The Association Between Natural Amenities, Rural Population Growth, and Long-Term Residents' Economic Weil-Being*

Abstract

Population growth in rural areas characterized by high levels of natural amenities has recently received substantial research attention. A noted concern with amenity-driven rural population growth is its potential to raise local costs-of-living while yielding only low-wage service sector employment for long-term residents. The work presented here empirically models long-term rural residents' economic well-being, making use of longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. In general, the results suggest that long-term rural families residing in high-growth amenity and recreation areas tend to have higher annual incomes than do their counterparts in non-growth amenity/recreation areas, regardless of the sex, race, or age of the family head. However, higher costs-of-living in these areas supplant any relative gains in income. As such, these analyses provide empirical evidence of patterns inferred by earlier anecdotal evidence and case studies.

Interpreting amenities, envisioning the future: common ground and conflict in North Carolina’s rural coastal communities

“…Henderson and McDaniel (1998) found that employment and incomes were higher and grew faster in scenic versus non-scenic rural counties, suggesting that amenity migration might contribute to gross economic growth. Hunter et al (2005) also found that longterm residents of high-growth rural amenity areas had higher incomes than their counterparts in loweramenity areas. However, they found that these income increases were largely due to proliferating low-wage service sector employment and that income increases were negated by higher costs of living (Hunter et al 2005;Saint Onge et al 2007).…”

Amenity migration: diverse conceptualizations of drivers, socioeconomic dimensions, and emerging challenges

“…These same migrants can also increase local economic activity through demand for services such as land management, food service, and other more ''urban'' demands. A significant number of scholarly articles have focused on the ways in which natural amenities, especially public lands and other protected areas, stimulate economic growth by attracting individuals, small businesses, and retirees with nonearnings income, contributing to a variety of multiplier effects (Johnson and Rasker 1995;Power 1996;Nelson 1999Nelson , 2005Vias 1999;Booth 1999;Shumway and Otterstrom 2001;Lorah and Southwick 2003;Serow 2003;Hunter et al 2005;McKean et al 2005;Rasker 2006).…”

Science synthesis to support socioecological resilience in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range

“…Although some services jobs pay well (Holmes and Hecox 2004), many jobs associated with recreation and tourism are seasonal and low wage (McKean et al 2005). Even if people living in high-growth amenity and recreation counties have higher incomes, these may be offset by higher costs of living (English et al 2000, Hunter et al 2005) (see chapter 9.1 for a discussion of housing costs compared to incomes). Nevertheless, recreation and tourism are an important component of many rural economies in the Sierra Nevada .…”