Theoretical Contributions to the Understanding of U.S. Nonmetropolitan Economic Change

Abstract

The economic and population turnaround in nonmetropolitan America during the 1960s and 1970s, followed by a reversal of this turnaround in the early 1980s, has been the focus of considerable research by economists, geographers, planners, sociologists, and others. Theories and models for understanding regional economic change and the location of economic activity seldom focus on nonmetropolitan areas. This essay reviews some of these theories and models, discusses how they have been used to help analyze and predict nonmetropolitan economic change, and interprets their relevance to understanding U.S. nonmetropolitan growth and decline.