The rural population turnround: A case study of North Devon

This paper is about the transition from depopulation to repopulation in Britain's remote rural areas. Despite the significance of this population turnround an understanding of its causes remains hampered by the very limited amount of empirical research. This paper therefore presents the findings of a detailed case-study of demographic revival in North Devon. The main data source is a 300-interview survey covering a sample of in-migrants and a control group of ‘local’ households. Although three-quarters of the newcomers were from South-East or South-West England, the in-migrants were m other respects a diverse group. Simple stereotypes dominated by the retired elderly, long-distance commuters and ‘back-to-the-land’ lifestyles could not do justice to the heterogeneity of the migrants and their motives. Interview questions on the reasons for the move found not only important differences between households but also between different stages of each household's derision process. The reasons for leaving the former area of residence tended to relate to lifestyle, personal or environmental factors whereas the reasons for choosing North Devon were more often about jobs and house prices. This complexity and diversity clearly makes difficult the quest for a single theory of the repopulation process.