Examining the relationship between migration and land cover change in rural U.S.: Evidence from Ohio, United States, between 2008 and 2016.

Keywords: rural, migration, principal component analysis, clustering, land cover
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 56

Abstract

Rural migration is an integral component of land systems as it alters land management processes both at the origin of migration and at its destination in regions of Europe and North America. This article maps population dynamics moving in and out of rural areas in the state of Ohio, U.S.A, between 2008 and 2016 and examines spatiotemporal patterns of land cover. Among families changing residential location, one-third of all household moving events are migration from or to rural areas. A PCA ordination and cluster analysis of rural migration revealed qualitatively distinct patterns. Urban peripheries grew due to in-migration from metro suburban areas, while agricultural and forest-based areas reflect intra-rural and micropolitan migration. Forested communities have lost population to other rural areas, and rural poverty pockets have gained low-income families from both rural and metro urban areas. The spatially explicit understanding of rural migration patterns and associations with land use helps develop targeted land management strategies, as well as reveals under-represented dynamics in prior studies.