Chicago. New York. Los Angeles. These are the major metropolitan areas many Kansas students eagerly anticipate relocating to after graduation.
But moving to rural Greeley County, Kan., population 1,247, may offer a more immediate reward.
Greeley County lies on the western Kansas border and is one of 27 counties in the state participating in the Rural Opportunity Zones student loan repayment program. Under the provisions of the program, the county and the state will repay 20 percent of outstanding student loans, up to $3,000 per year, for graduates of any accredited post-secondary university. There is a $15,000 maximum benefit.
The program was signed into law by Gov. Sam Brownback on July 1. Online applications became accessible the same day through the Kansas Department of Commerce website. Public information officer Dan Lara said the department has received 24 applications for the student loan portion of the program.
“We’ve been very encouraged by the response that we’ve received from the program and also the applications that we’ve gotten in,” Lara said.
Lara said he expects most of the other 23 counties in the program to join the 27 in offering the student loan repayment by the Dec. 31 deadline. All 50 are now offering an income tax exemption for people who move from out-of-state.
The number of KU students who have applied will not be released until transcripts are verified. But of the 24 people who have applied, 21 are native Kansans, Lara said.
Students with loan debt can participate in the program regardless of the year they graduated. Jay Kombrink, a senior from Mission Hills, said he has only seen rural Kansas while driving through I-70 to Colorado. He said he would consider applying for the program if a county could show it had potential to grow.
“If there is a job opportunity somewhere, that’s kind of more important than the money,” Krombrink said.
Community development director Christy Hopkins said Greeley County is not a typical rural community.
“We’re a progressive, forward-looking county,” Hopkins said. “Those are the things we really pride ourselves on. We have a unified government, which offers some great advantages as we work on things across the county.”
Woodson County is the farthest east of any county participating in the repayment program. Its largest city, Yates Center, has a population of 1,417 and is about a 100 mile drive southwest from Lawrence.
Katy Ludwig, the economic development representative for Woodson County, promotes the county to potential residents. She said many of the community’s youth do not return after graduation due to a grim job market.
“I know our one dentist in the county came on a program sort of similar to this one,” Ludwig said. “He came and started a new business. So hopefully this will attract people who want to come, live in a small town and start their own business.”
Ludwig said part of the benefit of living in a small community is that everyone looks out for one another.
“I hope they start a new life here, not just get on their feet and move on,” Ludwig said. “I want them to stay here.”
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