rural flight
Leaving the farmland
Rural flight is the movement of people from countryside areas to cities, typically in search of economic opportunity, education, or amenities.
The phenomenon has shaped demographics worldwide as agricultural employment declined and urban industries expanded.
Also called rural exodus or rural-urban migration.
Rural flight has left many small towns with aging populations and shuttered main streets.
- exodusMass departure from somewhere
- migrationMovement to new territory
- greener pasturesMore favorable circumstances elsewhere
- depopulationLoss of inhabitants
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
dying towns · hollowed out · farmland · family farm · countryside · small-town · decline · emptying · young people leaving · youth · opportunity · tractors · fallow · shuttered · empty storefronts · boarded up · aging · shrinking
rural flighturban flight
Departure from cities
urban exodus · counterurbanization · white flight · reverse migration · exurbanization
rural flightruralization
Shift toward country living
decentralization · urban sprawl · suburban sprawl · rural development
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