Topography, Culture Areas, and Integration of Retired Migrants in a Coastal North Carolina County

Abstract

The later life migration literature includes analyses of migration streams, examination of later life migration precursors, the economic impact of migration, and meta-analyses advocating methodological refinement. Missing are studies of later life migrants post relocation, including their social integration in receiving communities. The small area analysis presented here evolved in consultation with a local Planning Committee including older adults and service providers that guided development of an aging services plan for Dare County on the North Carolina Outer Banks. Multiple methods were applied, including secondary historical and contextual data, in-depth interviews, and a brief survey of older adults using services. Findings suggest difference among communities in the integration of later life migrants with older natives that provides context for service needs and delivery. Community difference stems from topographical land form characteristics, socioeconomic and cultural difference between later life migrants and older natives, and the course of residential development across communities.