Examining the Migration-Commuting Nexus: Migration and Commuting in Rural England, 2002-2006:

David L. Brown, Cornell University
Tony Champion, Newcastle University
Mike Coombes, Newcastle University
Colin Wymer, Newcastle University

England has experienced continuous counter-urbanization since the 1980s. We examine the extent to which urban to rural migrants in England retain their urban workplaces after moving, or bring work closer to home. We use the migration commuting nexus to examine the urban-rural interface linking urban areas with their regions. We see migration and commuting as part of the intense social and economic interaction that structures and restructures the urban-rural interface. Analysis of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings confirms the positive relationship between migration and commuting distance. We examined stability and change in commuting distance among rural in-migrants from 2002 through 2006. We show that English settlement structure, during a period of counter-urbanization, is characterized by a significant amount of long distance commuting which is particularly prevalent among rural in-migrants, and that long distance commuting is not necessarily a transitory condition among workers who return to short distance commuting.