Sounds too good to be true, right? Often in this world we'll run into offers making outrageous claims and promises, so when you hear somebody mention that there is actually a place that will pay you to live there, it sounds unbelievable. But in this case, it's actually true.

Now, you're probably thinking what kind of Godforsaken spot on the map would need to do this? Must be some derelict location filled with violent criminals, that has to do this in order to rope decent people into moving there. Taxes are likely as sky-high as the crime rate and the place must be run under some kind of oppressive dictatorship. Maybe it's from one of those offers where a small town in Nebraska has a dying school district and a shrinking tax base, desperate for newcomers. Recently, there were news reports about an Italian town with low cost homes available for purchase. Well I can tell you that it is none of those places at all, in fact, it's right here in the good ol' USA.

This is the place

Now before you start packing up and planning a move, there are some things you need to know first. One of them would be where in the hell would I be going in order for this unusual offer? The answer: The US state of Alaska. That's right "The Last Frontier" is a few miles away from the border with Russia and has a portion of this frozen land above the arctic circle. What, you didn't think this would be sunny Florida, did you? No my friend, you're going to have to trek to the top of the world for this one.

Ok, got it. Now where does the money come from?

Back in the 70's the Alaska Oil Pipeline was built, which resulted in a financial windfall for the sparsely populated former territory. The government decided to share the income with everyone who was a resident of the state. So they created the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend. In the Fall of each year, citizens or resident aliens or those with refugee or asylee status who have been a resident for a full calendar year prior to the current one, qualifies for a check to be sent to them.

The amount varies depending on the percentage of profit generated by oil exports, the price of oil and the number of eligible residents. The number has ranged from a low of $331.29 in 1984, to the highest ever payout of $2.072.00 in 2015. The first check went out in 1982 in the amount of $1000.

Here's where you can stay on top of the latest eligibility requirements.

Just how BIG is Alaska?

You should know that despite being a very beautiful state, Alaska is cut off from mainland America. With a population in 2019 of just 731,000. Not much is grown there, so almost everything has to be imported from the "lower 48." This results in higher prices for almost everything compared to say, Philadelphia or Seattle.

So, expect to burn though that windfall pretty quickly. In other words, you don't want to move up there just for the fund, because you won't be living on that for a year! Now given the current crisis, I doubt there will be a rush to travel just about anywhere, given all of the lockdowns and quarantines, but one day God willing, we'll be past this and looking to see the world again.

At that moment, your plans just might draw you to the land of the midnight Sun and a burning desire to go globetrotting in the snow. With your newfound bounty, you can pickup some LEO and HIVE tokens. If you do make the trip, be sure and tell them I sent you. And don't forget to take sunscreen! :)