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I'm looking for a single word for 'immigrant' here, that specifically refers to people from a different part of the same country.

"As the capital city, X has a very large immigrant population".

I feel that immigrant in this sentence could be understood to mean immigrants from outside the country.

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  • intra-national migrations, intra-national migrant?
    – Lambie
    Dec 8, 2017 at 18:49
  • You could try migrant, but it does not necessarily mean from within the same country.
    – Lee Leon
    Dec 8, 2017 at 19:01
  • "Transient" seems too temporary (also synonymous with "hobo") and "transplant" makes it seem somehow involuntary. "Out-of-towner"? This is a tough one. There really ought to be a word, too, because it describes the population of many cities.
    – EightyEighty
    Dec 8, 2017 at 19:04
  • I think I understand what you want to say, but at what point does a new resident become part of the "non-immigrant" population?
    – jxh
    Dec 8, 2017 at 21:49
  • 1
    The capital city is largely populated by people that relocated from the surrounding area.
    – Mazura
    Dec 8, 2017 at 23:13

3 Answers 3

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16

I have heard the word "transplant" used to describe people who are living in a place or city that they did not grow up in.

From Oxford Dictionaries Online:

transplant

/ˈtræn(t)splænt/

noun

A person or thing that has been moved to a new place or situation.

The Gang actually was a band of Florida transplants who moved north for bigger purses.

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3
  • In the US, this is not usually used but it can be used. But it has a different meaning. It is not a general term, sociologically speaking.
    – Lambie
    Dec 9, 2017 at 16:00
  • @Lambie maybe this is a regional thing? I live in the Boston area and I hear this term used all the time, especially because there are so many people here who fit the definition. I asked a co-worker from Vermont for his thoughts and he thought it was a very strange word choice to use to describe a human person!
    – user266420
    Dec 20, 2017 at 18:14
  • @user266420 Well, maybe we're neighbors. It can be used but isn't a sociology term, which is what I thought the OP wanted. However, it's fine if not.
    – Lambie
    Dec 20, 2017 at 20:00
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You can refer to them as new residents. Sample usage:

For the second straight year, Florida registered the top migration rate of any state, with about 16 new residents per 1,000 population. After slowing somewhat during the recession, migration has picked back up as more retirees establish residency in the Sunshine State.
Where Are Americans Moving? According to New Census Data, Utah.

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2

Depending where they are from you could call them:

  • northerners, southerners, westerners or easterlings
  • country folk
  • bushies
  • provincials
  • rurals
  • itinerants
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