| This study investigates several aspects of the lifecourse model of migration using Public Use Microdata from the 1990 U.S. Census. Three distinct groups of retired migrants are identified through an examination of their lifecourse attributes, household characteristics, and spatial patterns of migration. OLS and logistic regression are then used to evaluate the influence of various origin and destination characteristics on the migration of each group.;The first type of later-life migration, amenity migration, can be identified partly by its strong spatial pattern of destination choice. Amenity migrants are attracted by pleasant climates and favorable economic conditions but tend to avoid large metropolitan areas. While amenity migration has long been associated with good health and favorable economic status, this analysis reveals that many disabled and lower-income retirees can also be included within the amenity group.;The second type of mobility, assistance migration, arises in response to the combination of low income and widowhood (absence of spouse). Assistance migration typically results in residential and economic dependence---specifically, in coresidence with adult children or other labor force members. In contrast with previous lifecourse typologies, this study demonstrates that coresidence is primarily a strategy for reducing living costs rather than a means of coping with moderate disability. While assistance migrants tend to live in low-cost housing, they do not choose those destination communities with the lowest average rents. Instead, they appear to select low-cost housing within particular areas after choosing those areas on the basis of other criteria.;The third type of migration, migration in response to severe disability, is often associated with institutional residence. The migrants in this last group are especially likely to leave those communities where nursing home facilities are inadequate.;Two chapters of this dissertation have been previously published. Chapter 3 is "Types and patterns of later-life migration," Geografiska Annaler 82B (2000): 129--47. Chapter 4 is "Place characteristics and later-life migration," Research on Aging 24 (2002): 244--78. |
