Over 500 Californians now call Oklahoma home thanks to the wildly successful Tulsa Remote program, according to a new report from the Los Angeles Times.
For Californians reeling under housing prices and rent anxiety, the math was simple: move inland, gain a yard, keep your remote job. And it’s working — over 7,800 applications poured in from the Golden State alone, with 539 successfully making the move. Nationwide, over 3,500 people have been accepted into the program.
The relocation program offers participants $10,000 to move to Oklahoma’s second largest city and continues to be one of the model programs of its kind.
“Compared to larger or coastal cities, Tulsa’s slower pace offers a high quality of life with a low cost of living, and members say this affords them the opportunity to explore their passions outside of work, volunteer in the community, explore the outdoors, and spend more time with family,” Justin Harlan, managing director of Tulsa Remote, told Live in Oklahoma in a recent interview.
Supported by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the program is less about money and more about personal reinvention. You don’t just get a stipend. You get a co-working network, an instant community, and the kind of cultural access most mid-sized cities can only dream about. Throw in a cost of living that makes L.A. look like satire, and the ROI is undeniable.
The ripple effects stretch far beyond balance sheets. Tulsa has carved out a new identity, with world-class public spaces like Gathering Place, a restaurant scene gaining national buzz, and a startup ecosystem humming with energy. On top of that, program participants have generated more than $622 million in direct employment income for the city of Tulsa as of December 2024.
For people fleeing coastal chaos, Tulsa Remote has proved Oklahoma is not just about affordability — thought it definitely provides its fair share. It’s about dignity, lifestyle, and the kind of momentum that’s become increasingly rare elsewhere.
