This part about why many in the baby boom generation are moving to rural places is of particular interest to me because it suggests that many have never strayed that far--at least not culturally--from their rural roots:
Their early childhoods coincided with a massive wave of rural outmigration and suburbanization. Many of their parents had come of age in the countryside during the Depression and maintained rural connections while raising urban and suburban families. These hometown ties have had an enormous influence on the baby boomers’ subsequent migration decisions.
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This makes perfect sense to me. Our cultural history, as well as our language itself, tells us that the United States is a "country," or is "the" country. It inculcates us with the notion that we "belong to the land," as they sing in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! I wonder if we'll see less disdain of "flyover country" if this trend continues. Of course, I also wonder if the "boomers" will stay home. As a late boomer, I certainly maintain ties with my rural past, still consider myself a kid who grew up just outside a cornfield, but I don't think I'd feel comfortable going back unless I had at least a small cohort.
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