Migration, Internal--Florida

Florida's population growth has been spatially and temporally uneven. Significant growth occurred in different regions of the state during certain periods of time. This differential growth was a result of specific socioeconomic conditions that varied both temporally and spatially. Florida was granted statehood 1845 and served as the southern extension of the plantation system. Growth was high in the northern regions of Florida during the antebellum years. After reconstruction, railroad infrastructure was developed that connected the distant reaches of the state with each other and the rest of the country. This facilitated the growth of the central regions of the peninsula. The construction of roads and the popularity of the automobile brought settlers and land developers to the southern regions of Florida in the early twentieth century. After a growth slump during the Depression, activities of World War II once again stimulated growth in the state, especially in the southeastern peninsula. The recent phenomenon of elderly migration has shifted growth to the less populated areas of the southwestern peninsula.

The objective of this thesis was to understand and
model social well-being, a way of measuring quality of
life, in the counties of Florida. First, the concepts of
social well-being were reviewed. Second, models of social
well-being for 1960 and 1970 were proposed and developed
through a factor analytic approach. Third, the patterns
of social well-being were discussed and the change over
the decade revealed. Fourth, these components of social
well-being were evaluated as explanators of net migration
rates through multiple linear regression. Finally, the
results were reviewed, compared to similar approaches,
and fitted into an overall picture of social well-being
analyses.

The objective of this thesis was to understand and model
the patterns of internal migration to Southeast Florida in
terms of spatial, demographic, social, economic, and
climatic factors. First, a review of migration theory and
research was made. Second, migration is described in
terms of the total components of population change in
Southeast Florida. Third, aggregate migration, i.e.,
migration flows, are described and then modeled in gravity
model formulations. Fourth, the proportion of migrants,
i.e., migration rates, are described and modeled using
multiple linear regression and principle components analysis. Finally the results obtained are conceptualized in
terms of the migrant's decision to migrate to Southeast
Florida.

Elderly seasonal migration is strong in certain parts of the United States. Florida experiences drastic annual fluctuations in population due to this trend, and certain geographic areas within the state are more attractive than others. According to current literature on the topic, there are both negative and positive consequences to the area of in-migration. The first main goal of this paper is to determine which of the variables suggested by the current literature actually are associated with a high seasonal population. It was found that all of the variables suggested were extremely multicollinear, but percentage 65 and older had the highest overall correlation. The second goal is to perform an analysis of the effects of the seasonal population on a city with a high raw number of seasonal housing units---Boca Raton. This was done through a comparison of the current literature with empirical evidence gathered on Boca Raton. It was found that Boca Raton is consistent with the literature with the majority of the effects.