Micropolitan areas and urbanization processes in the US

Abstract

Micropolitan areas, sometimes called mini-metros, occupy a unique position in the US urban hierarchy between low-density rural areas and high-density metropolitan areas. These county-based units—only recently recognized by the Office of Management and Budget—have urban centers whose populations range between 10,000 and 50,000. Evidence indicates that micropolitan areas are remarkably diverse in terms of their histories, attributes and economies. Today many of these places sit at the nexus of two opposing processes unfolding across the national urban landscape. Various forces promote continued urbanization and drive migration up through the hierarchy while other forces promote counterurbanization and drive migration down through the hierarchy. Micropolitan residents, who enjoy a compromise between rural living and urban living, will continue to be impacted by these twin processes. Much more research is needed to understand the nature of these situated forces and to trace the uneven geographic patterns of micropolitan growth and change during the upcoming years.