The rise of remote work across the United States has allowed rural communities to welcome new residents seeking a different kind of lifestyle — that slower-paced lifestyle that can be found in the Pennsylvania Wilds. According to a January 2022 Pew Research Center survey, about 59% of U.S. workers who say their jobs can mainly be done remotely are working from home all or most of the time.

Many communities in the PA Wilds region are well-suited to become long-term homes for workers with flexible jobs, and a program designed to give those individuals and their families a “test run” of life in that community could help to attract and retain them. 

 

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Introducing the Wilds Are Working

Details on Being a Host Community

Introducing the Wilds Are Working: A Remote Lifestyle Experience

The Wilds Are Working: A Remote Lifestyle Experience campaign seeks to raise awareness about the PA Wilds being a great place for remote and non-remote workers to live, work, and play.

An initiative of the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship (PA Wilds Center), in collaboration with several partners and funded by Ben Franklin Technology Partners through the Appalachian Regional Commission, the campaign piloted in the communities of Bellefonte and Kane in 2022. The communities of Emporium and Warren hosted remote workers as part of the 2023 program.

When open, applications for remote workers are posted to the program website at www.WildsAreWorking.com.

Saint Marys and Williamsport to host remote workers for 2024 Wilds Are Working initiative

By Brittany Madera | February 28, 2024 |

Saint Marys and Williamsport to host remote workers for 2024 Wilds Are Working initiative Application opens March 6, submissions due by April 19   Remote workers will have the chance to apply for an opportunity to test out living in two new Pennsylvania Wilds communities for 2024: Saint Marys and Williamsport. After two successful years,…

Takeaways from the first two years of the Wilds Are Working: A Remote Lifestyle Experience

By Brittany Madera | December 11, 2023 |

Takeaways from the first two years of the Wilds Are Working: A Remote Lifestyle Experience Twenty people have now had the chance to test out living in the rural Pennsylvania Wilds region and tens of thousands of dollars have been invested into the host communities, thanks to a program known as the Wilds Are Working:…

PA Wilds communities encouraged to apply for 2024 Wilds Are Working

By Brittany Madera | November 9, 2023 |

Do you have a genuine enthusiasm for your community, wanting others to be able to experience life in your town? Do you think that if people were to have a chance to test out living in your community they might choose to relocate there long-term? The Wilds Are Working: A Remote Lifestyle Experience seeks to…

PA Wilds communities invited to Nov. 8 Wilds are Working webinar

By Brittany Madera | October 31, 2023 |

Communities interested in learning more about hosting remote workers as part of the 2024 Wilds Are Working program are invited to attend an informational webinar on Wednesday, November 8, at 3:00 p.m. This is a free webinar, but registration is required here. This campaign seeks to raise awareness about the PA Wilds being a great…

PA Route 6 Alliance’s 2023 Educational Workshop and Awards highlight PA Wilds initiatives, communities and partners

By Brittany Madera | October 11, 2023 |

PA Route 6 Alliance’s 2023 Educational Workshop and Awards highlight PA Wilds initiatives, communities and partners   Leaders from across the PA Route 6 corridor came together on October 5-6 to learn more about revitalization projects taking place in the region and to network and discover new ways to keep their communities thriving. The PA…

Warren welcomes four prospective residents, families who are testing out living in the PA Wilds

By Brittany Madera | August 9, 2023 |

 Participants, from left, include: Anna Hall from Scottdale, Ga.; Ben Lisowski from Glenshaw, Pa.; Derrick Dahl from Appleton, Wis.; and Ben Goshow from Indianapolis, Ind. Photos by Rosie Marketing for PA Wilds Center.   Warren welcomes four prospective residents, families who are testing out living in the PA Wilds Participants are part of the…

Five prospective residents, families land in Emporium to test out living in the PA Wilds

By Brittany Madera | July 26, 2023 |

Participants, from left, include: Joshua Cumens from Philadelphia; Lily Jones from Pittsburgh; Brent Whiting from Lansdale; and Jared Brackbill from Carlisle. Not pictured is participant Kathleen McGuire from Mars, Pa.   Five prospective residents, families land in Emporium to test out living in the PA Wilds Participants are part of the 2023 Wilds Are Working…

11 remote workers, families to live, work and play in the PA Wilds this summer

By Brittany Madera | May 31, 2023 |

11 remote workers, families to live, work and play in the PA Wilds this summer Emporium and Warren to host guests in July, August respectively This summer, individuals and their families will experience the Pennsylvania Wilds region during the second year of an initiative designed to show off rural communities as ideal places to live…

Emporium and Warren to host remote workers for 2023 Wilds Are Working initiative

By Brittany Madera | March 2, 2023 |

Emporium and Warren to host remote workers for 2023 Wilds Are Working initiative Application opens March 15, submissions due by May 3   After a successful pilot program in 2022 for The Wilds Are Working: A Remote Lifestyle Experience, remote workers will have the chance to apply to test out living in two new communities…

The Wilds Are Working – How to become a host community for remote workers

By Brittany Madera | September 14, 2022 |

Do you have a genuine enthusiasm for your community, wanting others to be able to experience life in your town? Do you think that if people were to have a chance to test out living in your community they might choose to relocate there long-term?  As the Wilds Are Working: A Remote Lifestyle Experience has…

Details on Being a Host Community

Depending on availability of funding after 2024, communities within the Pennsylvania Wilds, covering a 13-county region of Northern Pennsylvania, may be eligible to host remote workers through this program. The following are requirements to be considered: 

  • Suitable accommodations for long-term workers, that include full kitchens, Wi-Fi, and ample living space. These can include local vacation rentals and bed & breakfast properties. 
  • Community access to high-speed internet, both in residential and public areas (like coffee shops or coworking spaces). 
  • Mobile phone coverage for a variety of carriers.
  • Ample opportunities for recreation, events, and activities within a reasonable proximity. 
  • Staff or volunteers able to dedicate time to project management, including program set up time (using a guided toolkit), application management, and more. 
  • A group of friendly and knowledgeable volunteers ready to host workers and help them make the most of their experience.

Wilds Are Working Webinar for Prospective Host Communities

map illustrating the counties in the Pa wilds

 

 

With an eye toward tackling the challenges that come with outmigration and a dwindling tax base, the Wilds Are Working campaign seeks to empower workers to try out living, working, and giving in the PA Wilds communities for 2-4 weeks with a hope that some of those participants will decide to work in the region full-time.

Modeled after case studies emerging from across Appalachia and the nation, this program is one of many that rural communities are implementing to incentivize and stimulate revitalization. Building on the movement, the Rural Outdoor Investment (ROI) Act looks to allocate $50 million annually to fund infrastructure improvements and similar marketing campaigns to help towns across the country plan and build recreation-based economies.

In the meantime ...

Want to get your community more prepared for participation? There are a few requirements for communities to participate, in order to ensure the businesses there are able to benefit from the program. A key component of this program is the Shop the PA Wilds Digital Community Gift Card - which you can take advantage of now. Remote workers typically receive a stipend to spend while living in the community, and this stipend is provided via one of these gift cards. And the gift cards can only be redeemed at participating businesses. 

  1. Encourage your local businesses to join the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania (WCO), a network of nearly 500 businesses that are promoted as part of the regional experience. Membership is FREE! Learn more here. You can easily peruse our Member Directory here to see which businesses are already in the program.
  2. Once businesses are in the WCO, help them activate their business with the Shop the PA Wilds Digital Community Gift Card.   Once members, they can access the member-only Branding Assets page to easily sign up!