West Virginia welcomes nine new babies, thanks to Ascend WV

MORGANTOWN, WV ( WVNS ) — The last U.S. Census showed West Virginia was one of three states, along with Puerto Rico, which lost population between 2010 and 2020.

Federal statistics show the number of folks living in West Virginia has declined by 3.2 percent since 2010, making West Virginia the twelfth least populated state in the nation.

But Emily Huguenin, director of Ascend West Virginia, a program which offers up to $20,000 in incentives to recruit people to move to the state, said on Thursday, June 6, 2024, that the program has had no trouble attracting applicants since its debut in 2021, when native West Virginians Brad and Alys Smith, along with West Virginia University and Gov. Jim Justice, launched the program.

“We’ve had 50,000 applications for moving to West Virginia,” said Huguenin. “They’re from all 50 states and over 104 countries. I just looked at this data. We currently have 42 states and seven countries represented. They’re all U.S. citizens, but often people are digital nomads.”

Huguenin said more than 700 people, altogether, are now living in the state because of Ascend WV.

When asked about West Viriginia’s lack of affordable and available child care and what some economic development experts have said is a regressive legislative climate, which represses growth, Huguenin said many Ascend WV applicants have children or plan to start a family.

“We’ve had nine babies born since people have moved, so we have a lot of those kind of young or middle-life families, and they express to us they are looking for childcare,” said Huguenin. “Those are concerns they have.”

However, she said the rural space in most parts of West Virginia means real estate is affordable, which is a draw, especially for those seeking to leave crowded urban areas.

Around 40 percent of those who have moved to the state through Ascend WV are now first-time homeowners, according to Huguenin.

As for the dwindling population, Huguenin said her program actively recruits people who are involved in their own communities and likely to get involved, once they move to West Virginia.

“They are concerned about looking at the legislative climate and seeing if it matches their values,” said Huguenin. “Usually what people say is, when they move to West Virginia because of the small population, they feel that they have a more powerful voice.”

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