Examining the reversal in out migration since 1970, this study of seven coal-producing, non-metropolitan counties in Eastern Kentucky explored employment related reasons for moving and compared socioeconomic characteristics of residents and migrants. Viewed as typical of major social and economic trends in central Appalachia, Kentucky was chosen…

Study objectives were to: compare in-migrants with non-migrants in order to ascertain the migrants' demographic and socioeconomic contributions to rural areas; analyze the patterns of this in-migration to determine the presence and extent of return migration; contrast returned migrants with in-migrants who had no prior residence in the rural area;…