It was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and Laura Landers was Googling “good places to live” from her desk in Los Angeles. As she scrolled, she could hear her neighbors arguing through the “paper thin” apartment wall, a sound that had become grating during all the extra time at home. Her mental health had been steadily declining, and she knew it was time to make a big change. 

That’s when Landers stumbled across Tulsa Remote, a relocation program that offered potential transplants $10,000 to move to the Oklahoma city. She had never been to Tulsa, didn’t know anyone who lived there and mostly thought of the town as a retirement community. But she applied, figuring that at the very least, she could realize her dream of buying a home.

Meanwhile, she and her husband visited Salt Lake City but felt like the town lacked culture and diversity. They are originally from Dallas but had no desire to move back.

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Then, Landers’ application was approved, and the couple decided to fly to Tulsa before accepting. While there, Landers struck up a conversation with a woman at a coffee shop. She described Tulsa as “a small Austin.” 

“We try and keep things weird, funky and creative, and you’ll see that when you’re here,” the woman told her. That sold her. 

Members of Tulsa Remote at a happy hour.

They moved in December 2021 and bought a home almost immediately. In North Hollywood, the couple had rented a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment for $1,900 per month. They looked at about 10 houses in Tulsa before settling on an 1,800-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a big backyard. It cost $171,000. “I feel like an adult,” Landers said, with a laugh. 

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“I wanted to invest in my financial future, and I feel like I couldn't do that in LA,” she continued. 

Landers kept her remote job in the move (having remote work is a requirement of the program) but found she finally had the confidence to launch a clothing line once she relocated. It was something she had dreamed about since childhood but never felt bold enough to do in LA, even as a professional fashion stylist. Then, her musician husband got a touring gig and began traveling 20 days a month, leaving her feeling alone — and with time to fill. That led her to her next venture, a nonprofit called Side Stage Tour, which supports the mental health of touring musicians and their partners. 

A view of Guthrie Green with downtown Tulsa in the background.

Landers said she loved California, but in Tulsa, you can find “the quality of life you didn’t know you needed.” She loves the lack of traffic. She even loves the different seasons. But most importantly, she said she’s felt embraced by the creative, entrepreneurial community that has been a driving force behind her ventures: “It keeps you wanting to better yourself. It’s a big city with a small-town feel.”

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Tulsa Remote has attracted more than 3,600 members since its launch in 2018, with around 15% of those transplants coming from California. It’s the second-most popular feeder state for the program, second only to Texas; 90% of the members who left California came from a major metropolitan area like Los Angeles, San Francisco or San Diego.  

The program is selective. It’s had more than 60,000 applications since its inception, including almost 8,000 from California. Applicants must have a full-time remote job, complete a........

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