Equifinality of Population Dynamics in Georgia,1980-2020: Implications for Planning and Development

Counter-urbanization or regional decentralization since the late 1970s in the United States initiated the polarization reversal tendencies and the decentralization of population, commercial, and industrial activities to the suburbs, intermediate-sized cities, and small towns. Is the present phase of migration and settlement a myth or reality in the State of Georgia? The study analyzed the recent population movement and dynamics in Georgia using the counties and their cities as units of analysis. The study was exploratory and explanatory in nature, using descriptive statistics such as totals, ratios, averages, and tables and graphs. The research effort established the final destination of migrants from urban as well as rural areas, therefore the concept of “equifinality.” The study supports the counter-urbanization theorization, whereby the small and middle-sized cities in the orbits of large central cities of the metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) grow at the expense of the large cities’ population decline or stagnation or modest growth.