Angie Ostaszewski

Angie Ostaszewski is an American Tiktoker who promotes relocating to Peoria, Illinois.[1]

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]