The purpose of this paper is to review recent trends in the rural and/or nonmetropolitan population and to indicate some of the linkages and implications for national population policy. The vast rural to urban migration of the last generation was necessary and rational, since most migrants believed they benefitted by moving. Although much of the…

Examines and explains unexpected population trends since 1970: substantial rural and small-town growth, regional shifts to the South and West, lower birth rates, increased life expectancy, smaller household size, and population growth from immigration. Illustrates how demographic events offer classic examples of the difficulty of predicting human…