To keep from becoming deserted, a village in Italy will pay anyone to stay there

News24xx.com - In order to keep itself from becoming deserted, a village in the north of Italy is offering to pay €2,000 (US$2,183) to anyone willing to move there.

As young people leave the mountain village of Bormida for larger, nearby cities like Savona, the village of 394 is making attempts to keep the community from disappearing.

Thanks to a low-rent incentive program, those who move to Bormida can rent a property for as little as €50 per month, while larger houses can be rented for €120.

Mayor Daniele Galliano told local media, ”We couldn't rent them at market value, so we chose a symbolic number and the requests abounded: the important thing was to repopulate the village.”

Galliano announced that on top of the low rent, there will also be a €2,000 incentive for those who move into the village. The mayor continued, saying he decided to "take action” to combat the dropping population of the tiny village.

While the village has lost nearly 60 people, this program has helped Bormida’s population grow from 390 to 394 people since its start in 2014. 

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