A program to bring remote workers to Pennsylvania is wrapping up. “The Wilds Are Working: A Lifestyle Experience for Remote Workers” started three years ago. It’s given remote workers the chance to try out living and working in Kane, Bellefonte, Emporium, Warren, Williamsport and, most recently, St. Marys.
Klein Aleardi was one of four remote workers who spent last month in St. Marys. She traveled from Los Angeles, but said she grew up near Philadelphia.
“I literally was on the phone with my parents like four days into this, and I was just like, ‘I'm very sorry that I ever told you guys that you live in the middle of nowhere,’" Aleardi said. "And not that St. Marys is in the middle of nowhere. There's plenty of stuff going on. It is not like you're not near anyone. But compared to where I grew up, it's very different.”
Aleardi said it was hard to get used to many businesses closing on Mondays. But she enjoyed the tight-knit feeling of the community and said she’s still in contact with people she met there.
Alexis Stipe, another participant, didn’t have the same culture shock. She grew up in what she calls “Amish Country: Lancaster County.” Stipe said she had worried about the internet speed in St. Marys.
“We actually had zero issues. All six kids could be on their tablets. We had a TV going and my work computer and everything worked fine," Stipe said.
Stipe said she didn’t have any major issues working remotely in St. Marys. But, she said the lack of public transportation could be a hurdle for some people.
Stipe said her family is now looking for homes in Tioga County and Elk County, which includes the City of St. Marys.
The program is run by the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship. Officials there say they’re unsure if the program will continue, since this was its final grant-funded year.
"As this specific three-year grant funding comes to an end, we will be taking some time to analyze the program’s impacts, our team’s capacity, and what a '2.0' version of the Wilds Are Working might look like," said Brittany Madera, the communications manager. "Nothing has been decided at this time, and we will certainly make an announcement if we decide to continue or adjust the program."
