Divorce as an Influence in Return Migration to Rural Areas

This qualitative study focuses on individuals who moved back to rural US communities in relatively isolated areas with modest levels of natural amenities. Open-ended interviews at high school reunions revealed that a subset of return migration was driven by marital separation and divorce. This research sets out to explore why after divorce people return to rural areas, despite what are often limited economic opportunities. Findings suggest that both people and place shape return migration decisions after divorce: an individual's functional and emotional support networks, provided by people, work with the physical and affective attributes offered by place. Return migration to rural areas after divorce can be seen as a strategy to adapt to post-divorce changes and to cope with the trauma and vulnerabilities that can accompany divorce. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.