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In this paper, we examine the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of migration streams between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas for four different wears over the period 1975-1993. During this period, there have been three shifts in the direction of net metro-nonmetro migration. Through nonmetro net in-migration, the " nonmetropolitan turnaround" of the 1970s revered historical patterns of nonmetro loss of human resources, with gains and increased retention of the young and better-educated. The 1980s, however, again saw nei-migration loss, including large shifts from gain one of nonmetro net-migration gain or reduced loss, with the greatest increases among those higher status groups which experienced the greatest declines during the 1980s. The latest patterns is due largely to increased population retention, whereas previous research has shown the migration turnaround of the 1970s was due about equally to increasing retention and in-migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The twin processes of population concentration and deconcentration, working at the regional, metropolitan-nonmetropolitan and local levels, have defined the redistribution of the American people in the twentieth century. Over most of this period, there was a massive concentration of population into cities, with a multiplication of places as urbanization spread and larger centers captured ever greater numbers. Although growth generally was at the periphery of such places, with the widespread use of the automobile there was in addition a spread of population into formerly rural nearby areas. The recognition of this led to the adoption of the metropolitan area concept in 1950, and on this basis one may generalize that at least until 1970 the twentieth century settlement process could be described as concentration into metropolitan areas and deconcentration within these areas. The analysis of population redistribution by size of place within nonmetropolitan areas has shown that since the 1950s patterns of growth have supported a more deconcentrated settlement pattern.