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A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD

ci.cumberland.md.us

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Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD

#21

Post by samstave »

dccoolgai wrote: post #6
j_m_b wrote: post #4

I just got back from a visit with family in Cumberland. It's the epitome of rust belt. What used to be a thriving manufacturing area has become an abandoned service-sector economy with low-wage jobs. Property values are dirt cheap, even for nice houses. There isn't much nearby, you have to travel hours from Pittsburgh to even get there by plane. Tales of theft of items like power tools from relatively remote farms ar…

When the railroad was the internet, it was really the Silicon Valley of its day. Really makes you think.

Maybe youre not familiar with Qwest Communications?

Man does SV have stories to tell that will be lost to us old BOFH ilk:

Qwest communications came about when the railroad realized they had rights to the easement lanes on either side of ALL their train tracks, that allowed them to basically do anything they wanted with that strip of land.

So Qwest Communications was born to run fiber along all the tracks and built a huge fiber infra.

There was a huge scandal with the telecom giants, and Qwest's CEO was convicted:

---

Dossier: Qwest Communications

Creation and Early Years

- Qwest Communications was formed in 1996 as a spin-off from the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. The railroad company had been granted easement rights to lay fiber-optic cables along their tracks, which Qwest leveraged to build a massive fiber-optic network.

Fiber-Optic Network Expansion

- Qwest used the easement rights to lay fiber-optic cables along the railroad tracks, expanding their network across the western United States. This strategic move allowed Qwest to:

- Reduce costs: By utilizing existing railroad easements, Qwest avoided the need to purchase or lease land for their fiber-optic cables.

- Increase efficiency: The railroad tracks provided a direct route for fiber-optic cables, reducing the need for detours and minimizing signal degradation.

Scandal and Conviction of CEO Joseph Nacchio

- In 2005, Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio was convicted of insider trading and sentenced to six years in prison. The scandal involved Nacchio selling millions of dollars' worth of Qwest stock while aware of the company's financial struggles.

Scale of Fiber Plant

- Qwest built an extensive fiber-optic network, spanning over 190,000 miles across the United States. This massive infrastructure enabled Qwest to offer high-speed data and voice services to customers.

Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD

#22

Post by radpanda »

As a native Marylander I always find myself forgetting about Cumberland, which is a shame. As someone who has mostly lived in and around Baltimore, you head west to Frederick (aka Fredneck) for the small city in the middle of rural farmland. If you keep heading west you get to Hagerstown which feels way out there in farm country. And if you keep heading west you eventually move from farms to mountains and you hit Cumberland, which looks like a city that time forgot.

As other folks have commented, there’s some beautiful architecture and the old part of the city seems like it could be a bustling place. There’s a train station and easy access to the great outdoors. But the jobs have long gone and drug addiction has taken root for so many there. I don’t know the best way to revive a place like that but I hope something eventually works.

Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD

#23

Post by op00to »

xeromal wrote: post #14
rjsw wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How good is internet access there?

With Starlink, this question is getting less important. Loads of my family in N. Georgia have started using it and it's crazy how much better it is than the local competition

Starlink still sucks for remote work. Every time the satellites switch there is a slight disconnection, causing interruption to Zoom meetings.

Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD

#24

Post by ta988 »

ckcheng wrote: post #9

From the linked page: > The package, offering up to $20,000 is comprised of $10,000 in relocation cash, PLUS up to $10,000, dollar for dollar match, for approved renovations on an existing home, OR for a down payment on a newly constructed home within City limits. Not “A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD” as the submission title says currently , which sounded like a basic income.

Exactly. And they are going to reassess your property because you did renovations and get more than the $20k they gave you over time. Not even talking about the local taxes if you get a job there.

Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD

#26

Post by e1g »

j_m_b wrote: post #8
khuey wrote: post #3

One of the program requirements is that you buy a house there and live in it for five years.

That actually explains a lot. They are trying to expand their tax base. The improvements stipend will allow them to assess the property at a higher value!

"Reduced local taxes by $2k/yr for five years" doesn't have the same ring.

Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD

#28

Post by klingoff »

delichon wrote: post #17
anticorporate wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is pretty important. I suspect the people who are motivated by $2k a year to move there are not the people who are going to be bringing a large influx of capital to a place that very much needs it. Although actually, it looks like there are two separate programs, which you can be eligible for both of: The relocation credit, and the restoration or down payment credit, which is more of a match, so the actual amoun…

> I suspect the people who are motivated by $2k a year to move there are not the people who are going to be bringing a large influx of capital to a place that very much needs it. You are correct, they are the people who will be available to be employed by those considering bringing a large influx of capital and taxable revenue. They're the bait.

Offering $10-20k to move somewhere that doesn't have jobs isn't going to build a labor market. Retirees and remote workers can decide to live in a labor nowhere to stretch their house buying power, lower cost of living, etc.

Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD

#29

Post by Nifty3929 »

Sounds like a gift to current residents who want to leave: "...receive $10,000.00 (“Program Incentive”) payable at closing of a home or upon proof closing has occurred... " Meaning that it will help prop up prices for those selling.

AND/OR a gift for their local construction workers: "... receive up to $10,000, dollar for dollar match, for approved renovations ... on an existing home ... or for a down payment on a newly constructed home ..."

Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD

#30

Post by Almondsetat »

Mining towns are one of the examples of human hubris and stupidity I can't get my head around. If you build something in a shitty place just because there is a single resource you can sell, and everything else you have to import, then what do you expect will happen when said resource dries up? These places were meant for people to go temporarily, make serious money, and then go back to the city or countryside to build a life there, just like people who go to oil rigs do. Instead people brought their families and created an entire town or city in the middle of nowhere.

Now, the past is past and what's done is done. Can't we just acknowledge this basic reality and let these places die and move to better ones? Maybe thanks to the internet one day they will be repopulated by small tech companies operating from a single building with 100 computers and a fiber network, but until then why bullshit ourselves?

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