This colorful river city is calling all remote workers . The Kentucky city of Paducah is offering an incentive package worth thousands of dollars, luring professionals to call the area home. City officials unveiled the Remote Workers Incentive Program, which covers moving costs and waives payroll tax for a year. It also covers $1,200 worth of tickets and memberships for a variety of cultural and educational institutions in the town. Paducah's official city website says the package of incentives is valued at nearly $6,500 (if you make an annual starting salary of $100,000). The only catch is you have to actually live in the city of Peducah. 'Congratulations on your decision to relocate, I'm so glad you're considering Paducah, Kentucky,' Mayor George Bray says in an invite video. A vibrant downtown with a creative community awaits new residents, he adds. The incentive package covers relocation costs including movers, packing supplies and transportation, as well as a $70 monthly internet allowance for one year. Free tickets, passes, training and experiences at cultural institutions such as the Carson Center for the Performing Arts, Paducah Symphony Orchestra, Maiden Alley Cinema, Market House Theatre and the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce are also part of the deal. Mayor Bray, who described the initiative as a top priority since taking office, said $100,000 has been set aside in the city budget for the program, which he discovered could bring new people to town since the pandemic popularized remote work. Paducah's population has already shown signs of growth, rising 8% in the most recent census, Bray notes. He said that that newcomers were already being drawn to the city, even without incentives, as they looked for lower cost of living and good quality of life. 'It's very charming, we don't have a Target and we don't have a Trader Joe's - we have small local shops,' Paducah realtor Sara Gipson told the Daily Mail. 'Our crime rates are low, our schools are good, the cost of living is very reasonable,' she said, adding that she's seen a large number of people moving in 'from all over the place.' Gipson says the average home price in the city is $250,000. 'Currently, I've got a couple from Colorado that are looking to buy property,' said Gipson. 'People are able to come out here and buy with cash for a house and live a much more simple life.' To qualify for the program, applicants must live at least 100 miles outside of Paducah, work full-time for a company with no offices within that radius, and provide written documentation confirming they can work remotely or from a co-working space in town. In addition, successful applicants must commit to living in Paducah for at least one year beyond their participation in the incentive program. Paducah, easily accessible by highway and waterway, sits where the Ohio, Tennessee, Cumberland and Mississippi rivers meet, and is considered a hub of connectivity and culture. 'Paducah really attracts artist to come and create a live-work space,' Gipson told the Daily Mail. 'Our downtown has really come to life. We're building new condos and people are refurbishing hundred year-old buildings with condos above and retail below.' Outside of the artist community, there are job opportunities working on the river or in the local schools, she added. Paducah has a perfectly preserved historical downtown district in the heart of town. Art galleries, local shops, cafes and restaurants with classic Southern menus line the streets. Paducah's food is so good the city is even featured in You Belong Here, a culinary docuseries premiering at the Tribeca Festival this month. Top Chef star and semi-finalist for a James Beard Award Sara Bradley is from Paducah and owns a restaurant there called Freight House. The restaurant uses all locally sourced ingredients and pairs dishes with various Kentucky bourbons. Local artist Robert Dafford painted more than 50 murals along a flood wall by the river - they tell the story of the town's history. The outdoor gallery is free and open 24/7. Paducah offers year-round festivals and events, including art fairs, live music performances and markets that showcase the area's creatives. The city has been included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), a global network of municipalities recognized by UNESCO for their commitment to using creativity and culture as drivers of sustainable urban development. In May, the West Kentucky Film Commission launched a regional office in Paducah. 'Film is a catalyst for tourism - it invites people to discover the places they see on screen,' Alyssa Phares, executive director of the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in a statement. 'By joining this regional effort, Paducah is not just attracting productions, we're creating new opportunities to showcase Western Kentucky's culture, creativity and hospitality to the world.' The Cinema Systers Film Festival, the only all-lesbian film festival in the US, was founded in Paducah in 2016 and runs to this day. The Lower Town Arts District is a hub of creativity. The tree-lined streets are filled with Victorian homes that house artists' studios and galleries, such as the popular Aphrodite Gallery, Dixie Leather Works and Cowango Studio. The Paducah School of Art and Design has its own galleries and rotating exhibitions. The National Quilt Museum serves as a tribute to textile art, and visitors can check out work from the best quilters and fiber artists. Rotating exhibits appear alongside a permanent collection, which includes a life-size polar bear quilt by Susan Carlson and a Harry Potter quilt - complete with owls, wands and potions - by Cynthia England.
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