This article aims to explore social bonding strategies of 35 older Americans who in-migrated to nonmetropolitan areas in the United States upon their retirement. The qualitative research covered Leelanau County in Michigan and Transylvania County in North Carolina as examples of important but less studied retirement destinations compared to the elderly's residential mobility to the Sun Belt region. The main research problem addressed was to what extent older in-migrants create and develop social bonds in their new places of residence, how and with whom. The analysis showed that the interviewees connect with others mostly through volunteering and community engagement, practices related to hobbies and leisure, as well as by joining local churches and religious groups. Their social relationships, however, are often limited to other ‘transplants’, and raise concerns about support needed when their health deteriorates.

中文翻译：

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美国退休移民到非大都市地区背景下的社会联系策略——来自密歇根州和北卡罗来纳州的见解

本文旨在探讨 35 位退休后移居美国非大都市地区的美国老年人的社会联系策略。定性研究涵盖了密歇根州的里拉瑙县和北卡罗来纳州的特兰西瓦尼亚县，作为重要但研究较少的退休目的地的例子，与老年人向太阳带地区的住宅流动性相比。解决的主要研究问题是年长的移民在多大程度上在他们的新居住地建立和发展社会纽带，如何以及与谁。分析表明，受访者主要通过志愿服务和社区参与、与爱好和休闲相关的实践以及加入当地教会和宗教团体来与他人联系。然而，他们的社会关系往往仅限于其他“移植”，