The northern Saratoga County towns of towns of Corinth, Day, Edinburg and Hadley have commissioned a study to explore the benefits and challenges of attracting new, year-round residents, add to the work force and contribute to the local economy.
Officials said it will develop marketing to attract “those who value unspoiled natural beauty, unsurpassed recreational opportunities, lower living costs and job and educational opportunities.”
According to town officials, an October 2020 study by Upwork, a web-based platform that helps companies and individuals find skilled remote workers for required tasks, found that up to 23 million Americans plan to relocate, in many cases out of major cities and into smaller communities that have lower costs of living and are perceived to be safer and healthier.
This emerging trend led to a cooperative, regional initiative by supervisors Arthur Wright (Hadley), Preston Allen (Day), Jean Raymond (Edinburg) and Richard Lucia (Corinth), working in concert with the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership, to address the situation.
Behan Communications Inc. in Glens Falls is conducting both an assessment of the communities’ strengths and challenges to recommend an approach to identifying adults and families who might be willing to relocate to the four towns now that working remotely has been widely accepted.
Local elected leaders are concerned about maintaining a healthy balance of younger and more senior residents as well as retaining the overall populations necessary to support essential services, keep local businesses and community assets strong, and to keep schools, volunteer fire departments and emergency squads viable.
