Angie Ostaszewski is an American Tiktoker who promotes relocating to Peoria, Illinois.[1]
Angie Ostaszewski | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1990 or 1991 (age 33–34) |
Ostaszewski grew up in the Bloomington-Normal area.[2]
Ostaszewski is an energy efficiency consultant for Ameren Illinois.[1][3] She moved to Peoria from Chicago around 2013.[1][4] She was surprised when in 2017 at the age of 27 she was able to purchase a home for $33,000 and began encouraging family members to relocate.[1][5][6]
In 2020 she started a TikTok to encourage others to consider moving to Peoria and according to The New York Times approximately 300 people had relocated after seeing her posts.[1] A typical post highlights an individual home on the market or provides information about inclusive local events.[5][7][8] The Times wrote, "What’s novel about Ms. Ostaszewski’s posts is not that she’s highlighting a midsize, Midwestern city as an affordable place to live, but also as a place where a diverse, inclusive community can be formed."[1]
Local reaction has been mixed. Some business owners note a marked increase in sales. Some residents express concern about the influx of diverse community members changing the local culture;[1] others have expressed concerns about gentrification.[5] Some note the positive effect in the form of demand for housing in a city which has experienced loss of residents.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Kodé, Anna (2023-03-29). "How a TikToker Brought Hundreds of Transplants to a Midwestern City". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
- ^ "Peoria is the place to be". PBS. 17 December 2021.
- ^ Lynn, Greg (2021-10-28). "Angie Ostaszewski". Peoria Magazine. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
- ^ Alani, Hannah. "I'm a former Chicago resident that's happy to be living and playing in Peoria". Peoria Journal Star. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
- ^ a b c Weekman, Kelsey (3 June 2022). "We Should All Move To Peoria, Illinois, According To TikTok". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
- ^ Oler, Bobby (2021-08-06). ""What, that's not possible," TikTok account attracting people to Central Illinois city". NewsNation. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
- ^ "TikTok Host Helping Move People To Peoria". Illinois Public Media. 2021-06-21. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
- ^ Bohlman, Janie (2021-08-02). "Peoria woman promotes the city to thousands across social media, some even moving here after seeing her videos". WMBD-TV. Retrieved 2023-04-04.