Bonded to whom? Social interactions in a high-amenity rural setting

Abstract

Beginning with Kasarda and Janowitz, several dimensions of community attachment have been theorized. The local social bonds or the interpersonal dimension of community attachment is reflected in social interaction with family, friends and neighbors. A current trend within the United States is the influx of seasonal residents into high-amenity areas. Whether this influx affects the types of social bonds formed in such areas is an important and unanswered question. This study attempts to determine whether second homeowners in selected high-amenity areas in rural Utah are interacting socially within their seasonal communities, and whether those social interactions extend across residential categories. Results indicate seasonal residents who most frequently visit their secondary communities interact socially with their friends and neighbors at similar or higher levels to year-round residents. Also, a mixed neighborhood composition plays an important role in the social interactions that transcend residential categories.

A Multidimensional Exploration of the Foundations of Community Attachment among Seasonal and Year‐Round Residents

“…It is thus problematic to provide a concise overview of the research on community attachment (Theodori and Luloff ). In general, community attachment is most commonly conceptualized as sentiments toward one's community (Jennings and Krannich ; Matarrita‐Cascante et al. ).…”

“…Using a systemic model, they found that length of residence was the most important predictor of one's attachment. More recently, some scholars have begun examining elements of community attachment among communities that are experiencing change due to increased numbers of seasonal residents, who are often looking to escape their primary residences for a perceived higher quality of life (Jennings and Krannich ; Stedman ).…”

“…Using a systemic model, they found that length of residence was the most important predictor of one's attachment. More recently, some scholars have begun examining elements of community attachment among communities that are experiencing change due to increased numbers of seasonal residents, who are often looking to escape their primary residences for a perceived higher quality of life (Jennings and Krannich 2011;Stedman 2006). Kasarda and Janowitz's (1974) work on community was the precursor for well over three decades of academic inquiry into community attachment among sociologists (Brown 1993;Theodori 2001), including the more recent work on the effects of seasonal populations.…”

Culture Clash and Second Home Ownership in the U.S. Northern Forest

“…In second home communities, second home owners consume local natural and cultural resources in that they have higher rates of outdoor recreation than permanent residents (Stedman 2006b), and seek out rural culture (Halfacree ; Vepsalainen and Pitkanen ). Second home owners are generally more economically capable of such consumption, as evident in amenity‐rich counties of rural, southern Utah, where second home owners were more likely than permanent residents to have incomes over $100,000 and to have at least a bachelor's degree (Jennings and Krannich ). In contrast, at times of peak visitation, permanent residents are frequently engaged in service occupations associated with the local amenity economy (Saint Onge, Hunter, and Boardman ).…”

“…Jennings and Krannich () found that social interactions across seasonal‐permanent resident groups are somewhat segregated, with permanent residents interacting more frequently with one another than with second home owners, and with second home owners equally interacting with permanent and other seasonal residents. However, second home owners who spend more than 90 days per year in their second community have similar rates of social interactions among friends and neighbors to those of long‐standing permanent residents (Krannich et al.…”