A town in New Zealand called Kaitangata is so under-populated that it reportedly offers $160,000 to anyone interested in settling down and living there for good – but before you pack up your bags and leave for Kaitangata pronto, remember that there are a lot of things on the internet that are too good to be true and, sadly, the Kaitangata hype is one of them.
In reality, although Kaitangata really does need people to come and stay there since they have over 1,000 jobs to offer – and all but 2 (not 2% but 2 people!) of its 800 adult residents are not currently employed – they are not offering $160,000 for anyone to live there.
Still, Kaitangata Promotions offers a house and lot package just amounting to $230,000, enticing would-be residents of the town’s natural beauty, almost non-existent crime rate, and mostly friendly atmosphere.
Considering that the median in house and lot packages in the cities can go as high as $765,000, Kaitangata’s $230,000 is already a good bargain. But while that is a reality, the $160,000 is not – and the false news was believed to have been created by a blog.![By Andrewrutherford (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons](https://rachfeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Clutha_from_Kaitangata.jpg)
Because of the supposed bonus, thousands of people have expressed interest in moving to Kaitangata. A lot of have called the mayor – as was indicated in the blog post – to claim the money so they can move to the town. This forced the town officials to issue a statement to clarify the offer on Kaitangata Promotions.
The good news is that you can still go to this beautiful town and buy the ‘affordable’ house and lot package – and there are plenty of jobs across the town, anyway. The bad news is that there is no bonus as was indicated in the blog – but you’ll surely live comfortably once you get a job in town!
Where is Kaitangata?
Kaitangata is a town located close to the coast South Otago, New Zealand. In 1956, the town had a population of 1,286 but this declined and has fallen to 762 in 2013. Today, it is estimated that around 800 people live in the town.