The process of retirement migration to a rural Oklahoma community

Scope and method of study. This paper addresses various issues involved in the migration behaviors of retired people who have moved to a small rural lake community in northeastern Oklahoma. As Sofranko and Fliegel (1982) note migrating retirees "are attracted to rural areas for a variety of reasons. Lower costs of living, personal safety, the friendliness of rural people, recreational opportunities, and scenic beauty are among the attractions of rural life" (pg. 299). In addition to the attractive nature of the rural social environment other factors contribute to the migratory behavior of the elderly. Three methods were utilized in this research including: (1) the documentation of a gross migration stream by the analysis of census and county population data; (2) the documentation of migration characteristics of migrants by means of a purposive survey of the population (N = 115); and (3) the documentation of the processes of migratory behavior by the use of in-depth interviews based on a "Snow Ball" sample (N = 50) of the population at large.;Findings and conclusions. The findings of this research support the following assumptions: (1) that the community is considered amenity rich by those individuals who have migrated to it; (2) that those elderly that migrate have similar characteristics; (3) that those elderly that migrate to this community fit Litwak and Longino's "first stage" of their three stage elderly migration theory.