- A Nebraska town with fewer than 900 residents has unveiled an incentive for newcomers.
- Pawnee City is offering $50,000 in down payment assistance to qualified new residents.
- Officials hope that the payments to help people buy newly built homes spark a "rural renaissance."
Fans of "Parks and Recreation" can finally live out their dreams of living in Pawnee — sort of.
Pawnee City, Nebraska, a small city about 90 minutes south of Lincoln and two hours north of Kansa City, Missouri, is offering $50,000 to new residents who qualify.
Between March 14, when the program was announced, and March 27, 115 people have applied, Aaron Sawyer, a member of the Pawnee City Chamber of Commerce, told Business Insider.
The city's plan, dubbed Vision 2030, starts with a commitment to build 25 new single-family homes on what are now empty lots. Plans on the Vision 2030 website show ranch-style homes with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, two-car garages, and spacious backyards priced at $325,000. (The average home value in Pawnee City is $102,705, according to Zillow.)
The program's $50,000 payouts will go toward down-payment assistance for buyers of the new houses.
Applications are open to families, single professionals, or retirees. Qualified homebuyers must make less than certain income caps, which range from $69,450 for a one-person household to $115,100 for a six-person household.
Interested homebuyers must complete an application that includes questions about their employment status, monthly income, and household size.
In November, workers broke ground on the first home, which is expected to be ready for move-in by this summer, the Vision 2030 website says.
Remote work can be a source of tension between employers and their workers, with Amazon and JP Morgan calling employees back to the office five days a week five years after their initial COVID-19 shutdowns. But for those who still have the flexibility, the opportunity to move somewhere with a financial incentive can be enticing in today's expensive housing market, where older homes may cost just as much as new builds.
Pawnee City is dreaming of a 'rural renaissance'
The down-payment assistance initiative is part of Pawnee City's effort to spark a "rural renaissance" and help rejuvenate the town, according to the Vision 2030 website.
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Pawnee City has 865 residents, according to recent Census data. The city's population has been in decline for 50 years, from a high of 1,280 residents, according to the civic group Pawnee Bold.
For such a small place, Pawnee City has produced several notable figures, including David Butler, the first governor of Nebraska; the actor Irish McCalla, who starred in the TV show "Sheena Queen of the Jungle"; and the comedian Larry the Cable Guy.
"It's a great place to grow up and raise kids," said Sawyer, who has ties to the city through his grandparents. Pawnee City has its own school, hospital, two parks, and a brand-new amphitheater that opened last year, he added, which is notable for a town of its size.
This summer's amphitheater programming will include a polka band, a rock concert, and a screening of "Cars" that will feature a visit from the hometown hero himself: Larry the Cable Guy.