Tulsa Remote helps the city. But the people it brings?

The program promises opportunity but delivers something else entirely: a trap built from cheap loans and high insurance

- PRESTON RAY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

TULSA REMOTE HAS become a national success story: the poster child for a new American experiment, luring remote workers from coastal hubs with cash and charm.

The program offers remote workers $10,000 to relocate, with the intention of bringing in new talent, new incomes and glowing headlines. This summer the Los Angeles Times glowingly reported that the program returned more than $4 to Tulsa's economy for every $1 spent, citing retention, improved affordability and community building for movers from high cost of living states like California.

It's packaged and promoted to attract an influx of high-income remote workers and revitalize a city dismissed as a flyover. The pitch is compelling at first: so much space, so much culture, so much life.

Beneath the slogans lies a different reality that residents like me live with every day one that anyone considering the move should know about before they sign. The idea that Tulsa Remote is a win for all parties is misleading. I came for the promise they sell, but I stayed long enough to realize the fine print.

On paper, I'm in an advantageous position. I bought a house in July 2021, during the nationwide price surge, but well before the peak. I've since built positive equity thanks in part to a comfortable mortgage rate at 3.75%. So, what's my problem?