RECENT NON-TRADITIONAL RURAL RESIDENTS

AND THE URBAN-RURAL INTERFACE

Alabama Rural Population

According to the 2000 US Census, now only a minority of Alabama rural residents call themselves farmers, or live on farms (see next slide). We do not know much about the non-farm rural residents.

Alabama Population 2000 (US Census Data)

• Total Population 4,447,100• Urban Population 2,465,539• Rural Population 1,981,561

– Rural Non-farm Population 1,927,390– Farm Population 54,171

• Total Housing Units 1,963,711• Urban Housing Units 1,080,525• Rural Housing Units 883,186

– Rural Non-farm Housing Units 862,385– Farm Housing Units 20,801

Various “New” Residents

• Old farmers with small plots of land• Retired people looking for a cheap place to live• People on pensions• Poor people in general, many of whom have

moved back to the countryside• Mobile home park residents• Ex-urbanites with a job in town and 1-30 acres of

a home site• Ex-urbanites with 10-200 acres of land, and who

often raise some livestock• Hobby farmers and cattle growers

The Urban-Rural Interface

• In the past 30 years, cities, satellite towns, suburban housing developments, and ex-urbanites home sites have all expanded rapidly into farmland.

• Counties that were once predominantly farming now have many non-farming residents living right next to farms. The non-farming residents might outnumber the farmers.

• The farmers and non-farmers do not always know each other’s way of life, and get along.

Southeast Fastest Growing Region

• Over 3.26 million acres developed 1992-1997

• Over 652,000 acres per year

Atlanta in 1972

Atlanta in 1993