Now in its third and final grant-funded year, the Wilds Are Working: Remote Lifestyle Experience, has brought remote workers from near and far to the region to experience truly rural living. Hosted in Bellefonte, Kane, Emporium/Cameron County, Warren, and now Williamsport and Saint Marys, the program seeks to tackle challenges associated with the outmigration of residents from the region.
The Wilds Are Working campaign seeks to raise awareness about the PA Wilds being a great place for remote and non-remote workers to live, work, and play. An initiative of the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship (PA Wilds Center), the experience has been offered in collaboration with several partners and funded by Ben Franklin Technology Partners through the Appalachian Regional Commission.
Community lead organizations in Williamsport and Saint Marys chose participants for the summer 2024 iteration of the program based on an online application process. The community leads choose participants who fit the town and who are genuinely interested in potential relocation to the region. They carefully read through applications and interview potential participants, with an eye for those who value and appreciate the rural communities that call the Wilds home.
Williamsport welcomed three program participants for the month of July for an all-expenses paid experience to try out exactly what “living like a local” in that city meant. Now that their visit has ended, here’s what they had to say:
For Gabe Mollica, trying out rural living after living in New York City, the mental health perks living in the Wilds offered couldn’t be beat.
“I walked 10,000 steps a day, met with 10’s of clients, wrote a ton, and did so in a lovely environment,” he said. “I recommend this type of experience to all of my creative friends in New York because it’s exactly what creative folks should be doing. We live in a global society nowadays, and there’s no longer a need to ~only~ live in New York City. Spending a significant amount of time in the Wilds was good for my work, my mental health, and my general well-being.”
Experiencing Williamsport’s small businesses was a definite highlight for him.
“Alabaster’s menu I would put toe-to-toe with any New York City coffee shop — wonderful coffee, comfortable, and fresh,” he said. “Don Waltman’s so such a lovely shopping and eating experience. Their sauces, dips, and high-end non-perishables will be gifts for lots of friends and family.”
“Finally, The Mulberry Moose was such an incredible toy shopping experience. I’m so looking forward to giving my young cousins their gifts from the store.”
Overall, Williamsport offered him “everything I could possibly have wanted in terms of high-end amenities.”
Traveling from as far as the United Kingdom to experience what PA Wilds-living really had to offer, Botting said that her family – including herself, her husband, and toddler — are definitely considering relocating to Williamsport after their stay.
“The people of Williamsport have blown us away and I would feel privileged to be a part of this community,” Botting said.
When asked what her favorite experience during her stay was, she said “the list is so long, I don’t know where to start.” She cited baseball, the homes, the people, the “artsy businesses” to name a few.
“I am so impressed with everything. In particular, I’ve loved the outdoors — hiking and kayaking have been such amazing experiences, and I’ve felt a real sense of peace in nature,” she said. “But probably trumping that is the amazing selection of restaurants here – the breweries and U.S. food have been fantastic.”
Alicia Barnes has lived in Pittsburgh most of her adult life, and said that she “applied to the Wilds are Working program to explore what it would be like to live in a smaller town.”
“I was really looking forward to immersing myself in a new community, hiking and biking in the plentiful parks nearby, and getting some inspiration for a writing project I’ve been wanting to kickstart for a while.”
Barnes is planning visits to other towns across the Pennsylvania Wilds to continue to get a feel for which community might be right for her to relocate to.
“I am leaving Williamsport feeling really inspired by what’s happening there and in the larger PA Wilds region and would definitely consider a move,” she said.
Williamsport offered no shortage of activities for Barnes during her stay.
“I loved the walkability and eclectic variety of small businesses downtown—I made an espresso tonic at Alabaster part of my morning routine, took a candle-making class and stocked up on gifts at Miles Welby, and bought a thrifted fit at Honeyella,” she said. “New Trail became a favorite spot to bring my dog and meet up with new friends, and I think one of the best things I’ve eaten in months was a plain turkey sub from Casale’s.
“I also loved the proximity to lots of water—I enjoyed taking strolls, kayaking, and riding the Hiawatha Riverboat along the Susquehanna and driving out to Rock Run swimming hole.
“I stayed in the Pajama Factory and it was a great hub for some of the more indie artists and businesses in the area—from taking a UV resin class at Make Studios to sampling some of the pop-up restaurants to just strolling through the halls and admiring the art, I left feeling very inspired.”
The Wilds Are Working: Remote Lifestyle Experience continues in August as a new set of applicants arrives in Saint Marys, in the heart of the PA Wilds Elk Country landscape.
Learn more about the program, selection criteria, and more at WildsAreWorking.com.
Author: Ellen Matis
Ellen Matis is the owner of social media agency Hello Social Co., based in Bellefonte, Pa. When she's not in the office, you can usually find her hiking and camping in one of Pennsylvania's state parks or trying a new craft brew.