Americans Migrate To Rural Counties

Rural counties in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Georgia, California, and Texas are among the top 10 percent of counties that gained in taxpaying households from 2000 to 2004. Households on the move include young families, empty nesters, and people who can work from home. For example, in Blair County, Georgia, 80 miles from Atlanta: "I just sold a house to a woman who works at the Centers for Disease Control, but she only has to go in to work one day a week," says real estate agent Joanne Fischer. Meanwhile in Minnesota, a real estate agent claims that north of Minneapolis, "It's not an exact science, but we figure that the same house is about $1,200 cheaper for every mile you go north."