Farm Programs, Natural Amenities, and Rural Development—Despite near record payments in 1999-2000, counties with high farm payments lost substantial population in 1998-2003. The explanation for continued population loss in these counties does not lie in the health of the farm economy, but in their remoteness and lack of natural amenities. |
Natural Amenities Drive Rural Population Change—Over the past 30 years, rural population and employment change have highly related to natural amenities, as measured by a scale based on climate, topography, and water area (lakes, ponds, and ocean front). |
