Thea Chambers never outgrew her love for Columbus, Georgia. The Peach State’s second largest city is where she and her sister were raised, where she found her voice singing the National Anthem at RedStixx games, and where the scent of Dinglewood Pharmacy’s famous hot dog chili still stirs up nostalgia.
Those memories are partly what pulled Chambers back to this scenic gem on the Chattahoochee River nearly two decades after she’d left. Her career had taken her up and down the East Coast, eventually landing her in Virginia Beach. But the tug of home—a city transformed by the presence of Fortune 500 powerhouse Aflac and a revitalized downtown—felt stronger than ever. Then serendipity stepped in.
“I was sitting in my nail salon watching the news when a segment about MakeMyMove came on,” Chambers recalls. Curious, she looked it up and learned about the platform that partners with towns and cities to offer relocation incentives such as moving stipends and membership to community organizations like tennis clubs. And wouldn’t you know it, out of all the cities listed, there was Columbus, Georgia—recently named one of the most welcoming cities in the U.S.
Chambers wasted no time applying. But she soon learned she wasn’t the only one yearning for a fresh start in the city known for the world’s longest urban whitewater course and a thriving arts scene. So many applications had poured in—more than 10,000, in fact—that Chambers landed on the waitlist for the program, called Columbus Remote.
Another former local, however, earned a spot in the inaugural Columbus Remote cohort.
“My wife and I were both born and raised in Columbus,” says Will Bishop, whose career as a software developer carried him to Nashville, then to Atlanta, where the couple hoped to put down roots. But the housing market had other plans. “It was truly the most disheartening experience ever,” Bishop says of trying to buy a house. “We couldn’t afford a home worth buying, and the ones we could were so far outside the city that it felt like—what’s the point of living in Atlanta at all?”
Just as they decided to cast their real estate net back in their home city, multiple friends texted to tell them about the Columbus Remote program. Bishop applied immediately and got it. “There’s so much to love about Columbus,” he says. “It’s a charming city with real historic character. Downtown, you’ve got the riverwalk—it’s just beautiful.” He and his wife also found what felt impossible elsewhere: a home they loved and a fresh batch of friends they see more often than Bishop says he ever hung out with buddies before.
As for Chambers, she made Columbus Remote’s second-year cut and has fallen hard for her hometown all over again. She bought a midcentury ranch and spends her weekends rediscovering the city—rafting the Chattahoochee, cheering on the Columbus Clingstones, the Braves AA-affiliate, and strolling with her mom through the charming downtown, where developments like Riverfront Place, Highside Market, MidCity Yards, and the Rialto Theater have infused new energy.
What both Chambers and Bishop have come to realize is something longtime locals understand well: Columbus’s strength lies in how effortlessly it blends affordability with an enviable way of life. “You can buy a home you never dreamed you’d afford—within walking distance of a great coffee shop and a beautiful park—and you won’t miss a thing,” Bishop says.
To learn more about Columbus, visit amazingcolumbusga.com.
