Determinants of in-migration in metropolitan Appalachia

The central concern of the present study is to determine the extent to which economic and subregional structure of the Appalchian Region affects the rate of in-migration. Previous work has centered on the massive out-migration from the Region during the forties and fifties, the economic destitution of the mountain dwellers, and the success of the stem-family structure in maintaining lines of communication between the mountain base and the urban branches. However, Appalachia is a heterogeneous and changing Region. Recently, the Appalachian Regional Commission (1977) has documented a net positive rate of in-migration to two of the Subregions, while at the same time noting the further economic development of the Region. Research by Lowry (1966) and Todaro (1976) offer the most useful economic explanations for migration for the Appalachian situation. A regression analysis was applied to Census data gathered on thirty-eight urbanized areas situated in or adjacent to the Appalchian Region. It was found that in-migration to these urbanized areas is dependent upon the availability of economic opportunity as well as subregionalization of the area. In-migration was determined in large part upon the fluctuation of employment opportunities in the form of either unemployment rates or the percent of persons employed in tertiary occupations. Adjusted income was only of secondary importance. When controlling for all other variables, location of an urbanized area in the Northern Subregion resulted in a substantial reduction in the rate of in-migration.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Sociology

Department dc:contributor.department

Sociology

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Year dc:date.issued

1979

Author dc:creator

• Pippert, John Marvin

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10919/70466

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/70466