As people age, they are less likely to relocate. Historically, people age 20 to 29 move the most. Those are very low-mobility years. They're more likely to move to rural, scenic areas rich in amenities. Already, parts of North Carolina and sections of the Ozarks in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas are established retirement destinations.
Demographers say retirees are becoming more significant in the shaping of population patterns.
The nation's population is getting older, and people are being forced to retire earlier because of corporate downsizing. Vacation areas may lure more year-round residents. Rural areas will become less rural. There's been both an improved employment situation . . . Hundreds of counties across Appalachia, Iowa, Texas and the Mountain States have been losing people for years and are showing modest signs of recovery.