Amenities Increasingly Draw People to the Rural West

Recent migrants to the rural West increasingly cite both physical and social environment amenities as reasons why they moved. Jobrelated reasons are cited by only about 30 percent of the respondents in two surveys. People want to see greater environmental stewardship of the Federal lands surrounding their communities, and these sentiments do not vary greatly by rural/urban location, length of residency, occupation, or other demographic characteristics. The survey results suggest a need to incorporate noneconomic factors more directly into regional development theories and their applications.