”Inte en plats som smörar för en” : En kvalitativ intervjustudie med människor i åldern 25-40 om valet att bo på Holmön.

• Main Author: Wiechel, Björn
• Format: Bachelor Thesis
• Language: Swedish
• Published: Umeå universitet, Institutionen för geografi 2021
• Subjects: Rural migration; counterurbanization; amenity migration; place relation; Holmön; Human Geography; Kulturgeografi; Valet; Northern Sweden
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-178432

This study seeks to illuminate the reasons to and consequences of the decision to choose Holmön as place for settlement for people in the age 25-40. The Island of Holmön, outside of Umeå in northern Sweden, has for decades experienced a depopulation. But in the last years several people in the age 25-40 – a phase of life often characterized by labour market establishment and starting a family – have moved to Holmön. What are their relationship to the island and what are the implications of the move for their life situation? Previous research of rural migration and counterurbanization find that lifecycle aspects, amenities on the countryside and lifestyle are important for the movers. Their connection to the place and having a bigger city in the vicinity also influence their choice. Semistructured interviews of eight people carried out by the author were analyzed with the help of thematic method. The results show that most important to them, in choosing to live on Holmön, is the quality of life given by the beautiful nature and idyllic environment, and somewhat by the feeling of adventure. Housing, employment, connection and social network, service and infrastructure are all factors of significance to their choice. The positive community feeling was attractive and meaningful to them aswell. Furthermore, their biggest concern, and what moreover possibly could force them to move away again, is the lack of childcare and schools on Holmön. The study suggests this migration to be regarded as amenity migration within the region of Umeå since the proximity to Umeå has such importance to the movers.