When Ascend West Virginia first launched in 2021, it made national headlines as a bold experiment: a program designed not only to attract remote workers but to reverse West Virginia’s 50-year population decline. Now, that experiment is expanding to the heart of the Mountain State in Charleston.
This fall, the capital city officially became the newest community to join the award-winning initiative, which offers remote workers financial incentives and lifestyle perks to relocate to West Virginia. For Charleston leaders, the move reflects a broader vision for economic revitalization and population growth across the Kanawha Valley.
“Our participation in Ascend West Virginia shows the energy, commitment and collaborative spirit that is driving significant progress across the Kanawha Valley,” said Mara Boggs, president and CEO of the Charleston Area Alliance. “Throughout 2024, our strategic planning process identified population loss as one of the most significant challenges facing our area and state. Ascend West Virginia is the preeminent, nationally ranked program to address that challenge.”
Ascend West Virginia was founded by Brad and Alys Smith through their Wing 2 Wing Foundation, in partnership with West Virginia University and the West Virginia Department of Tourism. Smith, former CEO of Intuit and now president of Marshall University, said the program was built using the same kind of analytical, design-based thinking that drove his success in Silicon Valley.
“We used the Silicon Valley technique of asking, ‘Where’s a big, important problem that’s not being solved today, and do we have access to assets that could make us distinctive?’” Smith explained. “We sought to understand before we sought to be understood.”
That approach led to the creation of Ascend West Virginia, which blends incentives with community engagement and outdoor recreation to attract and retain new residents. Participants receive $12,000 in relocation assistance, a year of free outdoor recreation and a built-in local network of mentors and friends. It’s a formula that has produced a 97% retention rate among participants.
To date, the program has received 65,000 applications from 108 countries and welcomed more than 500 Ascenders to West Virginia. With spouses, partners and children included, that’s nearly 1,000 new residents. Thirteen babies have even been born to Ascend families — a detail Smith often cites with pride as evidence that the program isn’t just bringing people in but helping them put down roots.
For years, Charleston’s leaders worked to position the city for inclusion in the program. One of the main hurdles, Smith said, was the availability of affordable housing, which is a key factor in the program’s community selection criteria that include strong broadband, health care and education infrastructure.
“Charleston has the feel of a bigger city and the quaintness of a small town, a combination that is very appealing for our Ascenders,” Smith said. “Now that the housing issue is being addressed, it’s the perfect time for the capital city to shine.”
Boggs shares that optimism, calling the program a chance for Charleston to step onto a bigger stage.
“If we wait, we’re left behind other cities who have worker attraction programs,” she said. “Ascend promotes Charleston on the national stage, and its results are unprecedented.”
Boggs brings her own perspective as a native West Virginian who left after college for military service, then returned to raise her family. She said the Charleston Area Alliance is eager to track the program’s measurable impact.
“Ascend attracts new West Virginians, but it’s also metrics-based and data-driven,” Boggs said. “We’ll be able to see progress by the number of new residents, their economic contributions and the visibility the program brings to our region. When West Virginians compete, we win. It’s a great time for Charleston to be part of the statewide Ascend program.”
Already, WVU’s Office of Engagement and Community Development is hiring an Ascend coordinator to serve as Charleston’s full-time concierge for participants. It’s a move that will benefit not just Ascenders, but the entire community, Boggs said. Charleston will also gain access to the First Ascent program, which helps retain college graduates in the state by connecting them to professional opportunities.
WVU President Michael Benson called Ascend West Virginia “proof that when West Virginians come together with purpose, we can change our state’s narrative and its trajectory.”
That spirit of collaboration was on full display during the Sept. 5 celebration at Capitol Market, where hundreds gathered to mark the milestone. The event featured remarks from Brad and Alys Smith, President Benson, Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby, Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango, Commissioner Natalie Tennant, Mayor Amy Goodwin and local Ascender Shane Powers, with each underscoring the optimism surrounding Charleston’s newest chapter.
“The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive,” Boggs said. “We’ve heard from countless businesses and residents who are eager to get involved. And even when we see negative comments online, I view them as opportunities to bring more people into the conversation and find more solutions.”
For Smith, Ascend West Virginia has always been about more than relocation. It’s about rewriting the story of West Virginia.
“Ascend West Virginia isn’t just about attracting people,” Smith said. “It’s about creating a flywheel of positive impact. Participants come with full-time jobs, so they’re not taking opportunities from local workers, but their salaries are taxed locally, supporting schools, roads and infrastructure. They spend at small businesses, volunteer and engage in the community. Over time, this initial wave of talent attracts even more people, and eventually companies follow the talent, bringing long-term economic growth to the state. This is a living, evolving initiative. And every new community, like Charleston, helps the entire state rise.”
As Charleston joins Morgantown, Elkins, Greenbrier Valley, the New River Gorge and the Eastern Panhandle as an official Ascend community, excitement continues to build across the capital city. New faces will soon fill local coffee shops, hiking trails and neighborhood gatherings with remote workers who have chosen West Virginia for both its beauty and its sense of belonging. With the arrival of Ascend West Virginia, Charleston is welcoming new neighbors, new ideas and new relationships that will strengthen the Mountain State for generations to come.