Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Net migration between the Northeast and the South was reversed. The reverse
migration of blacks was most remarkable. The fact is that migration flows always
follow employment opportunities. Such opportunities are generally located in
metropolitan areas where a service economy has emerged, driven by a technology,
tourism, or financial “growth pole”. Cities compete with each other to attract
investment and, inevitably, some are more successful than others. In geography, the
idea of “amenities” wins growing success in this context of post-industrial
development.
Indeed, tourism development provides a comparative advantage to coastal areas
blessed with sun, as in Florida, where nearly 1,000 new residents arrive every day.
But tourist amenities may also be found in places like Colorado, where winter and
mountain sports thrive (for example, in Aspen). Rural areas least affected by
intensive agriculture also offer amenities and renew the traditional pioneering
themes of the Far West. Such amenities are also found in northern New England.
The question of amenities is particularly relevant to understanding the specific
mobility of retirees. The migration of wealthy retirees to Florida began with rail
access to coastal southeast Florida in the 1890s. However, it was not until the
general prosperity of the 1950s that this type of migration became easily accessible.
Older people who move generally do not do so because of economic growth, but in
search of a better quality of life.
Such migrations first benefit those regions which enjoy milder winters and
permanent migrations are supplemented by seasonal migrations made by Snowbirds
as they migrate to what might be called the “Frost-free Belt” instead of the
“Sunbelt” (see Chapter 1). Considering the prospective aging of the population by
2030, the flows of senior migrations should be studied with particular attention.
What are the dynamics of recent migration? In the 1980s, the Census Bureau
developed a new methodology for understanding internal mobility. Long-form
census questionnaires completed for each decennial census enabled the evaluation of
migration patterns over the preceding five years. Using these questionnaires,
statisticians were able to a create reliable migration tables by origin and destination
broken by countries. The latest available migration table is therefore for the period
1995-2000. Light sampling midway between two decennial censuses is reinforced
by questions relating to residence prior to the last census. The resulting estimates of
net migration for 2000-05, although less reliable due to smaller sample sizes, can
nonetheless be evaluated at the county level through data smoothing, which in turn
can be aggregated for metropolitan and state units.
