The Attitudes of Rural Residents Toward the Expansion of Natural Resource Based Economic Activities: A Comparison Between Recent In-migrants and Long-time Residents

Abstract

Rural residents, particularly recent in-migrants , are often characterized by preferences for a tranquil rural Lifestyle based on the attributes of an open countryside. A survey of residents of an isolated rural county in West Virginia was conducted to explore the proposition that recent rural in-migrants are more opposed to the growth of natural resource based activities which are detrimental to the rural countryside than are long-term residents of the County . The hypothesis was not supported , as both recent in-migrants and long-time residents strongly favored economic development of the County's natural resources over preservation of the natural countryside.