The relationship between place ties and moves to small regional retirement communities on the Canadian prairies

► Pull factors assume greater importance than push factors in the decision to move. ► Proximity to larger centres plays an important role in migration decision-making. ► Movers evaluate potential moves in terms of perceived advantages and disadvantages. ► High mobility levels throughout the life-course make later-life migration easier. ► Elderly concentrations appear in retirement communities at the metropolitan fringe.