to those passions,” said Joe Pellman, vice president of talent & image at the Indy Chamber. “And we want to curate some experiences so people get a feel for what this place has to offer them.”
Central Indiana offers attractive reasons for relocating to the area. According to Payscale, housing in Indianapolis is 22% lower than the national average and cost of living is 10% less.
The area also boasts low taxes and a business-friendly climate, making it a great place for freelancers, entrepreneurs and remote professionals looking to establish roots while advancing their careers.
The key is to ensure potential transplants know what the area has to offer.
“Central Indiana continues to be a leader among the Midwest in terms of growth. However, if you start to compare Indy to places such as Nashville, places like Charlotte or Austin, Texas, we’re not growing at the same clip,” Pellman said. “Not to say we absolutely have to be growing at that same trajectory, but need to continue to feed that talent pipeline.”
The idea behind these enticements grew out of previous efforts to attract talent. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation partnered with 16 Tech, a 50-acre community dedicated to fostering world-changing innovation and economic opportunity, for a pilot program in 2024. That program brought 23 new households to central Indiana and another 150 who are in the pipeline.
The Indianapolis Chamber started conversations last year with MakeMyMove about expanding those efforts. The company already had a handful of local programs with specific municipalities within central Indiana, including Avon, Noblesville, Plainfield and 16 Tech Innovation District.
“We started to talk about what this could look like if it expanded to a regional presence,” Pellman said.
Johnson County is joined in the effort by the other counties in the Central Indiana Regional Development Authority: Marion, Hamilton, Hancock, Shelby, Morgan, Hendricks, Boone, Madison, Brown and Putnam.
As the effort has come together, organizers have spotlighted unique experiences and amenities in the participating counties. In Johnson County, that’s included attractions such as Mallow Run Winery and Taxman Brewing Co. in Bargersville, as well as events such as the Freedom Fest in Greenwood and Harvest Moon Festival in Bargersville.
Those behind the effort also tapped a group of “Indyfluencers” — locals who have partnered with the Indy Chamber to share their perspective with new residents on fun things to do.
“The curation of these is really important to what offers these new movers a chance to get to know us better,” Pellman said.
Potential movers must be from out of state and can apply online at MakeMyMove.com. Those accepted can take advantage of the assembled package of incentives.
“It’s a lot of the things you’d want to connect to the local communities,” Hock said. “People want to go where they feel they belong.”