Factors affecting urban-to-rural migration ( USA).

Rural areas and small towns remote from large urban areas grew faster than the metropolitan areas of the USA between 1970 and 1980. This may represent an extension of the familiar metropolitan expansion into exurban counties or, alternatively, a new trend away from metropolitan areas. Little work has been done on the household characteristics of the people involved in these moves, and the paper investigates empirically the factors affecting this emergent phenomenon to provide additional insight into the general direction of this movement. After discussion of the data and methods, socio-demographic factors are examined. Reasons are offered for the trends identified, including the surprising emphasis on the movement of the young to rural areas. Environmental factors are considered next. People seem to be leaving high density neighbourhoods for rural areas, perhaps in quest of a quieter life-style. Suggestions for future research are made.-D.G.Price