The Rural Rebound

Abstract

This article focuses on the rural population trends of America. Over the past 30 years a turbulent pattern of demographic changes in metropolitan America has been underway. Population change depends on a variety of factors such as prior organizational and technological change environmental changes shifts in social attitudes and residential preferences. Bill Frey and Alden Speare presented three perspectives for understanding population changes in rural America including period effects regional restructuring deconcentration and preferences. In addition this article describes the diversity of rural America and impact of rural rebound through the experiences of some selected counties including Mercer and Sullivan Chaffee Wolfe Jewell Walworth and Grand Traverse. Rural rebound created an impact on the different aspects of the community including agriculture and farming recreation environmental quality labor and employment and housing. Development pressures in rural America prompted the local governments to initiate growth-management strategies. However the absence of comprehensive development strategy and implementation consensus would sometimes cause competition among taxing districts. For this reason issues less central to development but critical to the long-term stability of the community may be shortchanged. Even to date demographic data suggest that rural rebound has been slowing down. The greatest challenge rural communities are facing is the incorporation of new residents and employers at the same time preserving the rural character as possible.