Population redistribution and the restructuring of rural settlement : a western Virginia case study

Rural areas in the United States have experienced significant changes in recent decades. The focus of this study is the changing geographical character of a three- county area in the Appalachian Ridge and Valley of western Virginia that has experienced population redistribution and settlement changes. Of particular interest is role that local (life-long) residents play in the redistribution of population and changing settlement patterns for rural areas.

The principal changes for the study area took place after 1950 as the economy shifted from small-scale general farming to employment opportunities in manufacturing and the service sector. Until the 1950s, the structure of rural settlement for the study area remained essentially un- changed. By the 1950s, rural-to-urban population movements within the study area counties depopulated rural areas and brought about general rural decline. Between 1960-1980, the trend reversed itself whereby small towns and the rural countryside were the principal beneficiaries of renewed population (and household) growth. These gains were manifested in significant additions to the housing inventory and concomitant settlement reorganization. The trend was one whereby the new settlement was concentrated near small towns, the interstate transportation corridor, and at higher densities in the countryside in the form of subdivisions, and road frontage lot arrangements.

A survey among a sample population that built conventional houses or placed mobile homes during the 1970s and 1980s was used to assess attitudes and perceptions concerning the residential location decision. The principal findings of the survey were that land availability, living in the country, a sense of belonging to a community, and a high-value placed on living near relatives were the most important considerations when deciding where to build a house or place a mobile home.

This study concludes that in a relatively short period of time the geographical character of the study area was changed by local residents through settlement reorgan- ization, and that, in all likelihood, this episode represents a once in a lifetime change for the area.