BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. — When Lynyrd Skynyrd sang “Sweet Home Alabama,” the state’s residents surely identified with its lyrics. A new study about population migration in the United States puts Alabama as one of the top 20 of what the study calls “sticky states” or states where people tend to “stick around.”

The study, conducted by the Pew Research center, measured American’s moving habits around the country. The study found that people are settling down, with 57 percent of adult Americans living their entire lives in the state they were born.

Americans are often viewed as always on the move. However, the trend seems to be everyone is settling down. Between 2007 and 2008 only 11.9 percent of Americans moved, marking the lowest number since the government began tracking the trend in the 1940s.

While many of the reasons seem circumstantial such as a new job, or pursuit of higher education, many Baldwin County residents just think Alabama is a great place to live.

“Baldwin County is a beautiful place,” Kathy Danielson of the Foley Conventions and Visitor’s Bureau said. “We have all the natural resources; everything we need.”

The study also found that Americans who have never left their hometown tend to have a greater number of extended family members that live within one hour’s driving distance from them.

“I’m one of those people who came back home,” Danielson said. “I wanted a family-oriented place to live, so I chose to come back here and raise my kids.”

Danielson’s belief is shared by 36 percent of the nation who also choose to return home to raise children. But what defines home?

Participants in the study defined home in four ways: the place they were born or raised, where they lived longest, where their family is from or where they went to high school.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is what the study calls “magnet states,” or states that people tend to move to most. Topping the list: Nevada.

Locally, Baldwin County seems to be a “magnet” county as it has seen an increase in population of 3 percent over the last seven years and is expected to have more than 190,000 residents by 2012, according to census data.

The only city in Baldwin County to lose residents is Bay Minette, while Foley and Orange Beach have seen the greatest growth.

“People move to Baldwin County for several reasons,” Vice President of the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance Bob Higgins said. “There is business growth and job growth here. There is also a large number of retirees that come here for the nice people and warm weather.”

It seems when Americans do decide to move they head West or South with Florida and Alaska topping the list of magnet states.

In the end, it all comes down to family or a job, as the majority of respondents cited these reasons for moving.

“Another reason people move to Baldwin County is because they are following someone else,” Higgins said. “I moved down here and had children follow me because they saw I found a job here and so could they, plus it’s a great place to live.”

Danielson agrees.

“Baldwin County has a lot to offer,” she said. “It’s no wonder more than 5 million people save their money just to visit for a week.”

With 29.4 percent of the state’s population coming from another state, it seems the warm weather and economic growth is more than attractive to these transplants as they continue to head down to “Alabama, where the skies are so blue.”

View the entire study at pewsocialtrends.com.